While on the subject of Tote bags .......

A few weeks ago I made my first foray into the world of making a lined Tote bag. I had some good quality medium weight cotton and some heavyweight poly/cotton material, both in shades of blue so I dived in.

I wanted something a little more complicated to make than the Morsbag, so I turned to my copy of Merchant and Mills: Sewing Book (which I highly recommend) for inspiration/a pattern. I went for their Tote Bag, which is a little more complex to make than your average "YouTube Tote Bag", having a 2" gusset, is fully lined and has a pocket. I stuck pretty rigidly to the pattern for the bag and lining, but omitted the inside pocket and made my own cloth straps from the outer fabric rather than add leather straps.

The bag took a couple of hours to make. I am very pleased with the results, so much so that I made a second on a few days ago, this one has webbing strap handles. This is a great large shopper and I am sure I will be making more in the future.

Merchant and Mills Tote bag pattern adaption No.2

2" gusset

Handle fixing

Internal pocket

Bag and removable firm base

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Sewing on and Serging forward

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