How to Sew a Reversible Tote Bag Without a Pattern

Materials & tools you'll need

Step 1 — Plan your bag and work out the pieces

If you're not working from a pattern and you're making something from your own imagination, you need to reverse engineer it so you know how to put it back together. This bag is a 3D square shape with handles. That means two long rectangles that get sewn into handles, and the cube shape itself: a front face, a back face, two sides and a bottom. So what you're really working with is the size of your bag plus half of each of the sides. Choose your fabrics now too. Here the outside is a happy farm animal print and the inside is a brown micro suede.

Step 2 — Cut the bag from your outside and inside fabrics

Fold your fabric in half and iron it along the bottom. Before you cut, decide how big you want the bag to be. A good trick is to find an object about that size, like a book, and use it as your guide. Line it up with the fold of your fabric and cut. Then fold the rough shape up to check that your lines are straight.

Because you cut on the fold, the bottom is already joined, so you don't sew a seam along it. That changes how you cut the corners. Where you would usually cut a square out of the bottom corners, you don't need to. On the side seams you'll use about 5/8 of an inch, but you don't need that 5/8 of an inch along the bottom, so cut more of a rectangle. Once the side is sewn, you're left with the square you wanted. Cut the bag shape in both the outside fabric and the inside fabric.

Step 3 — Cut the straps and the pocket

Here the inside fabric is used for the straps. Decide how long you want your straps to be and cut the fabric to that length, plus about 2 extra inches on each end, so 4 inches longer than you need in total. For thickness, cut each strap two and a half times as thick as you want the finished strap. You fold it in half and sew it together, so you lose half the thickness and then a little more to the seam. A strap cut about 4 inches wide ends up a little over an inch and a half thick.

Two straps were cut here, but the bag ends up with just one strap, so cut however many you plan to use. Also cut a large rectangle of fabric for the pocket, which goes on the outside of the bag. You should now have the outside fabric, the inside fabric, the pocket fabric and your straps.

Step 4 — Choose a thread that matches and complements your fabric

When picking a thread, it's really important to choose one that matches your fabric but also complements it. Pull out a few colours and compare them. This fabric has a blue background with black cows, brown cows, and a little red and gold. Black thread would look fine with the fabric, but it doesn't go well with the brown suede. Blue would match the background but contrast strangely with the suede. Silver works because there's silver in the rooster's tail, it goes with the slate blue background, and it matches better with the brown without being as harsh.

Step 5 — Sew the straps

Start with the straps and the pocket, mostly because they're the least fun parts to sew. Fold each strap and iron it so the side you want showing is on the inside. Decide how thick you want the strap, then find a point on your machine to line the fold up with. This machine has lines marked for 1 inch, 5/8 of an inch, and all the way up to 4 centimetres, so the fold is lined up with the 4 centimetre mark. Check what your own machine has marked. That keeps the stitches straight all the way down, because the folded side stays straight the whole way.

To turn the strap, tuck the fabric in on itself and pull it out the other end. It becomes a round tube, and ironing it flat gives you a finished strap. If you like, add a pretty edge pattern along the strap in a contrasting thread. This one has a silver thread edge.

Step 6 — Make the pocket and attach it to the bag

Fold in the edges of the pocket where you want the seams and sew the sides. Then fold over the front of the pocket and sew that end to finish the edge. If you have a tag, this is the best time to think about where it goes. Tuck it into the side of the pocket so it's already in place, and don't sew it in for good until you attach the pocket to the bag.

If you'd like an extra touch, make a quick bow. Take a piece of ribbon or strap fabric, fold it in on itself, and sew straight across after about three inches. Flatten out the loop and you have a bow, which you can tack onto the pocket.

You can add finishing stitches on the outside of the pocket, which adds a little extra sturdiness. Then pin the pocket where you want it on the outside fabric and sew along the edges to attach it before you start sewing the bag together.

Step 7 — Sew the side seams and shape the corners

With the pocket, strap and inside fabric ready, sew the inside fabric along the side seams with the sides you want on the actual inside touching. Sew the other seam too. Then put the outside fabric right sides together and sew along its side seams.

Now take the two corners and pull them apart. As soon as you do, you'll see the line you have to sew. Ironing that seam flat is recommended, though it's not done in the video. Line it up and sew. If your cuts weren't precise, you may have a little excess, which you can trim or leave. The shape of the bag really comes together at this point.

Step 8 — Attach the strap and join the inside and outside

Attach the strap right where the seam is, facing down. The strap needs to be really strong, so go over it a couple of times. When you flip the bag and finish the seam later, the strap will end up the right way round. With the strap sewn to the outside of the bag, mush that whole piece up, grab the inside piece and put them together. Line up the outside fabric with the inside fabric on the edge seams, then sew all the way around, leaving a gap so you can turn the bag at the end.

Step 9 — Turn the bag right side out

The bag is now sewn all the way around the edge except for the gap you left. Pull the fabric through that gap to turn it, then put the inside fabric inside the bag. This is where the magic happens: you suddenly have a completed bag.

Step 10 — Sew the top seam to finish

Now that it looks like a bag, you just need to finish the top seam and close up the gap in the same step. Follow along the top of the bag and sew a finishing seam all the way around. Test the size by seeing if a book fits inside. Because the pocket is lined and the bag is reversible, there are no raw edges anywhere, and pretty much none on the inside either. It's an easy project you can finish in one sitting.

Frequently asked questions

What pieces do I need to cut for a reversible tote bag without a pattern?
Think of the bag as a 3D square shape with handles. Cut one bag shape from your outside fabric and one from your inside fabric, each the size of your bag plus half of each of the sides, cut along a fold so the bottom is already joined. You also need strap pieces, and a large rectangle for a pocket.

How wide should I cut the straps?
Cut each strap two and a half times as thick as you want the finished strap, because you fold it in half and sew a seam, which uses up half the thickness plus a little more. A strap cut about 4 inches wide ends up a little over 1.5 inches thick. For length, cut the strap as long as you want it plus about 2 extra inches on each end.

Why don't I need to sew a seam along the bottom of the bag?
If you fold your fabric in half and cut the bag shape on that fold, the bottom is already joined. That means you only sew the sides, and you cut more of a rectangle at the bottom corners instead of cutting out a square, so you are left with the square shape you want once the sides are sewn.

How do I choose thread for a tote bag?
Pick a thread that matches your fabric but also complements it. In the video, black thread looked fine with the black cows but didn't suit the brown suede, and blue would have looked odd against the suede. Silver worked because it picks up the silver in the rooster's tail, suits the slate blue background, and is less harsh against the brown.

What materials do I need to sew a reversible tote bag?
You will need an outside fabric, an inside fabric, strap fabric (the inside fabric works well), a fabric for the pocket, thread, a sewing machine, scissors, an iron and pins. An object about the size you want your bag to be, such as a book, makes a handy size guide.

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