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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Make a Tote Bag and More...From 3 Placemats

Nothing gets my brain working more than a bargain. If I see something on sale or super cheap, I automatically think…what can I make with this?

The perfect example of this are these placemats!!

placemat tote bag

Do we use placemats? No, but for $1.00 I had to get them to make a quick sew project!

I love place mats, because the edges are already sewn and hemmed for you.

placemat tote bag

Here's what I made!

A tote bag, a wine bottle bag and a key chain.

placemat tote bag

This is a quick and easy project with just straight line sewing…

For the tote bag, start with 2 placemats, right sides together.

placemat tote bag

Pin. Sew down one side, across the bottom and up the other side.

placemat tote bag

I out lined the stitches in black.

placemat tote bag

I used a 1/4 inch seam. The bag could be done here with just adding handles, but I wanted to box the corners to make the bottom of the bag wider. The bag stands up with boxed corners

placemat tote bag

To make a boxed corner, just pinch the top fabric close to one of the sewn corners. I'm working on the lower right corner.

placemat tote bag

Bring up the bottom seam...

placemat tote bag

and pinch it to meet the side seam.

placemat tote bag

Here is the bottom seam meeting the side seam.

placemat tote bag

If you keep the seams pinched in your hand, you can look inside the bag to see if the seams meet up perfectly.

placemat tote bag

You can decide how wide you want yours to be. I decided on 4 1/2 inches wide.

Pin through all thicknesses.

placemat tote bag

Here are both corners pinned, looking at the bottom of the bag.

placemat tote bag
 
A close up of the bottom view...

placemat tote bag
 
and a view of the side seam.

placemat tote bag

Sew across the width.

placemat tote bag

Turn tote bag inside out and you're almost done. You just need the handles.

placemat tote bag

I made the handles from the long hemmed edge of the third placemat. Already hemmed!!

placemat tote bag

Just cut off both hemmed edges.

placemat tote bag

I zig zagged the cut edge to finish it off the raw part that I cut.

placemat tote bag

Pin in place and sew to the top hem of the bag. Done with the bag!!

placemat tote bag

 For the short side hemmed edge of the third placemat, I made a key chain.

placemat tote bag

Cut it off and zig zag the raw edge.

placemat tote bag

Add a metal D ring, fold fabric in half and sew the bottom edges together. Sew another stitched line close to the ring to hold it in place. Done!!

placemat tote bag

The remaining section of the third placemat could make a great make-up bag or even pockets inside the bag.

placemat tote bag

I made a long storage bag. The top edge was still hemmed, so I just folded it in half length wise, right sides together and sewed down the long side and across the bottom.

placemat tote bag

Turned it right side out and it's an instant wine bottle bag or bag for fresh bread if you are using the tote bag for grocery shopping.

placemat tote bag

Here are all three…

placemat tote bag

Great picnic bag.

placemat tote bag

It's a sturdy tote bag for just about anything!!

placemat tote bag

With a cute little key chain too!

placemat tote bag

Always think outside the box when you're out shopping for bargains. You never know what you'll come up with!

Thanks for stopping by,
~Karen~

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15 comments:

  1. As always, an easy and precise tutorial with terrific end results, Karen.

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  2. Great project. I used to make these a long time ago and am always on the lookout for cool placemats. Thanks for the reminder.

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  3. Thank you so much for sharing this, Karen! You explained everything perfectly. With my limited sewing skills this is definitely something I can handle.

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  4. That looks cool :) Your tutorial is great. I always keep looking for placemats and table cloths for such projects.
    Roopini,
    Let's Make It Lovely

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  5. This is fantastic!!! I lined a basket for crochet using some napkins for all the same reasons that you used these mats for your bag! xx

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  6. BINGO! Just got a Christmas checked off my list!
    Thanks!

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  7. Love the idea of the matching wine bag to make a picnic set!! I've got a Craft Gossip post scheduled for tomorrow morning that links to your tutorial:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-tote-bag-wine-bag-and-key-fob-from-3-placemats/2014/09/03/
    --Anne

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  8. Wonderful, great tutorial and fabulous ideas.

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  9. Your blog posts inspire me so much! I plan to wrap the key chain around the handle of my bag before stitching it so i can clip my keys to it when i shop! It will be a part of my bag and i can't lose it. (a common problem). Great post. Thanks.

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  10. Another way to box the corners - cut a 2" square from the two edges of the bottom seam, then reshape and sew. It's the same result but a different route. If you look at the triangle you cut off with your method you'll see the square!

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  11. Another wonderful and creative idea! I will be making one of these for my son and his girlfriend to use as a picnic tote. One Christmas gift idea down. Thanks!

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  12. Great use of bargain placemats! Can a girl have too many totes??? I think, not!

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Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment...I just love hearing from you!