Velvet Tote

Recently I saw that Gap had a cute velvet tote on their Web site. (I'd show it here, but they are sold out.) I really liked it, but I need to be saving money not spending. :)


So I decided I should make a new bag if I really wanted one. Then, I remembered that my friend Polly had given me some fabric and patterns over the summer. One of the pieces of fabric was a floral velvet remnant. Perfect.


I found a really simple tote bag tutorial here at Skip to My Lou. (Cindy has some really simple and well-written tutorials and tons of great handmade gift ideas.) I had made a tote bag before, so the process went fairly well. Although...it was the first time I had sewn with velvet, and that was a challenge. Velvet seems to slip and slide all over the place, even when you pin it. I had to rip out the seams on the handles a couple of times before I realized that you cannot sew a topstitch really close to the edge through four layers of velvet, even with a heavy-duty needle. The needle just veers right off.

Anyway, I just used a cotton fabric that I already had for the lining. Some kind of satin would have been nicer, but I used what I had around the house. I added a double interior pocket to the tote by cutting out a piece of 8 x 10" cotton and sewing it onto one right side of the lining before doing any other seams. I stitched down the middle to make two pockets. (So, unlike Cindy's tote, mine is not reversible.)

I didn't put a closure on the bag, but maybe I can add some sort of magnetic closure after the fact. If you have any ideas, let me know.