How To Make A Quilted Christmas Shopping Bag

This simple method opens up endless creative possibilities for your next quilt project.

These days, I don’t travel anywhere without one shopping tote but somehow I always need an extra one! During the holidays, there is always an item that I did not anticipate buying while I am out and about. Why pay a dollar or more for a retailer’s shopping bag each time you shop!! That’s crazy! Instead, use your favorite fabric scraps and a few straight seams to make your own beautiful DIY reusable Christmas shopping tote.

In this blog, I’ll show you a fast and easy way to make a 16-inch Christmas shopping Tote in just 40 minutes in four easy steps.

This Christmas shopping tote project will showcase a pattern of Christmas themed fabric that is quilted. It will have cushioned shoulder straps for your comfort, a boxed bottom for stability and be lined for that professional look. You’ll love the results and I bet you won’t make just one. All seams are straight seams and in fact the most complicated part of this tote is the tote handles! Let me show you how it done.

Be prepared for this project. See “Supplies and Tools”, “Fabric” and “Getting Ready To Sew”.

These are the tools and supplies that I used to make the Quilted Christmas Shopping Tote.

• Quarter Inch Presser Foot With Guide
• Walking Foot With Seam Guide
• Coordinating Cotton Threads 
• Thread Snips, Wool Pressing Mat
• Rotary Cutter, 6 x 24 Inch Ruler, 6-inch Square Ruler and a Rotating Cutting Mat
• Sewing Stiletto and Long Flower Pins and Sewing Clips
• Chalk Markers
• Fusible Hem Tape or Basting Adhesive Spray (Optional)
• Heat Erasable Fabric Marking Pens

You’ll need two pieces of fabric and one piece of batting for the shopping tote body quilt sandwich. You’ll also need fabric for the handles of the shopping tote, the tote’s top binding. And two long strips of batting to cushion the tote handles.

😉Tip: I recommend using a solid fabric for the quilt backing and the lining. This will make the construction of the shopping tote easier – worries about the right and wrong sides of these fabrics are eliminated.

This is the perfect time to use that specialty Christmas fabric and all those fabulous red fabrics!

• Cut one 40-inched wide by 20-inches deep Christmas themed fabric for the shopping tote body. This is the quilt top of the quilt sandwich.
• Cut one 44-inches wide by 24-inches deep of solid fabric. This is quilt sandwich backing fabric
• Cut one 42-inch wide by 22-inch deep of batting. This is the batting for the quilt sandwich.

• Cut one 34-inches wide by 18-inches deep of solid fabric for the shopping tote lining. I chose white fabric. Choose any fabric that you like, it will be covered by the tote’s lining fabric.

Cut coordinating fabric for the tote’s handles.

• Cut two 5-inches wide by 30-inches deep strips of fabric for the shopping tote handles
• Cut two 1-inch wide by 30-inches deep strips of batting

I choose a fabric that is a close match to the handle’s fabric to give the binding and the handles a unified look.

• Cut two 18-inches wide by 2-inches deep of coordinating fabric for the tote’s binding.

The first step in this project lets you show off your quilting skills. You’ll build a quilt sandwich of the quilt top, batting and quilt batting. Use your fabric, Christmas-themed fabric that is cut to 40-inches wide by 20-inches deep. Or create a scrappy fabric from pieces of your favorite Christmas themed fabric. Just trim the quilted fabric to 39-inches wide by 18-inches deep.

• Place the backing fabric wrong side up in your workspace. If you use a solid fabric wrong side up does not matter. This fabric will not be seen because the lining will cover it.
• Center the batting on the backing fabric
• Center the Christmas-themed fabric right side up on the batting.

• Use flower pins or adhesive fabric spray to secure the layers of this quilt sandwich together so they do not shift while quilting.
• Use the chalk marker to mark guide lines for quilting, if needed.

• Quilt using your favorite quilt pattern. Or try my favorite: Wavy line quilting with a walking foot.

Trim the quilt sandwich so that the edges are even. It should measure 39-inches wide by 18-inches deep.

Each finished handle/strap will be 1.25-inches wide by 30-inches deep. And it will cushioned against your shoulder with batting.

• Take one 5-inches wide by 30-inches long fabric strip and fold it in half. Press the fold with a hot iron.
• Fold each side in half again and press the fold with a hot iron.
• Each fabric strip will have three folds and the raw edges will meet in the middle.

Open the fabric strip to expose the center where the raw edges meet.

Tuck the batting strip inside the fabric strip. It should be neatly aligned with the center fold and the lower fold.

Check that the batting is correctly nestled within the shopping tote handle fabric.

Finger press to properly align the shopping tote handle’s edges. You want them to be even. Then press with a hot iron prior to top stitching.

Top stitch the long sides of the shopping tote’s handles with a ⅛-inch seam. Next, you’ll position the handles on the shopping tote lining.

Place the shopping tote lining in your work area so the it’s longest side is on your left and stretches to your far right. The right side of the fabric should be facing you.

On the far left, position one shopping tote handle four-inches away from the edge of the lining. Make sure the handle is not twisted.

On the far right, position the other shopping tote handle four-inches from the edge of the lining. Double check that this handle is not twisted.

😉Tip: Place a small piece of fusible hem tape on the lining to prevent the handles from shifting while you sew.

Sew each handle to the lining with a 1/8-inch seam allowance. This functions as a basting stitch to keep the handles in position as you sew on the binding.

Place each binding on top of the far right and far left handles. Align the binding so that raw edges of the binding, lining and handles are aligned. The wrong side of the binding should be facing you.

Use sewing clips to keep the binding aligned as you sew. Then sew the binding on to the lining with a ¼-inch seam allowance. This will become the top edge of the shopping tote. Trim the binding if the top or bottom of it extends beyond the edge of the lining. It should measure 18-inches deep.

Lay the handles away from the lining and finger-press the seam so that it is nice and flat. A straight and flat binding seam will give the shopping tote a polished look.

Give the shopping tote a professional look by top-stitching on the lining ⅛-inch away from the seam. This top-stitching helps to spread the stress on the handles across the binding and lining, which should make the handles stronger. Now you’re ready for the final step, assembling the shopping tote.

The assembly method I am about to share with you a clever sewing of the shopping tote quilted fabric to the lining fabric. In fact, you are only a few straight stitches away from completing this project.

Place in your workspace the quilted fabric just as you did the lining fabric. The handles should be on your far right and on your far left. The right side of the fabric should be facing you.

Then place the lining fabric and handles on top of the quilted fabric. The handles will between the two fabrics. Make sure that the handles are away from of the perimeter edges of these fabrics. You do not want to sew them into your seam.

Align the far left and far right edges. Then sew these edges with a ¼-inch seam allowance. This the first step in joining the quilted fabric and the lining.

Spread out the project so that you can position the two seams you just sewed in the middle of your workstation. Finger-press the seams open. Then align the seams so that they fit on top of each other.

Use a sewing clip at the top and bottom edges of the seams to keep them aligned. Smooth the fabric flat.

Now you are ready to box the corners. We’ll use the easy method of drawing a box, trimming and then sewing it. Draw a 2.5-inch square at each corner, starting with the lower right corner.

Then draw a 2.5-inch square in each of the remaining corners. When finished cut along the drawn lines.

We will sew the boxed corners after we finish sewing the top and bottom perimeter of the shopping tote. Sew the top and bottom raw edges close with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. However, leave a 5-inch opening so that you can turn the project right-side out.

Now you can finish boxing the corners. Pinch together the corner seams so that you can sew across them in a straight line. An equal amount of fabric should be on each side of the sewn seam.

Pin or clip this seam so that it does not shift later when you sew the straight line that will box the corner.

Pinch, check the seam alignment and pin each of the other corners. Then sew a straight line with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

Now that the corners of the shopping tote body and lining are boxed, you’re ready for the great reveal of the finished shopping tote.

Turn the shopping tote right side out by reaching into the 5-inch opening. Then machine or hand sew the opening closed. Note: This opening is at the bottom of the shopping tote and in an area no one will see.

Roll the top edge of the shopping tote under so that the fold of the seam is not seen from the side of the shopping tote. Then finger-press this edge and use sewing clips to hold it in position. Next, top stitch with a 1/8-inch seam allowance. This top-stitching will give the shopping tote a professional look.

Next, you’ll stabilize the handles of the shopping tote by box stitching them to the binding. This will strengthen the handles during normal use of the shopping tote.

😉Tip: Match the bobbin thread color with the binding color for nearly invisible stitches.

Your quilted handy Christmas shopping tote is finished!

This simple method opens up endless creative possibilities for your next quilt project.

• You can add a top zipper.
• You can add inside pockets.
• You can add outside pockets.
• You can use different shopping tote fabrics like cotton, canvas, hemp, jute, or nylon.
• You can choose not to box the corners.
• You can add a label to your tote

Take Your Skills Further: Now that you've mastered this Quilted Christmas Shopping Tote, try these other fun and easy DIY projects:

• DIY Lunch Bag
• Quilted Tissue Holder
• DIY Hand Warmers
• DIY Hot Bowl Holder
• Zipper Pouch

I'd love to see your finished Quilted Christmas Shopping Tote! Share your creations with the quilting community and inspire others to try this easy method.

May your quilting always bring you joy!

Ernie Grant
Guest Blogger For Madam Sew

Ernestine “Ernie” Grant is an avid quilter with over 18 years of experience and is the owner of the custom baby quilt business kalibabyquilts.com