DIY Crafts: Tea Towel Tote Bag

In 2007, Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom left New York City to open The Curiosity Shoppe in San Francisco’s Mission District. Known for its playful and kitschy pieces, the eclectic store offers a variety of vintage finds, d cor, gifts, crafts, games and other curiosities to inspire shoppers to embark on their own creative adventure.

The Curiosity Shoppe at Target translates the shop’s mix of fun, whimsy and beauty into nearly 60 products for the home, kitchen, and tabletop, and includes stationery, gifting items and games. The Curiosity Shoppe at Target ranges in price from $3 to $30, and will be available Sept. 9, 2012 at all Target stores and Target.com.

We are so excited about The Curiosity Shoppe at Target collection! Lauren Smith & Derek Fagerstrom, the shop owners, created this craft using the tea towels from The Curiosity Shoppe at Target collection. The last image is a photo of Lauren & Derek themselves modeling the tote!

Materials:

– 1 tea towel from The Curiosity Shoppe at Target
– 1.5 yards of 1″ cotton webbing
– Scissors
– Pins
– Thread
– Sewing machine

How-To:

1. Fold tea towel in half, right sides together.

2. Using a half-inch seam allowance, stitch up the sides of the towel, back-stitching at the beginning and end of each seam. Turn bag right side out.

3. Cut the webbing in half to make the 2 straps.

4. Pin the ends of each strap 1″ down from the top of the bag and 3″ in from sides, making sure they’re not twisted.

5. Attach the ends of each strap by stitching a square around the edges of the 1″ tail of webbing, removing the pins as you go. For those who are planning to use this a lot and carry around a bunch of stuff, I’d suggest stitching it a few more times to make sure it’s secure.

Carry your new tote bag!