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. The 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.
Today, I'm very excited to announce the launch of a new sewing pattern! 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. Sturdy cotton webbing handles complete the design, offering durability and comfort for carrying.
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.
The Bucket Tote is my 15th pattern release and I think it makes a great addition to the Sew DIY collection. This is my first published bag pattern but I’ve been designing and making bags for decades. It’s about time one made it in the shop!
This is a really fun pattern to sew and a great way to use up leftover heavy weight fabric scraps. In the line drawing above, you can see how different colors can be used in this design. In the instruction booklet, I included a printable coloring page so you can experiment with different colors before cutting into your fabric.
Cotton webbing handles are securely topstitched to the exterior of the bag
There is a pleat at each end of the bottom of the bag to create a U-shape with a wider top to the tote
ABOUT THE bucket tote SEWING PATTERN
The design for this bag came out of my Circular Bags drafting project that I created for my Substack Sewing With Numbers. The original design is the regular size in this pattern and for the pattern I’ve added a small size. The regular size is my go-to but the small is just the cutest thing.
A key feature of this design is the oval bottom with pleats at the ends. The pleats create a U-shape that is wider at the top. I love how easy it is to see and access everything in the tote.
Interior pockets: Small size with patch pocket on left, Regular size with zippered welt pocket on right
Both sizes have two large exterior patch pockets, centered between the webbing, 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 pattern is rated at an Advanced Beginner level and I was tempted to rate it Intermediate. The hardest parts to sew are the oval bottom, the welt zippered pocket and topstitching the handles (in that order) . That said, if you take your time and use fabric adhesive in certain places, it’s not that hard at all. You can also sew a patch pocket instead of the welt zippered pocket, if you’re not up for that. The tote is fairly easy to sew but also not your basic tote because of the oval bottom. It’s definitely something that you can sew in a weekend.
Small and regular sizes of the Bucket Tote
Sizing for the bucket tote
The regular size of the bag is 21”(53cm) wide by 12” (30.5cm) high. The small size of the bag is 15.75”(40cm) wide by 8.25”(21cm) high. You can see all of the dimensions and fabric requirements above.
I was trying to think of a good way to describe the size of each bag and settled on Big 4 paper patterns. The regular size can fit about 50 paper patterns and the small fits about 25 patterns. Plus a paper pattern easily fits in the exterior pocket of the regular size. See photos below.
Regular and small totes stuffed with paper patterns
The exterior pocket of the regular size easily fits a paper pattern
Fabric and supplies
This pattern is designed to be used with heavy-weight non-stretch woven fabrics such as denim or canvas. For the exterior fabric, I recommend canvas, denim, or even corduroy. For the lining, I like to use a medium to heavy-weight woven fabric, such as canvas, denim, or linen. I find that using heavy fabric for both the exterior and lining creates a fairly sturdy tote. It won’t stand on its own when empty, but still has good structure.
If you want more structure or you’re using a lighter weight canvas, then I recommend using a medium to heavy weight interfacing on the exterior fabric. One thing to keep in mind is that the stiffer the fabric is, the harder it will be to handle while sewing. (I will post more about fabric and share examples in the sewalong.)
The regular size tote has an interior welt zippered pocket. For this pocket bag, I recommend a lightweight woven cotton, like a quilting cotton so that it doesn’t create bulk inside the bag.
In addition to fabric and interfacing, you’ll need thread, a 7” zipper (regular size only) and adhesive fabric tape for attaching the handles.
Tools
For sewing the heavy weight fabric, I recommend having the following tools:
Size 16 Universal or Jeans sewing machine needle
Sewing clips (for holding thick layers of fabric)
Tailor's Ham (for pressing curves)
Hump Jumper (for sewing over thick layers of fabric) OR a Self-Leveling Foot (many machines have these as the default foot)
Jodi pants sewn in medium weight loop back French Terry. Worn with a RTW sweater.
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. The 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.
Sewalong
I have created a Bucket Tote Sewalong page with the existing blog posts that could be helpful when making this pattern. In the coming weeks, I’ll be publishing new posts and videos specifically about this pattern. I also have some pattern hacks planned!
The best way to stay up to date on all my blog posts is to sign up for my weekly newsletter.
I hope that you love this pattern as much as I do. It’s really fun to sew, and perfect for summer. To celebrate the launch, we are offering 20% off this pattern with code HELLOTOTE. Offer expires Thursday, May 7, 2026, at midnight, Pacific time.
Click here to grab your copy of the pattern. Happy sewing!
