I love ruffles! I do! They just make me giddy like a little girl. So how perfect are ruffles on a plain, boring tote bag? I made these ruffled tote bags for my nieces and just adore how darling they turned out. My four girls fell in love with these ruffled bags as well and have placed their orders... Oh my lots of ruffles in store for me!
For these bags I began with a ready made tote bag that can be purchased at Hobby Lobby or for a tad cheaper at Walmart. Walmart has a package of 3 totes for under $6.00, that is a great deal.
Supplies:
Tote bag
1/4- 1/2 yard each of 2 coordinating fabrics for the ruffles (I always get extra fabric so I chose to go with 1/2 yd. each.)
Ribbon
Fabric for flowers, if doing fabric flowers
Thread
There are many different ways to sew a ruffle. I do NOT claim to be a ruffle expert, just a ruffle admirer. Here is how I chose to sew the ruffles for my bags.
Lay out your ruffles first to find out where you want them before you begin to sew.
Once the front of your bag is finished with all it's beautiful ruffles, it is time to finish off the back.
There are two different looks for your bag. The first option takes the ruffle almost to the top of the bag and does not leave room for flowers. The second option does leave room at the top to add fabric flowers. I think both are super cute. Just depends on what you prefer.
