Quilted Beach Tote
Designer: Sarah Gozzo
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OLFA TOOLS
16.5” frosted ruler “The Workhorse”
MATERIALS
Half yard OUTER batik “tossed pineapples”
Half yard LINING batik “light blue tonal”
Half yard Pellon TP971F fusible fleece
1yard 1 1/4” Dritz cotton belting, natural
Pellon SF101 Shape Flex 20" Fusible Interfacing
Dritz disappearing ink marking pen
INSTRUCTIONS
CUT:
CORK (2) 6.5”x17”
OUTER BATIK (2) 11”x17”
FUSIBLE FLEECE (2) 11”x17”
LINER BATIK (2) 16.5”
COTTON BELTING (2) 28” lengths Pro Tip: before cutting, apply a piece of clear tape to keep the ends from fraying. Sew back and forth 1/8” from each end before sewing in place on the bag.
MAIN BAG:
FUSE fleece to outer batik strips, follow instructions that came with the fusible fleece.
QUILT both 11”x17” fleece fused strips with straight lines (across the 17” length) spaced 1”apart. Use an air soluble marking pen and OLFA’s 6”x24” ruler to mark every 1” then sew on the marked lines.
ATTACH cork to the quilted 11’X17” strips. with a .5” seam allowance. Use clips to keep the cork and fabric layers together.
FINGER PRESS the seam toward the fabric so the cork lays flat. Topstitch the seam flat with 2 lines 1/8” apart.
TRIM both cork/quilted outer pieces down to 16.5” with OLFA’s 16.5” square ruler. The seam between the cork and the fabric should line up at the 10.5” mark on the ruler.
ATTACH the handles 3” in from both sides along the top of each outer piece by laying the strap on the right side of the quilted fabric. Pro Tip: if you’re unsure about the direction of the handles, attach them with clips then pick it up as if you were going to use it. Make adjustments to untwist the straps if necessary before sewing them on permanently.
SEW the outer pieces RST. Be sure to align the cork seams side to side. Sew down one side, across the bottom and up the other side leaving the top open. Pro Tip: use a triple machine stitch for this step.
CUT a 2” square away from both bottom corners of the outer bag. Use the OLFA’s 6.5”square ruler for this step. Match the open side seam with the open bottom seam, RST and sew the boxed corner with a .5” seam allowance. Turn the bag right side out, push the seams out and set aside.
FUSE the SF101 to the liner batik, use OLFA’s 16.5” square ruler to cut (2) 16.5” squares. Sew them together RST along 3 sides, leaving a 4” opening along the bottom middle seam.
CUT a 2” square away from both bottom corners. Match the open side seam to the open bottom seam and sew a .5” seam to create a boxed corner. Keep this liner inside out.
INSERT the outer bag INTO the liner. Match the open side seams. Use clips to secure the raw edges. With a .5” seam allowance, sew all the way around the bag top. Pro Tip: sew back and forth a few times when going over a side seam and a handle strap.
TURN OUT through the liner’s opening. Take this time to push out all the seams. Sew the liner’s hole closed. Stuff the liner back into the outer bag and work the top seams to create a nice bag shape. Iron the top seam flat. Finish by top stitching all around the top opening of the bag.
