Monday, November 20, 2006

You'll never look at it the same way again!

Today, I have a fun, fast, and easy crafty crafty project for you. I am going to show you how to make this cute tote from *ta dum* a placemat!



First you need a placemat. Fold it in half (the sides of the placemat will now be the top of the tote) with right sides together and stitch together on each side.








Now you are going to take the corners and fold it to a point.
You want the side seam to line up with the imaginary mid-line from the bottom of the tote.
Measure in 2" on the seam and draw a stitch line. Sew along line.



Do this on both corners. It will now look like this.







Turn the bag right side out. It will now have a squared bottom.


(inside view)







Now you need some coordinating Gros Grain (pronounced "grow" grain) for the handles. Measure 12" plus how long you want the handle. Cut two. (In my sample I used 24" - 12" for the handle length and 6" for hang down on each side.)
Pin the ribbon where you want the handle to be sewn, with the 6" hang down on each side.





Stitch the ribbons. You can do a fancy stitch or just zig zag. I like to stitch a rectangle with an X in it. You just need to secure it well.
Do that on both sides. Now that the handles are sewn on, tie a double knot with the 6" hang down.


Now you have a cute tote. This is the perfect size for carrying scriptures (Scripture Tote), can be a purse, can be for knitting or other crafty crafty projects.







14 comments:

  1. Very cute! We did these at our Super Saturday last year. Theya ll turned out really great! I put some of that hanging beaded trim on mine! FANCY!! LOL

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  2. What an awesome idea!!! It looks great! I'll have to hunt down a pretty placemat!

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  3. I can give instructions on making a crumbled ball from a sheet of paper. :D

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  4. Anonymous11:27 PM

    OMG! How cute is that? I'm definitely going to make one!

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  5. Hey! I can make my Mom surprised by trying out something like this as a gift for Thanksgiving..
    And hey!if you are planning for a trip then check this post on vacation trip with pets . I hope u'll njoy!!

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  6. you're so crafty!

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  7. That is sooooooooo cute! I am SO gonna make some of these! How easy! Wow! Thanks!

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  8. Anonymous12:29 PM

    That is beautiful! You should make them and sell them. Wish I could sew.

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  9. Cute idea!! I made a stationery holder with a placemat for gifts too!! (you can check out my site for instructions) I also monogramed the placemat for my daughter's purse. It turned out cute!!

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  10. Anonymous2:45 PM

    What a good idea

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  11. DARN! I knew there was a reason to buy some cool placemats yesterday! Okay, I'm stocking up on more and will make some of these, hopefully before Christmas. This is one cool project my mom would love as a present. ;)

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  12. Great tote! Too bad I don't sew! Well I could if I really wanted to but that's just one more project I don't have time for! Though it would make an easy, and great Christmas present for someone. Hummm!

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  13. That is so cute. I am a sucker for a cute tote. I can also sew and this looks easy so now I just have to find the right placemats( I know I can't make just one at a time :)

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