How to Make a Bag

By Leena Muley and Alan Chow, students at Central Saint Martins

Find the perfect tote bag - by making it yourself! Saying no to plastic bags can be saying yes to you: your colours, your fabric, your size. If you hoard your favourite clothes - even when they no longer fit - then why not make them into your very own signature bag with these easy steps. Being green has never been so fashionable - or affordable!

Step One: Mark Fabric

Place the fabric flat on the table and fold it in half. Using one corner edge of the folded material as a guide, mark out a 40cm by 55cm rectangle. You could make the bag bigger or smaller, depending on your preference.

Step Two: Cut

Pin the layers of the marked area of fabric together, and cut around the drawn line.

Step Three: Stitch

Remove pins from the edge that will form the opening. Machine stitch down the left side, along the bottom and up the right side. Remember to backstitch the beginning and end to secure the seam. Over lock or zig-zag the seam allowances together.

Step Four: Create Opening

To create the opening, turn the edge in 3cm, press, then fold again an extra 4cm and press. Pin to hold the fabric in place. Using thread of a matching colour, top stitch around the opening 0.5cm from the edge of the fold.

Step Five: Create Handles

To create the handles, cut two 50cm lengths of a heavy duty ribbon or strip of webbing. Fold each end of the handles up 4cm and press flat.

Step Six: Finish

Pin each end to one side of the bag so that the folded side is facing the fabric. The ends should be 4cm down from the edge and 10cm in from the sides of the bag. Attach by stitching a square around the handle end, and repeat with the other side of the bag.