Hey everyone. Today we're turning a junior jelly roll into a fresh, sturdy tote bag you can actually use every day.
Here we go.
Meet the fabric
This is the Blue Aqua Bella Solids Junior Jelly Roll Precuts, from United Notions.
It is a Moda precut.
The group name is Bella Solids.
And the stock number is 9900JJR 85, if you like to keep notes.
Inside the roll you get 20 assorted pieces.
Each strip measures 2.5 inches by 44 inches.
That is your classic jelly roll width, ready to sew.
The color story here is blue aqua.
The tags call it light turquoise, and that fits.
Think clear water and a bright morning sky.
There is no print to match up.
There is no direction to fuss over.
You just unroll, sort your shades, and sew.
These strips were made in Korea, per the product details.
And because it is a solid, the color does all the talking.
Your seams and your quilting lines become the design.
The project: a strip-pieced tote bag
We are making a simple lined tote, about 14 inches wide by 15 inches tall.
That size holds a project, a book, and a water bottle.
It works for the market, too.
Here is why this fabric suits a tote so well.
Those 2.5-inch strips are already cut straight and even.
You sew them side by side and you get a panel fast.
No long cutting session before the fun starts.
The aqua shades look fresh together, light to a little deeper.
You can run them in order for a soft gradient.
Or mix them up for a happy, scrappy look.
Completely up to you.
I like the gradient for this one.
It feels calm, and the bag still pops.
Materials
- 1 Blue Aqua Bella Solids Junior Jelly Roll Precuts — 20 strips, 2.5 inches by 44 inches
- 1/2 yard lining fabric, cut to match your outer panels
- 1/2 yard fusible fleece or thin batting for body
- Thread to match, plus a topstitch thread if you like
- A universal needle, size 80/12, for piecing and assembly
- Your usual ruler, rotary cutter, mat, pins, and clips
- Iron and pressing surface
Brief steps
First, sort your 20 strips in the order you love.
Sew ten strips together for the front.
Use a quarter-inch seam and press as you go.
Do the same with the other ten for the back.
Each panel will finish about 20.5 inches wide before trimming.
Trim both panels to 15 inches wide by 16 inches tall.
Save those trimmed bits for a pocket, if you want one.
Next, fuse the fleece to the wrong side of each panel.
Quilt a few simple lines if you like.
Straight lines every 2 inches work just fine.
Or stitch in the ditch along a few seams.
Now make your handles.
Take one leftover strip piece for each handle, about 22 inches long.
Fold it around a batting strip and stitch it closed.
Pin a handle to the top of each panel, 3 inches in from each side.
Sew the front to the back, right sides together.
Use a half-inch seam on the sides and bottom.
Box the bottom corners at 2.5 inches for a flat base.
Make the lining the same way, but leave a 4-inch gap in one side.
Put the bag inside the lining, right sides together.
Sew around the top, turn it through the gap, and press.
Topstitch the top edge at one-eighth inch.
Just like that, you have a tote.
Practical tips
Give yourself permission to keep this simple.
It does not have to be perfect.
A seam that wobbles a little will not ruin a tote.
You are your own worst critic here.
Take your time, it is not a race.
One honest warning, right at the moment of risk.
Go slow where the handle layers stack up thick.
Slow down or the needle snaps on that bump.
Pressing helps more than you would think.
Press each seam as you sew the strips.
My first tote leaned a little to one side.
The fix was easy.
I pressed better, trimmed both panels together, and it sat straight.
We're not reinventing the wheel here.
We're sewing strips into something useful and really really fun to carry.
If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Thanks so much for sewing along with me today.
We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Blue Aqua Bella Solids Junior Jelly Roll Precuts at Linda's Electric Quilters.
