Happy striped Tote bag

signe tote bag hack_1

IKEA items used: SIGNE rug

As soon as I saw Signe rugs in IKEA, it lit a lamp in my head, this would make a cool and happy tote bag!

I remembered I had old bamboo handles that I could use, so I bought one rug. The bag construction is really simple. First I turned the the fringed edges down about three centimeters, making sure the prettier side of the fringe is on top, to make attaching place for the handles, and some cool decor from the fringe.

I sewed the fold on top of the previous sew line on the fringe. Next I folded the rug in half, placing the right sides in (=fringed sides) and sewed the sides with heavy-use yarn. Then I folded the corners on the bottom, and sewed them. Then I turned the bag around the right side out.

signe tote bag hack_2

signe tote bag hack_3

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To get nice sharp edges on the bag sides, I sewed the edges from the right sides, about 1 cm wide, following the green stripe on the fabric. The upper fringed and folded edge was absolutely too thick for my sewing machine, so I took heavy white string and sewed it by hand firmly.

Finally the handles. My bamboo handles have metal rods, so I just pushed them through the fabric, making sure not to cut any yarn. Afterwisely, if I would make another bag, I would glue the spots to make the fabric more sturdy, and push the holes, before folding the upper edge. I think I will glue it from the front side now, with invisible glue, just to make sure it will take the stress better.

I really like my new tote bag! It took about half an hour to one hour to make it. Oh, remember to iron the rug before starting! Much easier, and you don’t have to worry about the folds on the rug. 🙂

~ by Anna-Mari Kaipainen