DIY Huge Upcycled Towel Tote

Hi guys! Today I am going to share a super easy and fun summer diy with you! I am going to show you how you can make a supersized summer carry all tote from a towel and some cotton webbing. There are several towel tote tutorials out there on the web like this one from Martha Stewart or this one from Alisa Burke(so cute!!). This is my easy towel tote. You can make this tote with one towel and a little webbing. And the best thing about making this bag is that you can create this carry all from start to end in under an hour!

Here’s What You Need:

*Towel

*2 yards of cotton webbing (1.25″ width)

*Ruler

*Marking Pen

*Scissors

*Sewing Machine

Instructions:

Start out by folding your towel in half lengthwise so the two ends meet. Cut your towel in half at the bottom where the fold is. Now, measure in 8 inches from the side on each side at the top, then mark down 6 inches drawing a guideline to sew your webbing to. Mark on each side this way on the front piece and back piece at the top. Now you are ready to sew on your handles. Cut your webbing in half so you have two one yard pieces. Then take one end of your webbing and pin down to the front of the bag starting at the 6″ below the top line and line it up to the inside of the line you marked. Topstitch 1/8″ away from the edge on the webbing. Stitch the webbing down one side towards the bottom, when you get to the bottom, rotate your fabric and stitch across the bottom. Then turn the fabric again and stitch up towards the top of the piece. Stitch up about an inch, then rotate the fabric at an angle and stitch across, then over, then across again and then back up the side that is still lose and back stitch a little when you get to the top of your bag. Clip threads. Do the same thing with the other handle sides on the front and back. You want the handles to be stitched at the sides and they should have an “x” at the bottom for added support. Once you sew your handles, match up your fabric right sides together. Pin around the sides and bottom, and then sew 1/2″ seam starting at the top side, then go down one side, across the bottom, and then back up the other side. To make the gusseted bottom, form a triangle at the bottom by matching the side seam with the bottom seam on each side. Measure up three inches from the tip of the triangle in, and draw a line across perpendicular to the matched seams forming a triangle. Sew straight across this line. Clip off the tip to 1/2″ for the allowance and then zigzag stitch the seam allowance so it doesn’t fray as easily. Do the same thing with the other side. Now, flip the bag right side out and you are ready to fill er’ up and go!

I LOVE this tote! It is huge, and can hold everything I need for a day trip to the beach or the lake. Pile in your towels, beach blanket, sunscreen, snacks, radio, book, and sunnies and you are good to go! What I love about this bag as well is that you can just pop it in the wash when you get home, so no more worry about getting your beach bag dirty. It’s so convenient! What I love the most is that it is so easy and customizable! Play around with it and have fun making it your own! I’ll be back Thursday with another fun summer diy. Until then…

Happy Crafting!