DIY Two-sided tote with facing

How to sew your own two-sided tote with facing?
The easy method!

You will need:
- first piece of fabric of desired size (desired height and double width)
- second piece of fabric (height+5 cm and double width). These 5 cm of additional height will give you a facing twice smaller - 2.5 cm.
- piece of fabric for the pocket
- straps (60-80 cm each)




I used:
- grey fabric 40*80 cm
- yellow fabric 45*80 cm
- yellow pocket 15*20 cm
- straps 60 cm - 2 pcs


1. Prepare your future pocket first:

- fold all sides of the pocket on 5-10 mm, press or pin
- topstitch along the fold of the top edge
- find and mark the center point of the bottom side of the pocket

Take one piece of your main fabric, fold it in two, wrong sides together.
Find the center of this half. Measure 12 cm from the bottom edge, and align the bottom center of the pocket to this mark (face side of the pocket upwards).
Pin it and stitch both sides and bottom of the pocket.






2. Take the handles.
Unfold the main fabric, facing up. Find the centers of both halfs of the fabric, mark them near the top edge.
The side of the strap should be 7 cm away from the center. Thus the distance between two sides of one strap should be 14 cm.
Measure 7 cm in both sides from the center and mark the positions.
Place the endings of the strap on the marks, placing the whole strap down the bag and leaving 1-1.5 cm of the strap above the top edge of the fabric. This pieces will be closed between the fabrics.
Pay attention not to twist the strap on this step.

Repeat with the second strap.

3. Take your second piece of fabric (mine was the grey one) and lay it on the first one right sides together.
Align the top edges.
Pin and stitch.
Unfold it - you will have a rectangular of two colors with straps in the center seam.
Both handles should be on the right side of the fabric.


4. Fold this rectangular in half, so sides are together and handles are one upon another.
Pin all sides (or only three open ones) and stitch,
leaving an 5 cm opening  for turning the back right side out.

5. Turn your tote right side out.




6. Insert longer side of tote in the shorter one.
In my case I inserted yellow "lining" in the grey "exterior".
Match both bottoms, you may pin it for security.
Straighten the fabric and the tote, so the top line lies flat. You can give it a press to make it nice and flat. Thus longer side of the tote will fold in top, forming the facing.


7. Bend handles up and pin.
You can topstitch all the way around the top edge, or just sew a square on the handles to secure them and the facing.

Your two-sided tote with pocket and facing is ready!