Welcome to the first installment of the Sew DIY Bucket Tote Sewalong. Today’s installment includes everything you need to know to get ready to sew the Bucket Tote. I’m sharing a video where I give an overview of the pattern features and a show-and-tell of different samples that I’ve made and the materials I used. The video also includes an overview of the pattern pieces and a quick interfacing demo. In addition, I’m sharing links to fabric recommendations and a list of supplies and tools that I recommend. Let’s get started!
You can watch the video above, or on YouTube. Time stamps are below to skip to different sections.
TIME STAMPS
:05 Introduction
3:12 Show and Tell of pattern samples
7:09 Pattern Piece Review & preparing fabric
12:29 Fusible interfacing demo
14:35 Thank you!
Bucket tote FABRIC RECOMMENDATIONS
The fabric recommendations are fairly straight forward for this tote. You want to look for medium to heavy weight woven fabric that does NOT have stretch. Specifically, I recommend canvas and denim fabric. You can also try corduroy or upholstery fabric. Above are photo recaps of the bag samples that I shared in the video. Use the arrows to browse through.
The biggest decision to make is how stiff you want the finished bag to be. You can get a stiffer, heavier bag by using thicker fabric and interfacing. But be aware that the thicker and stiffer the fabric is, the harder it will be to sew. If you are on the beginner end of the sewing experience, I recommend starting out with more pliable fabrics. I really like this bag with two thick layers of fabric and no interfacing. It will still have good structure but is pliable enough to easily sew.
For more ideas on materials to use, check out the Tester Roundup post. Read on for links to specific fabrics.
Fortunately canvas fabric is pretty easy to find online these days and there are TONS of cool prints. Below are some shops and examples of fabric that I would personally buy.
Fabrics shown above:
Flower Bloom Cotton Canvas at Harts Fabrics. They have a lot of canvas options including fun prints and waxed canvas
Organic Cotton Duck Canvas by Cloud9 at LA Finch Fabrics. This shop is based in the LA area and mostly features deadstock fabric so their selection varies. But, they’ve recently started to stock new designer lines like Cloud9 and Ruby Star. They often have good denim fabric but the selection varies.
Cotton Midweight Canvas from Kokka Fabrics. Kokka is a Japanese fabric manufacturer and this is their US shop. I’ve known about their fabrics for a long time but only just discovered the shop. I’m really impressed with their selection of canvas. They have multiple weights to choose from for the solid colors and lots of fun prints (see number 5!)
echino Cloud Flower Cotton Linen Canvas from Kokka Fabrics. Most canvas is 100% cotton (which I love) but sometimes you will find a cotton/linen blend and that works just as well.
12oz. Cotton Denim from Stonemountain & Daughter. Medium to heavy weight non-stretch denim is another great option for this tote. You might already have some in your stash!
10oz Cotton Canvas Fabric in Smoke Blue from Big Duck Canvas. I have not ordered from Big Duck Canvas before but they have an impressive selection of solid canvas fabrics in varying weights. I’m currently working my way through a bunch of natural canvas yardage that I bought at Joann’s years ago but when/if I need to replenish, I’d buy this pre-shrunk fabric.
SUPPLIES FOR SEWING THE bucket tote
Thread For thread, I recommend an all-purpose polyester thread. You can also use cotton thread but in my experience, cotton thread is more prone to breaking down over time. All-purpose is sturdier and longer lasting.
Denim or Heavyweight Sewing Machine Needle You’ll want to use a needle that is bigger to match your fabric. You can use a needle specifically for denim or a 14 or 16 weight Universal needle.
Heavy Interfacing If you want a stiffer bag, I recommend using a heavy weight interfacing. I usually use one-sided non-woven fusible. For a couple of my samples, I used a two-sided fusible and backed it with muslin. (It was an old stash interfacing and I did not realize it was two sided until I started fusing!! I suppose it was a good test though!)
For even more thickness, you can add a fusible fleece to your fabric.
Cotton Webbing For the handles, I recommend using cotton webbing (1.5” (3.8cm) wide for the regular size and 1” (2.5cm) for the small). I really like the look and feel of cotton webbing but any kind of webbing will work. I purchase my cotton webbing from Wawak and have been pleased with it. The only drawback is that the minimum amount is 10 yards.
Adhesive Fabric Tape I highly recommend using a fabric tape when top stitching the bag handles to the bag. I’ve been happy with this Double-Sided Repositionable Tape from Wawak in the 1/4” wide.
tool RECOMMENDATIONS
I recommend having the following tools on hand when sewing this pattern.
Rotary Cutter and Rulers
Fabric scissors (for trimming seams)
Hump Jumper or Self-Leveling foot
Tailors Ham (for pressing the curved bottom)
Sewing clips (for holding the thicker fabric)
SEWING MACHINE REQUIREMENTS
For sewing the bucket tote, any standard sewing machine will work. Since the tote is lined, you barely even need a zig zag stitch. I do finish the edges of the interior pockets but it’s not strictly necessary.
I hope that you found this post helpful. Click here to see all of the posts in Bucket Tote Sewalong. Or, scroll through them below.
The Sew DIY Bucket Tote is the perfect "throw & go" bag with a wide top opening so you can easily see and access everything inside. This fully-lined tote is thoughtfully designed with an oval base, pleats at each end and exterior and interior pockets.
The pattern includes both regular and small sizes, giving you options for wherever life takes you. The regular size is perfect for a day at the pool or a short road trip while the small size can be used to carry your lunch or a small craft project.
Both sizes have two exterior patch pockets and one interior pocket. The regular size has a welt zippered pocket inside and the small size has an interior patch pocket. The handles are made from cotton webbing that are topstitched to the sides of the bag and secured in the bottom seam.
This digital pattern includes:
• Illustrated instruction booklet
• Print-at-home layered pattern (Letter/A4)
• US copy shop and A0 patterns
• Projector pattern
Scroll down for more details.
THIS IS NOT A PHYSICAL PRODUCT. After checkout, you will receive a link to the pattern that will be active for 24 hours after you click it. Prices are in USD.
About the Sew DIY Bucket Tote pattern:
This fully-lined tote is thoughtfully designed with an oval base, pleats at each end and exterior and interior pockets.
The pattern includes both regular and small sizes, giving you options for wherever life takes you. The regular size is perfect for a day at the pool or a short road trip while the small size can be used to carry your lunch or a small craft project.
Both sizes have two exterior patch pockets and one interior pocket. The regular size has a welt zippered pocket inside and the small size has an interior patch pocket. The handles are made from cotton webbing and are topstitched to the sides of the bag and secured in the bottom seam.
If you’d like to save this post for later, you can save the image below to Pinterest. Happy sewing!
