I’m starting a new blog pattern series: Every Monday, I’m posting a free new designer tote bag pattern for you. Like that Idea? Some will be whimsical, other classics, other seasonally themed. You’ll see.
I already have a whole collection of designer tote patterns ready for you, and many are ‘bellissimo’ (very pretty).
Here is the first one: The Quilted Blossom PomPom Designer Tote Bag.
Designer Pompom Bag – Free Sewing Pattern
This tutorial, as you will see, uses a novel way to do quilting. It is creative and easy with this simple tutorial.
 
1. Materials: Cut a piece of approximately 20″x13″ of sew-In, medium-weight Interfacing Pellon We’re going to quilt your fabric strips straight onto this material. For this particular bag, Bloom used strips that had a width of: 3.5″ (stripe), 2.5″ (blue), 1.25″ (orange), 1″ (yellow), 2″ (green) and 4″ (floral).
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2. Pick Fabric. Out of your remnant collection, choose a few strips of fabrics whose patterns and colors match. Each strip must be 20″ long. Design your own color and pattern combination, based on what fabric & ribbons you already own, what you’ll be using the bag for, and what you’ll be wearing with it.
Or, If you don’t have remnants and prefer to buy fabric, have a look at these gorgeous AMY BUTLER Fabric, By the Yard They allow you to make affordable designer bags!
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| 3. Fusing: place the Pellon on your ironing board with the fusible side up. Next, along the bottom edge, place your first fabric strip on the Pellon with its right side up. Now, iron press the first fabric strip onto the Pellon. (Don’t place your iron on the Pellon directly!).
4. Pin the second strip tightly along the first strip, again, right side up. 6. Carefully press the second strip back against the Pellon |  \ | |
 7. Attach (& hide) a pompom trim by pinning it onto the top of the previous strip, and sew the trim on. |  8. Pin the final strip of fabric to the bag, with the pom-poms sandwiched beneath. 9. Stitch the final strip to the bag close to the pom-poms to keep the fabrics in place. Hand-sewing might be easier.
Now turn your materials over to stitch inside the previous stitching line, i.e. even closer to the pom-poms | |
 | 11. Stitch any additional trimming you’d like onto the bag. Tip: the pom-pom trim with its decorative header can be added at this point rather than inserted in the seam as previously described. It might actually be easier. 12. Are all strips sewn onto the Pellon & all trimmings attached? Your next step is to cut the irregular strips into a nice neat rectangle of approx. 18″x11.5″, and your quilted tote bag – material is ready. 13. Place one rectangle on top of the other, with the good sides facing each other. Stitch your 2 side-seams first, followed by the seam across the bottom of the bag. Allow 0.25″ seams. Fold the side of your bag against the center bottom seam to form a triangle. Stitch across the corner approximately 0.75″ from the tip. Ditto, other corner. Trim excess fabric from corners and turn bag right-side out. | |
| 14. Make handles. For 15-16” long handles, cut fabric strip of 1.5” wide. For faux piped edges of the handles cut a strip 2” wide. Plus cut a strip of Pellon of 2”wide. Length”: 2x the length of the handle plus seam (15-16” for small bag, more for larger bags). Fuse Pellon onto widest fabric strip. With right sides together, sew the top fabric onto the bottom strip, with a 1/4″ seam along one long side. | 15. Pin other long side w 1/4 “ and stitch. (note: fabric not flat at this point). Turn handle right-side out, and iron carefully to show even faux piping. Top stitch.
Make 2. | |
 16. Stitch handles 1.25″ either side of the center top of the bag. Prepare the bag lining as for the outer bag, leaving a gap in one seam for turning. Keeping the outer bag right side out, place it inside the lining with right sides together. Matching side seam, pin the outer bag & lining together around the top & stitch with 0.25″ seam. |  Turn the bag right side out through the opening in the lining. | 17. Top stitch around the bag top & slip stitch the opening in the lining closed.
Finished. |
. Examples:Bloom is both a creative designer and an experienced seamstress. We’re looking forward to more designer bag patterns and ideas by her.
Tutorial (re)written by Rose, FineCraftGuild.com. Source of all these lovely pictures & base info : Bloom, Blossie Bag Pattern *: photos from another tutorial added for clarity.
Designer: Bloom, NSW, Australia
