Tea towels come in such fun patterns and colors, they're ideal for sewing projects. They are especially perfect for turning into stylish and strong tote bags.
With these instructions, you'll transform three linen tea towels into a handy tote -- perfect for trips around town, sewing classes, and more! Add embroidery, and you've got a tote that is truly unique.
Read below for project instructions to make a stylish tea towel tote!
Supplies & Materials:
3 linen tea towels - 18" by 28" (one solid-colored towel and two print towels) or 1/2 yard of solid colored fabric and a total of one yard of print fabric -- 1/2 yard print fabric
- Medium-weight cutaway stabilize
- Temporary spray adhesive
- Air-erase pen (or other marking tool)
The designs used in this tutorial include:
- Ginkgo Leaf and Echo
- Chive and Echo
These designs are also available in a design pack:
A Herbs and Blossoms with Echoes Design Pack
Finished Size:
11 1/2 inches wide by 12 1/2 inches high by 4 1/2 inches deep
Towel Tips:
For this project, we used lightweight towels commonly used for drying dishes -- often referred to as tea towels. We were able to find and purchase tea towels at our local Target store. Instructions for embroidering on tea towels can be found by clicking here .
If you are unable to find tea towels, this tote can certainly be constructed with the fabric of your choice. Read on for instructions.
To begin, prepare the fabric for the top panels of the outer shell. Trim off the edges of the solid-colored towel (or, cut a 15 inch wide by 18 inch high piece of solid-colored fabric).
Using an air-erase pen (or other marking tool) draw two 11 inch wide by 7 inch high rectangles on the fabric (one on top of the other) - leave a few inches of excess fabric around the shapes. Then, mark the center of each side of the shapes by measuring and dividing by two. Draw lines to connect the marks - where the lines meet is the exact center of each shape.
Create paper templates of the designs by printing them 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. If you'd like a recommendation for an embroidery program that can make templates, consider Embird from www.Embird.com .
Poke a hole in the center of the templates and align them with the center points on the fabric. Make sure the design fits well within the shapes - there should be at least 1/2 inch of space between the outer edges of the design and the edges of the shape.
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 first design. Move the hoop so that the needle is directly over the center point on the fabric and embroider the design.
Repeat the hooping and embroidering process for the second design.
When the designs have finished, cut out the shapes. We did not trim off the stabilizer on the back of the embroidery. Doing this will make the fabric more rigid and will help the tote to keep its shape.
Align the embroidered panels on top of one another with right sides facing. Pin in place, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the short ends only. Leave the top and bottom edges open.
Prepare the fabric for the bottom of the outer shell by trimming off the edges of one of the print towels. If you are not using a towel, cut a 16 3/4 inch wide by 26 3/4 inch high piece of print fabric.
Fold the fabric together, wrong sides facing, with the short ends aligned and press the fold with an iron.
Measure and mark 3 inches down, along the side edges, starting at each top corner. Draw a line to connect the marks and then trim the fabric along the line. The excess fabric you just trimmed from the top edge will be used as part of the inner lining later on.
Pin the folded fabric along the side edges and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edges only. Then, turn the fabric right side out.
Now, we will create pleats at the top edges of the fabric. To do this, measure and mark the center of the top edge of the fabric on one side by measuring and dividing by two. Then, mark one inch out from the center mark (on each side, so you have two new marks). From there, mark 1 1/2 inches out from the marks you just made.
To create pleats, fold the fabric by bringing the marks together (pair up the marks on either side of the center mark) and then fold the fabric flat so that the fold is facing inward towards the center mark - pin in place. Then, mark 2 inches out from the pleats you just created. Finally, mark out another 1 1/2 inch from the marks you just made. Fold the fabric again by bringing the marks together just as you did before and pin the fabric in place.
Repeat the fabric marking, pleating, and pinning process for the opposite top edge of the fabric. Then, tack the pleats in place by sewing a 1/8 inch seam around the entire top edge of the fabric.
Next, we will square off the bottom of the fabric. Turn the fabric wrong side out, align the side seams with the bottom fold of the fabric and pin in place. Measure in 2 inches from each corner along the side seam, mark the fabric, and draw a perpendicular line from the side seam. Trim off the corner leaving about 1/2 inch of excess fabric.
Turn the fabric right side out and insert it inside the embroidered top panels, right sides facing. The bottom edge of the top panels should be aligned with the top edges of the bottom section. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam around the entire top edge. Turn the top panels up and press the seam and the pleats.
Now we will prepare the fabric for the inner lining. Cut the edges off of the remaining print towel and then cut the fabric 11 inches wide by 26 3/4 inches high. If you are not using a towel, cut a piece of print fabric 11 inches wide by 26 3/4 inches high. The excess fabric will be used to create the straps later on.
From the excess pieces of the towel or print fabric, cut two strips 11 inches wide by 2 3/4 inches high. Lay the main fabric piece flat (with the right side facing up) and align the two small pieces with the short ends of the main piece, right sides facing. Pin in place and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned edges only, and press the back seams open.
Fold the fabric, with the right sides facing, aligning the short ends together. Press the fold, pin the side edges, and sew a 1/4 inch seam along the pinned side edges only.
Square off the bottom of the fabric just as you did for the outer shell.
To prepare the straps, cut two pieces of the excess towel or print fabric 3 inches wide by 26 inches long. Fold the long edges of each strap in 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. Then, fold the fabric again by bringing the folded edges together, and press. Sew a 1/4 inch seam along each long edge of the straps.
Measure and mark 2 1/2 inches in along the top edges of the outer shell, starting at each top side seam. Place the ends of the straps at the marks, leaving about 1/4 inch of the ends extending out past the top edges of the fabric. Pin in place.
Insert the outer shell inside the inner lining with right sides facing. Align the side seams and the top edges and pin in place. Sew a 1/4 inch seam along the top edge leaving the area in between the ends of one of the straps open for turning.
Turn the fabric right side out and insert the inner lining inside the outer shell. Turn the fabric of the opening in 1/4 inch and press. Then, top stitch a 1/8 inch seam around the entire top edge of the tote.
Your tea towel tote is finished. Carry it with style -- and surprise friends when you tell them what it's made of! They'll want one, too.
