Cute little tote turns into a car caddie tutorial

So are you guys ready for my AWESOME tutorial? See I knew you needed something to do during your extra day off for Labor Day!

Oh and I hope you like what I did to the place!?! I am sure I will change it a little more to get it to ware I want it but in the mean time it will be entertaining.

First things first this is going to have a ton of pictures (sorry) I am a hands on type of leaner and if a tutorial doesn't have a ton of pictures I can fallow I get lost... and for all you new to sewing, you need to see more of a step by step process so you understand what I am talking about and can fallow along.

What you are going to need:
*Canvas
*fabric for your design and handles
*Wonder under (2 sided interfacing)
*Matching thread 
*A thin one sided interfacing
*A ruler of some sort
*A fabric pen or washable marker
*Scissors and/or pinking shears
*A sewing machine and/or a serger

Gather everything you think you may need

Whatever design you would like to use trace it onto your wonder under, fabric and one sided interfacing. I used my Cuicut to cut out the Humvee, but you can sketch something if you would like or print out a picture and cut around it.

For the piece of fabric you are going to use for the crayon roll estimate your pattern at about the half way point, but leave enough at the top just in case you will need it. Then cut everything out and lay it aside.

Now take your design and lay it on top of your canvas to decide how big you need to make your bag.

Use your ruler to make your lines strait and square, these will be the outside of your bag. Don't forget to leave a seem allowance.

Place your cut out piece of canvas on top of another piece and use your ruler to trace your lines then cut it out. Now you have both sides of your bag.

Take your two pieces of your design and lay the half piece on top of the full piece and fold it down and trim it until it fits the way you like it.

Press it down with your iron and top stitch it to hold it down. I also trimmed any extra fabric with my pinking shears.

After I top stitched it I layer them and pined them together to make sure I liked how they fit.

While they were pinned together I took my ruler and made little marks 1 inch apart. This is wear you are going to stitch down to make your spaces for the crayons.

I took it all apart and ironed on my wonder under on to my full piece and one sided interfacing to my half pieces.

With any kind of interfacing you want to use a medium to low setting depending on how hot your iron gets (mine sucks so I use the silk setting, medium) TIP: If your iron is to hot it will make it so the interfacing doesn't stick)

Once your wonder under has cooled peal off the paper.

Center your design and iron it into the canvas. Make sure to leave enough room at the top to be able to fold over 

1 1/8"

Let it cool again, if you don't the sticky stuff will gum up your needle and will skip stitches. Once it is cool stitch around your design. I used a straight stitch, but if you would like you can use a zig-zag. I guess it depends on the look you are going for.

Also make sure your sewing machine setting it at a 2.5, you want to have a little reinforcement.

Go slow around any little details. Also if it has a lot of curves make sure your needle is down and lift your presser foot to adjust your fabric, it makes it so much easier.

For any little details like the windows, move your needle down until you have it touching the fabric ware you want your stitches to be and then put your presser foot down. this way there is no guessing.

Next lay your half piece on top of the piece you just sewed and pin in place. I only had to use a few straight pins, use as many as you think you will need to keep it in place so it doesn't shift. Now sew all the way around your half piece leaving the top open.  TIP: More is always better and you can always remove them as you sew if they are in the way.

Check the marks you made earlier. Make sure everything lines up and are still right.

You are going to use a basting stitch for the next part. A basting stitch is a 5.0 or the highest your sewing machine will go.

Line up your marks you made with your needle again like you did earlier around any small details so your stitches will be the right width apart.

If you are afraid your lines won't be straight you can use your ruler and make small little dots along your line, then just fallow the lines. If not just sew all the way to the bottom of your design. Keep doing this along all of your marks across. TIP: Make sure you back stitch at the beginning and end of your lines and any time you start and end.

When your done it should look like this. Trim any lose threads and admire your work so far! If you don't like how anything looks get out your stitch ripper and resew anything you don't like.

Oh! It's going to be SO cute!!
Check to make sure your crayons are going to fit.

Now place your 2 pieces of canvas right sides facing each other (So your design is facing the inside). Start at the top of the right side *Make sure you back stitch* sew straight down until you get to the end leaving enough for your seam allowance and with your needle still down lift your presser foot and turn your fabric. Do the same all the way around. TIP: Again if you are afraid your line will not be straight get out your ruler and draw a line ware your sew line will be, then just fallow the line.
After I was done I used my pinking shears to cut all the way around so the frying would be minimized. Or if you are lucky enough to have a surger just serge around it.

On the corners trace a line about a inch and a half in.

Pull the two sides apart and line up the seams and the points of the line you made and sew across. If you afraid your line wont be straight draw a line to fallow. There is no need to cut your corners, they will help your bag stand up.

Turn your bag right side out, and make sure everything lines up. Your almost done!!!

This is what the bottom of the bag will look like.

Now for your straps. I just kinda winged it, but you can measure and draw a cut line. These were about 4 inch wide and 30 inch long. After you cut your first piece lay it on top of the other piece and use it as a guide.

One of the straps are going to be two pieces so you need to cut one in half then over lap it by about a inch. Lay both pieces side by side then cut them the same.

On the pieces you cut in half, fold over 1/8 inch and press with your iron. (This is also a good time to iron all of your pieces if you were lazy like me and did not do so before)

Next fold up the bottom 1/3 of the way and press. TIP: I sewed the end piece to hold it down, you don't have to do that.

Then fold down the top 1/3 of the way and press. (I put a piece of the wonder under paper in between to show you what it should look like)

Then fold it in half and press. TIP: I did it this way so the strap would be thicker, if you want to skip a few steps you can cut the width smaller fold in half right sides facing each other and press, then stitch around leaving one of the short side open, cut your corners, turn it right side out, and top stitch around the three sides.

Now top stitch around the three sides.

Now you are going to fold down and press the top of your bag about 1/8 of a inch.

Then fold it down again about a inch and press. Then line up your strap ware you would like it to be and tuck your raw side under the fold and pin. Do this for all four ends.

After you have pined it ware you want them, pin the two pieces that we cut together over lapping a inch or so and check to make sure your straps are even. If they are not adjust and re pin at the fold until you like it.

Now you are in the home stretch!!! You are going to sew all the way around your bag at the bottom of your fold.

Then sew all the way around the top of your fold. TIP: By doing this it is going to add a little bit more stiffness to the opening so when you hang it it will stay open and not fold in on itself.

For the last step! I used snaps (you can get snaps from KAMSNAPS.com) but you can also use hook and loop. Leave about 1/8 inch from the edge. You are also going to place either a snap or hook/loop to the bottom of the strap 1 inch away from the top of the bag as well, but just on the straps that were cut in half.

Now you are ALL DONE! Good job!

So cute! I made this for a friends little boy for his birthday, he wasn't to impressed, but hey he's only 2. His Momma liked it though! She strapped it onto his stroller to put all his other goodies in.

Good Luck! 

Post if you have any questions. This is my first tutorial so I could have missed something, but I hope I didn't. 

Thais