Blessed Bible Tote

Spirited embroidery, cozy quilted fabric, and a handy button clasp make for a tote bag that is truly unique and beautiful.

Use this colorful tote to carry your Bible and other materials to church or study groups.

Read below for these free project instructions!

Supplies & Materials:

Project Materials or Supplies

**3/8 yard solid-colored quilted cotton fabric (for front)

**3/4 yard solid-colored quilted cotton fabric (for inner lining)

**3/4 yard print quilted cotton fabric (for front, back, flap, and shoulder strap pad)

**Medium-weight cutaway stabilizer

**Temporary spray adhesive

**Air-erase pen (or other marking tool)

**40 inch length of 1 inch wide nylon strap

**Extra wide double fold bias tape

**3 inch diameter object for tracing (we used a ribbon spool)

**One 1 3/8 inch button

**Craft knife or seam ripper

The designs used in this tutorial include: OR more materials & supplies

F5101, Peace with Flax

This design is also available in the following design pack:

X8460, A Blissful Blooms Design Pack

Finished Size :
9 inches wide by 14 1/2 inches high by 6 inches deep

Gather Materials:

To begin, we will prepare the fabric for the embroidered center front block. Using an air-erase pen (or other marking tool), draw a 16 inch wide by 7 1/2 inch high rectangle on the solid-colored quilted cotton fabric -- leave a couple of inches of excess fabric around the shape. Measure and mark the center of each side of the shape by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines to connect the marks. Where the lines meet is the exact center of the shape.

Hand holding a 12-inch ruler on quilted white fabric marked with blue lines forming rectangles, laid on a wooden surface.

Create a paper template of the design by printing it at full size using embroidery software. If you don't have embroidery software, you can cut a piece of paper the shape and dimensions of the design to help with placement and centering.

Poke a hole in the center of the template and align it with the center point on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shape -- there should be at least 1 1/2 inches of space between the edges of the design and the edges of the shape.

Hand holding light blue quilted fabric with a black and white paper design taped on it. Design shows a four-leaf clover and the word "PEACE" with ornamental patterns inside letters.

Start Embroidering:

Spray a piece of medium-weight cutaway stabilizer with temporary adhesive and smooth the fabric on top. Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric. Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Move the hoop so that the needle is aligned with the center point on the fabric. Embroider the design.

Hand holding a wooden embroidery hoop placed on a quilted light blue fabric with grid lines marked on it, on a wooden surface.

After the design has finished, trim away the excess stabilizer on the back of the embroidery. Then, cut out the shape.

Close-up of a hand cutting white fabric with orange scissors. Underneath, colorful embroidery of houses and plants on fabric is partially visible. Background is quilted light blue fabric.

To prepare the fabric for the top and bottom of the front panel, cut a piece of the print quilted cotton 16 inches wide by 5 inches high for the top, and a piece that's 16 inches wide by 8 inches high for the bottom. Align the top piece with the top edge of the embroidered center panel, with right sides facing, and pin in place. Then, align the bottom piece with the bottom edge of the center panel, with right sides facing, and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the pinned top and bottom edges.

Hand holding a fabric tote bag with quilted blue and yellow floral pattern, open to show white inner lining, on a wooden surface.

Press the back seams open and top stitch a 1/8 inch seam along both sides of each seam.

Close-up of an iron pressing a white fabric piece embroidered with the word "BELIEVE" in colorful letters and a green embroidered flower on a blue quilted surface.

To prepare the fabric for the flap, cut a piece of the print quilted cotton 7 inches wide by 5 1/2 inches high. Trace a 3 inch diameter round object (we used a ribbon spool) at each of the bottom corners.

Small fabric piece with blue, dark brown, and light blue stripes featuring white leaf patterns, placed on a brown wooden surface with a round white object.

Trim the corners along the lines you just traced.

Blue and brown striped fabric piece with leaf embroidery, cut with curved edges, on a wooden table next to fabric scissors and small fabric scraps.

To prepare the back fabric, cut a 16 inch wide by 18 1/2 inch high piece of print quilted cotton. Measure and mark the center of the top edge of the fabric by measuring and dividing by two. Then, measure and mark the center of the bottom edge (straight edge) of the flap piece by measuring and dividing by two. Align the center points together, with the right sides of the fabric facing, pin in place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edge only. Lay the flap and back pieces flat and press the seam.

Hand holding corner of quilted fabric tote with blue flowers, green leaves, and brown background, resting on wooden surface.

Align the front panel with the back panel with right sides facing and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the sides and bottom edges only.

Patchwork fabric tote bag laid flat on wooden table with a quilted light blue center panel featuring an embroidery of an angel, blue and brown floral and striped patterns.

Next we will square off the bottom of the fabric. Align the bottom and sides seams together, pin in place, and measure in 4 inches starting at the outer point. At the mark you just made, draw a line perpendicular to the seam.

Hand measuring a blue, brown, and white tote bag corner with a metal ruler on a wooden surface; bag has leaf and swirl prints.

Trim off the corner leaving about 1/2 inch excess fabric at the seam.

Cut fabric pieces with blue, brown, and white leaf patterns on a wooden surface, alongside orange-handled scissors.

To prepare the fabric for the inner lining, cut two 16 inch wide by 18 1/2 inch high pieces of quilted cotton for the front and back.
Also, prepare a flap piece just as you did before. Add the flap piece to the top of the back piece just as you did earlier.

Pieces of brown quilted fabric laid flat on a wooden surface, including a large rectangular piece, a smaller rectangular piece, and a curved flap piece.

To prepare the inner pocket, cut a 6 inch by 6 inch piece of fabric and wrap bias tape around the top edge. Pin the tape in place and sew a seam along the inner edge of the tape.

Close-up of a hand holding a fabric square with blue and white flowers and green leaves on a dark brown background, edges trimmed with yellow.

osition the pocket along the inner side of the front fabric piece, about 5 inches from the top edge of the fabric. Center the pocket side to side with the outer edges by measuring equal distances between the sides of the pocket and the outer edges of the fabric. Wrap bias tape around the side and bottom edges of the pocket and sew the pocket in place by sewing a seam along the inner edges of the tape.

Assemble the inner lining just as you did the outer shell portion.

Close-up of a dark quilted fabric with a small square patch of floral fabric in blue, white, and green sewn on. A hand holds a yellow strap near the patch.

To prepare the padding for the shoulder strap, cut a piece of fabric 3 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches high. Fold the short ends over 1/2 inch to the wrong side, press, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along each short end. Fold the long side edges over 1/2 inch to the wrong side and press.

Close-up of an iron pressing the seam allowance of a folded fabric strip with blue, brown, and green leaf patterns on a white surface.

Cut a 40 inch length of 1 inch wide strapping. Measure and mark the center of the strap by measuring and dividing by two. Measure and mark the center of the padding piece by measuring and dividing by two. Tuck the strap in between the layers of the padding piece, fold the padding piece over the strap, pin in place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along each long side of the padding.

Hand holding a fabric-wrapped handle cover on a white tote strap, featuring blue, brown, and white patterned fabric on a wooden surface.

Insert the outer shell inside the inner lining with right sides together. Align the ends of the strap with the side seams of the outer shell and pin in place -- leave about 1/4 inch of the strap extending past the top edge of the fabric. Tuck the strap in between outer shell and the inner lining.

Hand holding a quilted fabric tote with a blue floral and green leaf patterned rim, black body, and a white strap pinned in place.

Align the seams and the raw edges and pin in place. Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the top edge of the fabric -- leave the entire outer edges of the flap open for turning. Then, turn the fabric right side out and insert the inner lining inside the outer shell. Align the flaps together, pin in place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the entire outer edges of the flap. Top stitch a 1/4 inch seam along the entire top edge of the tote.

Quilted tote bag held open showing interior with vertical striped fabric in blue, black, and green tones with leaf and swirl patterns.

To add the bias tape to the flap, lay the flap flat with the inner side facing up. Fold the bias tape over 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. Unfold the tape and align the outer edges of the tape with the outer edges of the flap and pin in place. Sew a seam right along the outer most fold in the tape.