Mother's Day Tote

This is a tote bag that I decided to make for both my mom and mother-in-law for Mother's Day. It is a basic hand tote with a lining. The one featured in the photos is the 12" by 10" horse print bag I made for my mother-in-law.

- I chose to use three different fabrics: a basic black fabric for a liner, a thicker (almost suede) material that will be used for the handles and bottom, and a decorative fabric that catches the eye.
- I also am using a clear nylon thread that can be used with almost any fabric: I did not have to change the thread or bobbin once during the complete process. But like any time you start or end a new stitch, DON'T FORGET TO LOCK YOUR THREAD!

Step 1 Making the bottom

Once you have chosen your fabrics and you know the size of the bag you want to make, you will cut your thicker fabric to be used first. This piece of fabric will be folded in half, so you need to double the amount of fabric you would like to see on one side, plus leave some fabric for seam allowance.
For example, I decided that I would like to have two inches of the thicker fabric on the bottom of my bag for decoration, so I cut a rectangle 11" x 5", so that when folded lengthwise I would still have 1/2 inch on each side for a hem.

Once the fabric is cut out you can start with the hems. I folded and pinned two 1/2 inch hems lengthwise down the fabric to be sewn.