This Great Pumpkin Tote Bag is perfect for trick-or-treating or for hauling around any number of things all October long!
At our house we love It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! It is such a fun holiday classic for kids and adults alike. Aaahhhh . . . nostalgia. That is why when I spotted this fabric at JoAnn Fabrics (in the copyrighted character section, NOT the Halloween section) I knew that I had to have some. I brought it home and turned it into this sweet Great Pumpkin tote bag. It is lined (cute pumpkin fabric inside!) and durable enough for trick-or-treating or for hauling around books and toys. Plus, it was a super simple sewing project. Hooray! Can’t beat that, am I right?! Let’s take a look at how I made this Great Pumpkin tote bag.
For this project you will need:
*Two kinds of fabric (3/4 yard of the fabric for the outside of the bag and the handles, 1/2 yard for the lining fabric)
*coordinating string
*lots of straight pins
*safety pin
*sewing machine
*iron
Cut out the pieces that you will need. Your bag pieces will be 15″ x 17″. You will need two of the outside fabric and two of the lining fabric. Now cut the straps. You will need two strips that measure 30″ long by 3″ wide.
Fold the top of the bag pieces over 1/4″ and iron.
Line up the bag pieces so the right sides are together, pin them in place, and sew around the three sides that are NOT ironed.
Remove pins. Turn the main fabric right side out and stuff the lining piece inside of it. Pin at the corners.
Time to make the straps! Begin by ironing the strips folded in half. Next, sew the strips closed.
Take a safety pin and secure it on one edge of the fabric. Push it INTO the fabric strip tube and scrunch and push and pull until it comes out the other end, as shown.
Take right-side-out strips and iron them once more.
Lay your bag on the table and place the handles where you would like them on the bag. Make sure that the seamed side of the straps will be facing inward so they will not be seen. Pin the straps in place. Carefully pin the top of the two pieces of fabric together. Sew. Drop down about 1/2″ and sew once more to make it extra secure.
Remove pins, trim off extra thread, and you are finished! Wasn’t that easy?!
Now you have a fabulous Great Pumpkin tote bag that you can use all month long!
Happy Halloween!!
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