DIY.. Thank-You Wine Tote

Do you ever have a party to attend and think.. Ugh. What should I bring? I do all the time. On the way to the event my husband and I just grab a quick bottle off wine. We hand it over to the hostess with a .. “Here – thanks for having us” gesture. No card.  Lame.

We were recently visiting friends in Toronto. While relaxing in their backyard I was brainstorming about unique thank you gifts.  I had a big glass of white wine in my hand and had just given Trish, the hostess, a journal cover I made for her..  She loved the quirky saying that I appliqued on the front. Agh- Ha!!

So, why not sew thank you gifts with fun sentiments on them? I love the idea of this wine tote. Add an amusing personal message to give it that extra ooomph. I think it’s a great gesture of appreciation.  It’s a gift that will keep on giving.  Plus, it shows how awesome and crafty you are!

Before we get started, here are a few things:

You will need to make the pattern. The pattern pieces all have straight sides, so you can use your rotary cutter and be finished cutting in a flash. Mark on the fabric and then cut.. It’s that easy.

1. Main pattern piece – Draw a rectangle 11″W x  11 3/4″H. Add 3/8″ SA
2. Bottom – Draw a square 2 3/4″ x 2 3/4″. Add 3/8″SA
3. Straps – Cut a rectangle 3″W x 14″L.  No SA

Materials Needed:

1. Fabric – A superb fat quarter project
2. Interfacing
3. Pellon EZ Steam
4. Thread, scissors,  pins, sewing machine
5. Disappearing ink pen, chaco lining pen,  chalk – Use your favorite instrument
6. Pens, paper, printed saying
7. Iron and ironing board

I chose to applique the words onto the fabric and used a contrasting thread color. If you don’t know how to applique or don’t really like to applique, you could also use freezer paper to screen print. I love to use freezer paper and have many tutorials here on my blog. My recent Summer Totebag project has been very popular, check it out here.

Another option is a Silhouette machine. I seriously WANT one of these! Not just for paper crafters, these machine can cut almost anything – fabric included. I keep hoping my husband will surprise me with one.

Alright.. let’s sew!

1. Cut your fabric. 3 pieces needed. If the fabric is really lightweight, you can use interfacing and fuse the fabric to give it a little stability.
2. Trace your words on the EZ Steam paper. Make sure to trace the mirror image. You can use your windows as a light box
3. Iron down onto your fabric
4. Cut out the words
5. Pin your pattern pieces together so you can eyeball where you want to words. You want to get the word placement just right. Too high or too low and all that work down the drain.. While you are at it, also mark your strap placement
6. Peel the backing off and gently iron in place. After you have ironed the letters down, turn down the top edge 1/4″ and iron. Turn down another 1/2″ and press again.  Place into your sewing machine and edgestitch along the top
7. Sew your straps. I have an awesome strap making tutorial here.  After you have pressed the straps, place into your sewing machine and edgestitch both sides. Your finished strap will be 1 1/2″ x 14″.  Pin and sew into the tote.  If you feel like it, stitch the bottom edge of the facing down as well
8. Finish the bag – place right sides and pin togther. Sew the side seam. Now pin the bottom square into place and sew.

That’s it. Happy sewing. I hope you have a great week.