Welcome back to Tote Week! If you’re just joining in here’s the line up:
- Monday: How to Sew a Canvas Tote Bag
- Tuesday: Dress Up a Store Bought Tote with Piping
- Wednesday: Reusable Tote Bag Sewing Tutorial
- Thursday: Customizing a Tote Bag with an Old Shirt
- Friday: 21 Ways to Make and Decorate a Tote Bag
If you’re short on time (or don’t have a sewing machine), there’s nothing wrong with cheating a little.
Today I want to show you a great way to add some character to a store bought tote bag. You can dress up a plain tote bag with piping. I purchased canvas tote bags at Michael’s for a few dollars. You can purchase piping or make your own easily (if you have a sewing machine.) If you don’t own a sewing machine, purchase pre-made piping and buy some double stick hem tape or hot glue to secure the piping instead of sewing it on.
Piped Tote Bag Tutorial
Materials:
- Tote bag
- Scissors
- Piping (tutorial to make your own piping)
- Fabric
- Rope
- Thread
- Needle
- Sewing machine (use hot glue or double stick hem tape if you don’t have a sewing machine)
Instructions:
Start by making your piping. Be sure to make enough to line the rim of your tote bag and overlap by at least 2 inches.
If your tote bag handles are sewn to the inside of the bag, rip the top seam off to free the handles from the top edge of the tote bag.
Begin pinning your piping around the inside of the top edge of the bag. Fold the raw edge over and between the bag and the piping as shown below:
Overlap the edges of the piping in an inconspicuous spot (near a back handle.) Read more
