Quilted Wine Tote Sewing Tutorial

I am excited to share the tutorial for this wine tote bag that I mentioned earlier!  I had fun playing around and coming up with the pattern.  I have seen lots of patterns online for wine gift bags, but I wanted to make something that was more of a reusable wine tote, inspired by this BuiltNY tote.  One of these would make a great housewarming, hostess, or holiday gift, but it would also be great to make and keep for yourself.  I find we are often heading out to a dinner party or other gathering and grab a bottle of wine on the way out the door - and it ends up awkwardly stuffed in my purse, halfway sticking out.  So I am sure we will get a lot of use out of these new totes!  Even better, since they are made with two layers of quilt batting, if you wanted to really do it right, you could make one layer out of insulated batting and then the tote would help to keep white wine cool during transit, too.

TERMS OF USE:  For personal, non-commercial use only.  If you are interested in making these totes for small-scale commercial sales (eg craft fairs, etsy), please contact me and we can discuss a licensing agreement. 

DONATE TO SUPPORT THIS PATTERN - this pattern is provided free of charge, if you would like to show your appreciation and support the free patterns I provide here, you can donate here (or it helps if you click through to any of the amazon links below, whether you purchase that particular product or not!).  Thanks for your support!

What you will need:

• Printout of Pattern PDF - DOWNLOAD HERE
• 2 fat quarters of fabric (or slightly less will work - see below for the pieces you need to cut)
• 4 rectangles of quilt batting, each 7.5"x16" plus two squares roughly 5"x5"
• About 1/2 yard of 1/2" double fold bias tape - I made my own for one bag and used pre-made for the other, either way is fine
• Coordinating thread

I used quilting weight fabric for both the outer fabric and the lining, but you could use home dec weight fabric on the outside and possibly skip one layer of batting and/or only lightly quilt it.  I used a pretty lightweight batting and decided to double it up to give this project more heft, but if you used a high-loft batting you might only need one layer (two rectangles of batting rather than four).  Also, the pattern as written is not too snug, if you want it to be more snug-fitting, you could make the outer fabric pieces below 6" wide rather than 6 and 3/8" wide.

The instructions below are for the simpler version with a single fabric on the outside and a single lining fabric - but you can easily piece two pieces together to make a two-fabric version of the outside (or you could do some other more complicated patchwork design).  The most time-intensive part of this project for me was the quilting, if you want to do a quicker version you could significantly simplify or just omit the quilting and it would be fine.

Cut out the two pattern pieces from the printed-out pattern.  Put the handle pattern piece aside for now and then cut the following pieces out of the fabric and batting (sorry the circle pieces are not pictured below):

• Out of the outer fabric, two rectangles 6 and 3/8"x15" and one circle (cut out according to the pattern) - I am using Robert Kaufman Metro Cafe as my outer fabric (love this!).
• Out of the lining fabric, two rectangles 7 1/4" x16" and a rough circle/square about 1/2" larger on all sides than the circle fabric piece - I am using Amy Butler Love as my lining fabric.
• Out of the batting, the rectangles described above (four 7.5"x16" rectangles) and also a rough circle/square about 1/2" larger on all sides than the circle pattern piece.

[Edited to add: some folks have asked why the lining and batting are cut larger than the outer fabric - this is so that you don't have to worry about making sure everything is perfectly aligned when quilting (and in case it shifts during quilting) - similar to how you cut your batting and backing larger than a quilt top when making a quilt.  Feel free to skip if you think you can keep it lined up without doing the back/batting larger.]

Using the handle pattern piece, on your outer pieces only, lay the fabric wrong side up and then place the pattern piece on the fabric so that the top of the handle is about 1/8" below the top of the rectangle.  Then, trace the inside of the handle opening - you do not need to trace the top of the handle yet.  Inside the oval that you traced, mark a dotted line about 1/4" in as shown below.  Repeat on the second rectangle.  The solid line will be your sewing line and the dotted line will be your cutting line (this is the only part of the pattern where you have to add a seam allowance).

On the outer lining rectangles, repeat this tracing except this time place the pattern 1/2"-3/4" down from the top of the rectangle and center the pattern piece horizontally.

Repeat on the batting with the same alignment as the lining fabric, except this time you only need to trace the oval, you do not need to add a dotted line/seam allowance.

Once you have traced the oval on the four fabric rectangles and the four batting rectangles, go ahead and cut out the inside of the ovals - on the dotted line/seam allowance for the pieces of fabric and on the solid line for the batting pieces.

Lay one piece each of the outer and lining fabrics together, right sides facing, and line up the oval holes, making sure the edges of the rectangles are parallel.  Pin in place if you desire, then sew around the solid line of the oval.  Clip from the seam allowance in to just before the seam (making sure not to cut the seam) in a few places at the tight curve at either end of the oval.  Repeat for the other two rectangles.   With the outer side on the top, lay two pieces of batting on top and align all of the ovals.

Reach through the hole and grab the lining fabric from the other side, and pull it through the hole.  It will be kind of awkward at first as shown on the left below, but you should be able to tug at it and pull it into shape so that it lies mostly flat.  You can iron if you need to to get both sides to lie flat.

With the outer side up, top stitch the oval handle 1/8" from the edge and then quilt each piece as desired (this just means sew all the layers together).  If you have a free-motion quilting foot you can do free motion quilting but you can also do straight line quilting either with or without a walking foot and it should be fine.  Be careful to quilt away from the handle so that you don't inadvertently end up with a weird bulge/fold there in your quilting.  Or feel free to skip the quilting, it really is more decorative and the tote will work fine without it.  Once you have quilted the pieces, lay the handle pattern piece on top and trace the top of the handle, then cut out the top of the handle shape (through all the layers) and also trim the bottom layers to match the top at the sides and bottom.   Make sure the two pieces are the same height - you can trim further if necessary to get them to match.  Also, I didn't take a picture of this but you should also make a quilt sandwich with the bottom circles and quilt that sandwich, then trim it to the actual circle shape of the top circle (outer fabric) - let me know if this is confusing.

From here, I tried a few different ways to do the construction and deal with the inside seams, so I will describe the options and you can choose what makes the most sense for you.  The first version I sewed the side and bottom seams and then went back and covered them with bias tape, but this seemed more intensive then necessary.  The second time (shown immediately below), I sewed the side and bottom seams and then I went back and zig-zagged over the seams, securing all the layers together.  The third time (shown second), I zig-zagged the edges of each piece before I seamed it, which also worked fine and was a little easier on the machine than zig-zagging through all the layers (and easier to make sure I caught all the layers). 

Whichever way you decide to do these final steps, as far as the actual construction goes, first you lay the two rectangle pieces with the handles right sides together and seam only the sides with 1/4" seam allowance (or slightly less) - do not sew the bottom edges together.

This is the edge where I zig-zagged it after seaming:

Then take the quilted circle piece and pin it in place in the bottom opening.  You may have to tug it a bit to get it to line up, I find it helpful to pin it at each side at the seams first and then pin the rest of the way around each side.  Sew a seam 1/4" in, being careful to catch all of the layers and removing the pins before you get to them.

Then on this version I zig-zagged it all in place after I seamed it:

Here is how it looked for the later bag where I zig-zagged before seaming:

Finally, you apply the binding to the top edge of the handle.  As described in this tutorial, you can either sew it on all at once (one-step) or you can open it up and sew one edge, then fold it over and sew the other edge (two-step).  I tried both and wasn't 100% thrilled with the way either one turned out but I guess I just need to practice more with bias tape.  Either way, you will apply the bias tape with the bag still turned inside-out... it is a bit fussy to sew with the bag in the way but if you go slow you should be able to get it to work.

To do the two step approach, first you open the tape up and pin/place the open edge along the edge you are going to be applying it to.  Make sure to fold the end over so that you get a neat seam, then sew along the first fold line.  (If this isn't making sense and/or you haven't used bias tape before, check out a tutorial and hopefully that will help).

Sorry this picture is crummy, I ran out of light.  After you sew it in place all the way around, flip it up and then fold it over to the other side.

Sew in place, either by sewing on the inside or the outside (your preference), making sure to catch the inside edge to secure it.

To do the one-step approach, you just slip the bias tape over the edge and sew it on, being careful to catch both the top and the bottom (this is the part I always have trouble with).  You can be more sure to catch both layers if you use a zig-zag, so if you like the way that looks that is a bit easier.  At the end, fold under the end before you sew it in place to make it look nice and finished.

Turn it right-side out and there you go, enjoy your new wine tote!  I hope you like the tutorial, let me know if you have any questions or feedback!

Yay, I won a giveaway too!

Happy New Year!

As a final wrap-up to Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day, I wanted to share with you all the lovely Christmas charm pack that I won!  I was waiting to post until the package arrived, but we were away for the holidays so I had to wait until I got back.  What a great gift to have this package waiting for us when we got back - thanks to LeighAnne of SleepytimeSewing for the fun giveaway!

I think I will stash these away until next year... still thinking about what I want to do with them.  I may use them for a variety of projects and just enjoy having such a great selection of fabrics to choose from - I was thinking of making some mini-quilted stocking ornaments - but maybe I will decide to use them as charm squares in some kind of pattern.  The placemat pattern that LeighAnne included in the post is pretty cute, may have to do that or something similar!

I have been enjoying checking out the year-end project mosaics that lots of folks have posted - so many beautiful and creative projects, it is very inspiring!  I don't feel like I did a good enough job taking pictures this year (especially since I didn't restart the blog until mid-summer), but this is definitely something I hope to do next year.  In the meantime, here is a preview of a tutorial that I am planning to post early next week.

These quilted wine totes were partially inspired by these BuiltNY wine totes, which I have always liked/coveted.  I had to play around with the sizing and construction details a bit to get it the way I wanted (there is a v. 1.0 that is not pictured), but it was a good chance to practice using my walking foot (easy, love it) and free motion quilting (which I find fun but kind of terrifying).  Also I made bias tape for the first time!

I basically used this tutorial, except that I realized the 1/2" bias tape maker that I had makes 1/2" single fold tape... so 1/4" double fold.  Doh.  So I had to do the annoying fold and iron by hand process.  It wasn't actually that bad but I have now added the correct size to my shopping list.  Loving getting to have bias tape from any fabric though (once I talked myself into it being worth using a sizeable chunk up).  This is Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow - currently one of my favorite fabric lines (as you may have noticed).

Butternut squash lasagne with bechamel sauce

I made these for a dinner party before the holidays and almost forgot to take a photo, thanks to our guests for reminding me!  In any case, this is the only one I took, hopefully you get the idea.  This lasagne has butternut squash with sage and walnuts, yummy cheeses and a bechamel (white) sauce inside, and is served over cooked Kale.  I really cannot say enough about how deliciously this turned out, the squash and nuts and cheese were a rich and well-matched flavor combination.  It took a while to prepare (partly because I was inefficient, and partly because it is just complicated), but it was well worth it.  This is a great dish to serve if you want a vegetarian-friendly main course for a nice dinner, or really anytime.  I served it with more homemade bread from artisan bread in 15 minutes a day (a half white half whole wheat ciabatta loaf), and with braised leeks. I will definitely be making this again.... Yum.

The recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers.  I also have the companion book, Vegetable Soups and really like both of them.  I love her Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and use it as a reference but often find it daunting when I am just trying to come up with an idea for dinner starting from a blank slate.  These two books are much more accessible, with longer descriptions, serving suggestions (including wine pairings in the suppers book), lots of color photos, and a more curated selection of ideas, it feels like.  I have found all the recipes from both books that I have made so far to be really delicious - she does a great job combining flavors and the cooking techniques are thoughtful and well-matched to each dish, not cookie-cutter.  The suppers book presents itself as an everyday cookbook, but I have found so far that the dishes are more elaborate than I would normally make for an everyday meal - but knowing that, it has been a great resource for times when I want to make something more interesting and complex.  I would definitely recommend either or both books!

Butternut squash lasagne with Bechamel Sauce
Adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers

For the Bechamel:

• 3 1/2 cups milk (1% worked fine for me)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
• 1 slice or section of onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-2 parsley sprigs
• 3 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 3 1/2 teaspoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste

For the Lasagne Filling:

• 1 large butternut squash (2 1/2 - 3 lbs)
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 15-20 fresh sage leaves or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried
• 1/3-1/2 cup parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup finely chopped lightly toasted walnuts (or hazelnuts)
• salt and pepper to taste
• package no-boil lasagne noodles
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

For the Kale:

• 2-3 bunches kale, washed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed/crushed or minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes (I used Aleppo flakes but regular would be fine)

Start by heating the milk in a small pot with the garlic, onion, bay and parsley.  Slowly heat the milk until it is almost boiling, then turn off the heat and cover the pot and let stand.

While the milk is sitting, peel and chop the squash into a rough dice of about 1/2" cubes.  Chop the garlic together with the sage and parsley - it may be easier to chop the garlic and herbs separately first and then chop them together.  Heat olive oil in a wide skillet or dutch oven, then cook onion and squash over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  You can preheat the oven to 375 F mid-way through cooking the squash.

While the squash is cooking, continue with the bechamel sauce - melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour (it will be pretty dry); add the milk, pouring through a strainer and whisking as you add it.  Turn the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until it thickens, then add salt and pepper.  I did this in a double-boiler and it took 25-30 minutes, but it may be quicker if you are cooking directly over the heat.

Meanwhile, after the 15 minutes, reduce the heat on the squash to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the squash is pretty tender and starting to get brown in some places, another 5-10 minutes.  Add the garlic-herb mixture and the nuts and cook for another few minutes, then add salt and pepper and turn off heat.


To assemble the lasagne, butter or oil a 9"x12" baking dish, then spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish and then lay down 3 noodles (or however many will fit).  Cover with half the cooked squash mixture, then 1 cup of the sauce, half the gruyere and one third of the parmesan/romano (I used a mix of the two).  Add another 3 noodles and then repeat the other layers and cover with a final 3 noodles.  Spread the remaining sauce on top and then the remaining parmesan/romano and then cover loosely with aluminum foil.  Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and keep baking for another 20 minutes.  It will be bubbly and lightly brown at the edges.  Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

While the lasagne is cooking, prepare the kale.  Remove the stems and chop the kale into 1/2" strips/chunks.  Heat the oil in a skillet or pot and add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the pepper flakes and kale.  Add a pinch or two of salt and stir the kale to coat with oil, then add 2 cups of water.  Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until the kale is tender.  Drain the kale or remove with tongs to serve - let drip so that it is not too soggy on the plates.  Serve each plate with kale topped with a square of lasagne (or the kale could be served on the side if you prefer).

Serves 6-8.

New Fabric Stash Additions

I am super excited about all the new fabric that I have added to my fabric stash recently!  Some was a gift but I have to admit that a lot of it I just bought for myself...  

My mom very nicely got me this fat quarter bundle from Fabric Worm for Christmas - a great way to build my stash of yellow fabrics, I didn't have many before.  I love the way they build their bundles, with a really interesting mix of fabrics selected to go together.  I have definitely thought about buying some of their bundles before and just using them to make a quilt, but it feels like cheating to me somehow not to put in the work of selecting the fabrics yourself... definitely a good source of inspiration and a great way to build your stash in any case.  I think my favorites in this bundle are the polka dots, I am such a huge dot fan... also the two botanical prints on the far left above.  Not sure what I will do with the Heather Ross Far, Far Away... anyone have any suggestions?

I also treated myself to some great fabrics from Fabric Depot in Portland, OR while we were out for the holidays.  The three Robert Kaufman prints on the left are for baby girl presents (I love the butterflies, aren't they adorable?) and the Riley Blake cars/trucks are for baby boy presents.  I am planning to make some baby pants with Rae's free basic newborn pants pattern, and am thinking about modifying the pattern to make the pants reversible.  The red polka dots are just to round out my stash (I really didn't have any red prints and was stretching the ends of a red and white fabric that I had as far as I could whenever I needed something red... Also did I mention I like polka dots?)   The orange zen garden print and the "citrus scrub" print are both from the new Sanctuary collection by Patty Young and I just couldn't resist.  I may have to get more of the zen garden in other colors, I really love it.  I saw a really cute apron with ruffles down the front at Anthropologie and had been thinking of making one, I expect both of these fabrics will be involved.

I also got caught up in the Christmas spirit and ordered a bundle of Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas... I just love these fabrics (especially the fa la la las, but really all of them).  I spent a long time on Etsy looking at different fat quarter and half yard bundles and trying to decide which to get.  I really like the blue fabrics in this line too but finally I decided to go with more green and red ones.  I also augmented these with a couple Christmas fabrics that were on sale at Fabric Depot.  I am planning to make quilted placemats and possibly matching napkins (I got 2.5 yards of the red polka dots), but I am thinking at this point I may wait until next year, I am not feeling like Christmas crafts so much anymore.  Although I do love this fabric so I may get over that feeling!

Finally, I got a yard of this Robert Kaufman print ("Sparkle All the Way") - because Lawson liked it.  Maybe I will make him a stocking out of it next year.  Or boxers.  Or both!

I have so many sewing projects on my to do list, I am excited to get going!  I am planning some more tutorials and hope to post one later this week, so stay tuned!  I'd love to hear about other folks new fabric acquisitions and what projects you have planned, too.