Embroidered Firewood Tote

Keep the home fires burning throughout winter with this handy Firewood Tote. It's simple, sturdy, and stylish!

This a great gift idea for both women and men. Just choose designs that will match the recipient's interests and decor. Use a durable duck cloth and vinyl to create a customized look personalized for someone special.

The finished size for this project is 23 inches wide by approximately 35 inches high.

Supplies & Materials:

Project Materials or Supplies
- 1/2 yard light-colored duck cloth
- 3/4 yard dark-colored duck cloth
- 1/2 yard marine vinyl
- 3 yards of 7/8 inch wide quilt binding
- 3 yards of 1 1/2 inch wide cotton or polyester strapping
- Medium weight cut-away stabilizer
- Temporary spray adhesive
- Air-erase pen
- Large piece of paper or tag board

The designs used in this tutorial include:

- C6557, Moose
- C6547, Jumping Deer

Be sure to pre-wash and dry the cotton fabrics before starting this project.

Prepare Pieces:

To prepare the pattern shape for the end pieces, cut a piece of the tag board to 24 by 10 inches. Then measure and mark a spot 5 inches in from each corner along one of the long sides. Draw a line from the marks to the corners on the opposite long side.

Person's hand holding a blue pen drawing two intersecting diagonal lines on a large white sheet of paper on a dark wood table.

Cut along the lines to finish the shape.

White square paper on a dark wood table with an adjacent smaller white triangular piece cut out and orange-handled scissors nearby.

Lay the shape on the light-colored duck cloth, leaving a few inches of excess fabric around the shape. Trace the shape.

A plain white paper sheet placed on beige fabric on a wooden table; a hand holding a blue pen is visible at the fabric's edge on the right side.

To place the designs, mark the center of the top and bottom of the shape (with an air-erase pen) by measuring and dividing by two. Draw a line between these marks.

Create templates by printing the designs at full size using embroidery software. Trim around the template to make it manageable.

Lay the template inside the shape -- align the vertical axis line with the center line on the fabric. Make sure there is at least one inch between the edges of the design and the edge of the shape. Measure in between the top and bottom of the shape and divide by two. Position the center of the template at this point, poke a hole in the center of the template and mark the fabric. Mark the horizontal axis points as well.

Hand holding a blue pen to mark fabric with drawn cross lines; printed black and gray embroidered deer design pinned on beige fabric.

Remove the template and draw a line connecting the horizontal axis points.

Black Westcott ruler lying diagonally on light fabric marked with blue lines and numbers, with a blue pen tip visible on the right side.

Hoop the fabric with cut-away stabilizer that has been sprayed with temporary adhesive.

Hoop the fabric and stabilizer together by aligning the marks on the hoop with the lines on the fabric.

Embroidery fabric held in a rectangular hoop with rounded corners, blue grid lines marked on fabric for alignment, neutral background.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the design. Align the needle over the center point on the fabric and embroider the design.

Embroidery machine stitching a brown deer with black hooves and white tail on white fabric, framed by a gray hoop with blue guide lines.

After the design has finished embroidering, trim away the excess stabilizer. Leave about 1/4 inch of excess around the design.

Close-up of fabric piece with partially embroidered brown ram being cut with orange-handled scissors on a beige surface.

Cut out the shape of the fabric.

For the second end piece, repeat the pattern tracing, design placement, and embroidering process again.

Close-up of white fabric with a partially embroidered brown moose with beige antlers and a blue stitching guideline. A hand holds orange scissors on the right.

Assemble Tote:

Cut a 23 by 17 inch piece of the vinyl and lay it right side up. This is the bottom of the tote.

Align the long sides of the end pieces with the long sides (23 inches sides) of the vinyl with the right sides down. The points of the end pieces will extend past the edges of the vinyl about 1/2 inches.

Pin in place.

Hand holding a folded beige fabric piece with two animal embroidery designs pinned on separate fabric patches, laid flat on a brown table.

Sew a 1/2 inch seam along the pinned edges.

Close-up of a sewing machine needle stitching black thread designs on off-white fabric, with two yellow-headed pins securing the fabric under the presser foot.

Lay the assembled piece flat, finger-press the seams, and trim the points.

A folded beige and white fabric on a wooden surface next to an orange-handled pair of scissors with a small fabric scrap nearby.

Top stitch a 1/4 inch seam along the seams on the end piece (duck cloth side).

Close-up of a sewing machine needle stitching black thread embroidery on a white fabric, with part of a brown and black design visible near the needle.

Lay the assembled piece on top of the dark-colored duck cloth and pin in place. Place the pins about 1 1/2 inches from the edge of the fabric.

Cut out the shape.

White fabric panel with embroidered brown rabbit holding antlers, pinned on edges; a hand with orange scissors cuts fabric on dark wooden table.

Add the quilt binding by wrapping it around the edge of both layers. Start in the center of one of the sides and work your way around. Pinch and fold at the corners and pin in place.

Sew the binding in place with a 1/8 inch seam (1/8 inch from the inside). When you reach the end, fold the binding over and sew in place.

Close-up of a light gray fabric piece pinned to a dark brown strip on a wooden surface, with visible red and black push pins.

To add the handles, align the edge of the webbing with one of the top corners of an end piece. Align the end of the webbing with the center of the bottom of the tote.

Pin in place.

White and beige fabric tote with an embroidered deer in mid-leap on the white upper section, white straps pinned with colorful sewing pins, on a wooden table.

Sew the webbing in place with a 1/8 inch seam along the outer edges.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching brown thread embroidery on light-colored fabric, with a blue-headed pin holding the fabric in place.

Then, bring the webbing around the top of the end piece. Leave an 18-inch long handle and align the edge of the webbing with the other top corner. Lay the webbing across the end piece, along the bottom, and across the opposite end piece.

White and beige fabric tote bag with a detailed brown embroidered deer in mid-leap on the upper white section, laid flat on a wooden table.

Create another 18-inch long handle and bring the webbing down to meet where you started. Fold the webbing over 1/2 inch and pin in place.

Sew a 1/8 inch seam around the entire outer edges of the webbing.

Partial view of an embroidered tote with a moose design on white fabric, tan bottom, white straps pinned for assembly, on a wooden table with blue background.

Fold the handles together and pin in place. Leave about
1 1/2 inch open on each end.

Hands holding a white fabric strap with pins attached, positioned above a brown fabric piece on a wood-grain table surface.

Sew a seam along the open edge of the handles.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching a beige fabric strip with a blue pin attached, placed on the needle plate under the presser foot.

Optional:

Add vinyl covering to the handles for an added detail and easier carrying.

To do this, cut two pieces of vinyl to 8 inches by 1 3/4 inch.

Two rectangular strips of beige fabric on a wood grain surface next to a partially visible orange-handled pair of scissors.

Fold the short ends over 1/2 inch (to the wrong side) and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the folded edge.

Close-up of a sewing machine stitching white fabric with multiple layers under the needle. The presser foot and bobbin case are visible. White surface background.

Lay the handles flat. Measure and mark the center of the handles and the center of the vinyl piece (along the long sides) by measuring and dividing by two.