Rit Dyed Tangerine Tango Tote Dianne Giancola Dianne Giancola Dye Queen 14 Westover Avenue Stamford Connecticut 06902 There can never be too much tangerine in my world I went back to my stash of black and white printed fabrics to see if I had enough fabric to dye for a tote bag Sure enough it was there begging for color Here s the tote bag I made This project not only involves dyeing but also a lot of sewing If that s not your thing remember you can always buy a ready made white or black and white cotton tote bag and dye it to any color you like 01 Style 01 Women style women bags totes rit style style women bags totes latex gloves measuring cup measuring spoons old towel plastic table cover scissors tangerine sunshine orange 2 Coordinated Black White Printed Fabrics 36 x 36 for outside of bag 36 x 45 for inside and base of bag 7 3 4 x 13 3 4 firm cardboard or plastic canvas for base of bag black webbing for handles 1 x 130 1 1 2 yds grosgrain or twill ribbon 1 1 2 wide for binding top edge of bag 24 ruler plastic container for dyeing glue stick straight pins sewing machine 8181 Finished size of tote bag is 14 x 8 x 12 To make the tote bag you need two black and white printed fabrics I decided to use three one for the outside and a mini polka dot for the inside of the bag and a larger polka dot for the pockets Here s a before and after of the fabric I over dyed for the outside of the bag For best results prewash fabric before cutting and dyeing to remove any finishes that may interfere with dye absorption Dye Preparation Cover work surface with a plastic table cover Shake all dye bottles before measuring Measure and mix 3 Tablespoon Tangerine and 3 teaspoon Sunshine Orange with 8 cups very hot water in a glass bowl or plastic container stir well Wet fabric and immerse into dye solution Stir 10 20 minutes until desired color is achieved Remove fabric Rinse in cool water Then wash in warm soapy water rinse and dry Iron fabric when dry Cut dyed fabric for outside of bag to 23 x 32 Cut lining fabric for inside of bag to 21 1 2 x 30 1 2 To Attach Webbing to Outside Bag Fabric Mark webbing placement lines Beginning at A attach webbing to outside of fabric using glue stick or pins Continue to B B is 1 from top edge Keep the next 28 free for handle Continue attaching webbing at C also 1 from top Using illustration as a guide continue to pin or glue webbing to fabric treating D E and handle the same as above Continue across A overlapping original webbing and ending at F apply scant amount of glue stick to end of webbing to prevent fraying Machine topstitch webbing to fabric close to both edges leaving handles free To Create Side Seams Place right sides together and fold outside fabric in half along center bottom line form H1 H2 Bring G1 s together and G2 s together Pin sides together and machine stitch using 1 2 seam allowances Press open the two side seams G1 H1 and G2 H2 To Make a Squared Base for the Bag Follow illustration With right sides together place one side seam directly above center bottom line and flatten seam open Seam now comes to a point with H at the tip and I is 4 from H Draw line J K 8 long and perpendicular to H I seam line Pin in place Machine stitch along J K line and trim 1 2 from seam Repeat for other side Turn bag right sides out Pin then press the 4 long corner folds M1 N1 and M2 N2 Machine topstitch close to folds To Make Lining for Inside of Bag Construct and sew dyed inside bag fabric in the same way the outside bag fabric was sewn Press and machine topstitch as above To Make Pockets for Inside of Bag optional Cut 2 fabric pieces 12 1 2 x 7 Turn and press edges under 1 2 around all four sides of each piece Topstitch close to folds Place one pocket on each side of bag lining Pin and machine stitch pockets to bag lining Tuck lining into the outside bag wrong sides together matching the four corners Pin and stitch the two top edges together Fold and press the 1 1 2 wide grosgrain ribbon in half lengthwise so it measures 3 4 wide Beginning with the raw end of folded ribbon at L encase raw edges of outer bag and lining Pin ribbon in place along both long edges then continue around top of bag over L and 2 beyond Fold under the ribbon s end pin Machine stitch ribbon to bag close to edge When entire binding is stitched top stitch the webbing at the bases of the handles To Make Cover for Inside of Bag Base Cut piece of firm cardboard or plastic canvas 7 3 4 x 13 3 4 Cut lining fabric 9 x 32 With right sides together fold fabric in half along fold line Machine stitch the two long sides together using a 1 4 seam allowance Turn right side out and slip cardboard in place adjusting seams if cover is too loose or too tight Turn the raw edges snugly to the inside and sew opening closed by hand or machine Place base in bottom of bag to give stability and support to bag Enjoy you re ready to go day http www ellenhighsmithsilver com 8182 8183 8184 8250 8251 10821 10822