Make A Bag Chapter 12: Blocked Tote

The last of our six bag types today - The Blocked Tote.

Here's that silly volume-dimensions diagram again (are you sick of it yet?):

The Blocked Tote, so named by me because it's comprised of individual pieces, each of which is connected on all their relevant sides to another piece by seams, like blocks of a quilt.

In fabric:

The bag can be assembled in any sequence - 

• Front+Base+Back joined to the two Sides like a Wrapped Tote;
• Side+Base+Side joined to the Front and Back like a Gusseted Tote;
• Front+Side+Back+Side joined to the Base like a Bucket Tote

Either way, we try to get the corners to meet neatly:

For this bag, we made reversible loop straps

and attached them to the bag by anchor tabs sewn into the top seam.

The lining is, as usual, just a second identical bag topstitched to the outer bag around their opening. Because the strap tabs are sewn into that top seam, the bag is fully reversible and can be used lining face out. 

I don't really consider the Blocked Tote a technically distinct category because it can be constructed as a Gusseted Tote, a Wrapped Tote or a Bucket Tote, depending on the sequence of connecting its pieces. It was hard to find examples of true Blocked Totes to show you. I did find a few that qualified because of the extra stitching reinforcement that emphasized their seam pattern. 

Here's that fold-up grocery bag with external bound seams:

This is a cubic laundry hamper with topstitched seams (not that you can see them in this picture):

These are a couple of mailman bags I made for a friend's sons some years back. You can see the french seams emphasizing all the individual edges.

This brings us to the end of the reconstruction of the six bag categories. I know some of you might have been expecting full tutorials on the particular details of each of these grey bags but I must remind you that this bag series specifically excludes the details and sewing techniques. See the course outline here for more information. 

In a couple of days I will be introducing you to a seventh category of bags - quite different from these six and quite impossible to reduce to a single schematic diagram or construction sequence. See you then!

Make A Bag Chapter 11: Bucket Tote

The Bucket Tote structure is probably my favorite bag category to make! My reasons are very silly and personal: I like circular bases, I like piping that I can attach to circular bases, I like circles and roundness in general, and bucket-style bags are squat and stable and fun to customize in weird shapes. Bucket totes do not have to be circular in cross-section; they can be rectangular or square or any other shape, really. Their distinguishing feature (from other categories of totes) is really that their body piece is a single one that's been sewn into a tube, which is then attached around its lower perimeter to the base (whatever shape that may be).

Here is the schematic diagram

translated to fabric:

There are many instructional tutorials on the internet on how to sew a straight edge (of the body) to a circular edge (of the base), so you can google them to find one you like. Usually, this involves pins and gathers and upside-down sewing (i.e. base-side-up). It's preference, but this is how I orientate my pieces when I am sewing body to base - I snip the SA of the lower edge of the body, match up quarter marks, don't use pins at all, and ease that lower edge around the circular base as I sew. It's a method that works well for me, even with piping.

So here is what the (circular) bucket looks like when its base has been sewn on (with piping). Without handle or straps, the lining would just be a simple second bucket inserted into the first and edge-stitched to it around their openings. 

But that would be boring. So today's bucket has integrated straps that loop into each other to make a handle. It was partially covered in the earlier chapter on integrated straps but I'll include it here again.

The lining is assembled, leaving a hole in a seam for turning the entire bag RS later. We cannot edgestitch the lining to the outer bag like we would if it were strapless. 

The two bags are nested one in the other, RS together, and stitched together along the edges of their straps. The entire bag is then turned RS out through the hole in the lining. The ends of the straps are left disconnected, as shown.

In addition, the stitching stops a few inches from the actual ends of the straps (blue arrows), to allow for some fabric contortion later.

The ends of the straps are then connected, layer by layer. First, the lining,

then the outer bag (or vice versa). The straps are then edge-stitched around their entire perimeter, closing those side openings in the process. 

This bag is completely reversible, except that our lining layer has no base piping.

Such a pretty pinwheel look to the opening!

Here are other Bucket Tote variations:

Simple fabric buckets with stitched art

and reverse applique;

drawstring pouches;

a cordstop cinch pouch

which is reversible

and has a rectangular base;

a fold up grocery tote;

a market basket

and another;

lunch buckets;

a trapezoidal tote;

a zippered cosmetic bag;

a convertible wallet-tote;

and a boxy handbag.