Tote Bags

I whipped up a couple of lined tote bags already this weekend. These are really simple, just made of two long rectangles with the corners squared off. The version above also has a pocket on one side and a t-shirt transfer on the other "lining" side. The t-shirt transfer image is a graphic I designed recently for a band. They're making stickers and t-shirts with it and I was so excited that I wanted to do something with it right away. The bag is a lot taller than it is wide. The polka dot fabric is an IKEA pillowcase that I basically tore in half, using one side for each bag.
On this bag I used a tight zig zag stitch as decoration. I think the bag would look more reversible if the straps were made of both fabrics but oh well. On the second one I made, I folded the straps with the raw edges inside and right side facing out and then top stitched. It's a thick fabric and turning the straps seemed to take nearly as long as sewing the rest of the bag.

Just tonight I saw a pattern on the BurdaStyle website for a tote bag that can be folded up in a little pouch. It's a cute design and looks easy to make. From the pictures it looks like a single layer of fabric with the edges serged. I don't have a serger so I may do something different there. I'm very tempted to make it though.