Super Awesome Patchwork Tote Bag

Tote bags come in all shapes and sizes and serve so many useful purposes. The same could be said for patchwork quilts. If you've been following Hooked On Needles for a while, or even if you only pop in every now and then, you might have figured out that I have a thing for tote bags. I do believe it has been mentioned once or twice! I also love quilts or anything that brings together many fabrics and turns them into one beautiful and useful item.

In one of my recent shipments from my new favorite clearance rack place to shop, Connecting Threads, I received a tote bag kit for what was described as a large tote bag that could hold a 13 by 9 inch pan in the bottom of it. It was the first thing I made from that order! I had to see it for myself!

If you want to see it for yourself, keep reading...


This fabulous, super huge and very cheerful tote bag is made with two charm packs and some yardage of Connecting Threads' fabric line called Mama's Cottons 2. The kit is no longer available, but if you have even basic experience making bags, I am sure you could figure out how to make this just from looking at the pictures.


Don't you just love the colors and the prints?


Could you see this oversize tote bag being used for a day at the beach, or to tote your big afghan project with you to a friend's house?


The velcro closure across the top was my own addition to this pattern. I like to be able to close up the top of my project bags to keep things better contained.


To stiffen the bottom of the bag, I cut two pieces of mat board to fit and slid them into a simple sleeve made with some of the leftover fabric. I just tucked the open end inside between the two pieces of board so the sleeve could be removed for cleaning.

See the two large pockets on the inside? This bag would also make a great diaper bag for that first-time mom who feels the need to haul everything x2 every time she takes the baby outside the house!


I think the back is just as pretty as the front.

This kit was fun to work up, and I even have quite a few of the charms leftover to use for some other project. If you're looking for a great place to purchase nice fabric and great patterns put together into complete kits, keep an eye on the Web Specials page at Connecting Threads for some great bargains.

Happy Stitching!

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