A lined tote bag with boxed corners is made of two outer rectangles and two lining rectangles, each with a small square cut from the bottom corners, plus two handles and an inside pocket. You sew the outer and the lining into two separate bags, pinch each corner closed to give the bag its depth, slide one bag into the other with the handles between them, sew around the top and turn everything through a gap in the lining. A 40 × 38 × 10 cm (16 × 15 × 4 in) tote takes an afternoon.
How do boxed corners give a tote its depth?
The depth comes from the corner cut-outs. Each pattern piece is as wide as the finished bag plus the depth, and as tall as the finished bag plus half the depth. A square of half the depth is cut from each bottom corner. Once the side and bottom seams are sewn, you pinch each corner so the side seam lies on top of the bottom seam: the opening becomes a straight edge exactly as long as the depth, and sewing across it squares the base.
For a bag 40 cm wide, 38 cm tall and 10 cm deep, each piece is 50 × 43 cm (19 3/4 × 17 in) on the stitching line, with 5 cm (2 in) squares cut from the bottom corners.
| Finished bag (W × H × D) | Piece on the stitching line | Corner square |
|---|---|---|
| Book tote, 35 × 40 × 6 cm (13 3/4 × 15 3/4 × 2 3/8 in) | 41 × 43 cm | 3 cm |
| Everyday, 40 × 38 × 10 cm (16 × 15 × 4 in) | 50 × 43 cm | 5 cm |
| Market or beach, 50 × 40 × 15 cm (19 3/4 × 15 3/4 × 6 in) | 65 × 47.5 cm | 7.5 cm |
Cutting the squares out before sewing is more accurate than sewing the corner first and cutting it off afterward, because the geometry is fixed by the pattern rather than measured on a bulky seam.
Which fabrics, and how much?
For the outer, choose cotton canvas or duck of about 10–12 oz (340–400 gsm), denim, upholstery cotton or waxed cotton. For the lining, quilting cotton is easy to sew and comes in prints that make the inside a nice surprise. A medium fusible interfacing on the outer pieces keeps the bag standing even in canvas; leave it out only with very heavy duck or upholstery fabric.
For the everyday size, plan on:
- Outer and handles: about 80 cm (7/8 yd) of fabric 110 cm (45 in) wide or wider.
- Lining and pocket: about 50 cm (5/8 yd) of 140–150 cm (55–60 in) fabric, or 90 cm (1 yd) of 110 cm fabric.
- Interfacing: about 1 m (1 1/8 yd) of medium fusible.
- Optional: a magnetic snap.
Use a 90/14 or 100/16 denim needle for canvas and a longer stitch of 3–3.5 mm for topstitching. The needles and thread guide has the details for each fabric.
How long should tote bag handles be?
Handle length decides how the bag is carried:
- In the hand: 35–45 cm (14–18 in).
- On the shoulder: 60–70 cm (24–28 in), which clears a winter coat.
- Across the body: 110–120 cm (43–47 in).
Each handle is a strip folded in four to about 3.5 cm (1 3/8 in) wide, with 3 cm (1 1/4 in) added to the length to sew into the top seam. Place the handle ends about 12 cm (4 3/4 in) in from each side seam so the bag hangs straight.
In what order do you sew a lined tote bag?
- Prewash the canvas, which can shrink, and the lining. Cut two outer pieces, two lining pieces, two handles and one pocket.
- Interface the outer pieces.
- Make the handles. Press each strip in half lengthwise, open it, press both long edges to the center crease, fold again and topstitch along both long edges.
- Inside pocket. Fold it right sides together, sew around leaving a gap, turn and press. Topstitch it to one lining piece about 8 cm (3 1/8 in) below the top edge; a vertical line of stitching makes a pen slot.
- Magnetic snap, if using: fit it in the lining pieces, centered, about 4 cm (1 1/2 in) below the top stitching line, with a scrap of interfacing behind each half.
- Sides and bottom. Sew the outer pieces right sides together along the sides and bottom. Do the same with the lining, leaving a 12–15 cm (5–6 in) gap in the bottom seam.
- Box the corners of both bags: pinch, match the seams, pin and sew straight across.
- Baste the handles to the outer bag, right sides together, ends level with the top edge, checking that they are not twisted.
- Join outer and lining. Turn the outer bag right side out and slip it inside the lining, so the right sides face each other. Match the side seams and sew around the top edge.
- Turn the bag through the gap in the lining, then close the gap with an edgestitch or a ladder stitch by hand.
- Topstitch around the top edge 3–5 mm (1/8–3/16 in) from the fold, rolling the lining slightly to the inside first.
- Press.
The top seam is the thickest point, with handles, outer, lining and interfacing stacked up. Sew it slowly, and use the straight seam and pivot technique at the side seams.
How do you stop a tote bag from sagging?
- Interface the outer, even if the fabric feels stiff on the bolt.
- Box the corners: a flat base carries weight better than a flat bag.
- Reinforce the handles with a box and a cross of stitching where they meet the top edge.
- Add a removable base: a rectangle of heavy card or plastic canvas, cut to the size of the base, slipped inside the bag.
Can Sewly draft a tote bag to your sizes?
Sewly's tote bag pattern takes the width, height, depth and handle length as plain numbers and draws the outer and lining pieces with the corner squares already cut out. The lining, the inside pocket and the magnetic snap can each be switched on or off, and the handles and pocket come as cutting dimensions rather than printed pages.