Tutorial Tuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It's a new year and many have us have committed to resolutions and goals. If any of you are like me, there has been a renewed commitment to eating healthy in the new year. Especially after eating one too many cookies over the course of the holiday season. In the spirit of being healthy in the new year, today's tutorial is for a lunch tote, stitched with vintage dancing radishes to remind us to eat our veggies!

To make this lunch tote, you will need the following supplies:

- Embroidery hoop, floss, and supplies

- Embroidery pattern (radish pattern available here)

- Two pieces of exterior fabric cut 13-inches wide by 10-inches high 

- Two pieces of interior fabric cut 13-inches wide by 10-inches high

- One piece of fabric for the strap cut 4-inches by 19-inches

- Two pieces of batting or Insul-Bright 

- Sewing machine and thread

- scissors 

- Iron and ironing surface

Step One: Transfer the pattern to fabric, making sure to center it in the middle of the 13x10-inch piece of fabric. I found this radish pattern here. I apologize for not being able to find the root link to the original of this pattern. Once your pattern is transferred, stitch in the floss colors of your choice. 

Step Two: Trim the embroidered exterior piece, the plain exterior piece, and two pieces of batting/insul-bright to 13-inches wide by 10-inches tall. Create a sandwich of batting with the two exterior pieces, right-sides facing, in between the two pieces of batting. 

Step Three: Stitch a 1/2-inch seam along the three sides of the batting and exterior pieces, leaving the top open. 

Step Four: To create a square bottom for the tote, take one of the bottom corners and press the seams against one another to create a triangle. Mark 1.5-inches from the point of the seam, and stitch straight across the bottom of the triangle. Clip the excess fabric. Repeat for other corner. Turn inside out and set aside.

When you turn this piece inside out, it should look like this. 

Step Five: Take the two interior pieces of fabric, trimmed to 13 by 10-inches, and place them right sides together. Stitch a 1/2-inch seam allowance along the three sides leaving the top open, and leaving a 2-inch opening at the bottom seam in order to turn it out later. 

Step Six: Just as we squared the bottom of the lunch tote exterior in Step Four, we'll do the same for the interior here. Take one of the bottom corners and press the seams against one another to create a triangle. Mark 1.5-inches from the point of the seam, and stitch straight across the bottom of the triangle. Clip the excess fabric. Repeat for other corner. Set this aside. 

Step Seven: To assemble the strap, fold the 4x19-inch piece of fabric in half, length-wise, and press. 

Then, unfold the fabric, take the two long ends and fold them inward toward the crease that you just created. Press.

Fold this in half, lengthwise, and press again. 

Stitch along both long edges of the strap with a 1/8-inch seam allowance. 

Step Eight: Center the raw short edges of the strap over each side seam of the tote exterior, and pin. Make sure the strap is not twisted. Place the exterior tote into the interior/lining, with right sides facing each other, and pin in place. Make sure to match the side seams with the strap in between the exterior and interior/lining pieces. 

Step Nine: Stitch a 1/2-inch seam allowance along the top raw edge of the tote. 

Step Ten: Using the opening at the bottom of the tote interior/lining, flip the lunch tote out. 

Step Eleven: Press the top edge of the tote, so that the seams all lay flat. Top stitch along the top edge of the tote, making sure to move the strap out of the way. 

Step Twelve: Pull the interior/lining out of the bag, and stitch the opening that we used to turn the bag, shut. 

Step Thirteen: Give the entire bag a final pressing, and your lunch tote is ready!

Hope you enjoy and remember to eat your veggies!