Tote Bag Organizer
Meet your new favorite side-kick: the tote bag organizer. This project will be one that you want to get started on--with uncomplicated steps that ultimately create a wonderful pocket bag that can hang inside any tote bag for extra organization.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to find and use the downloadable PDF pattern.
Video Tutorial
Written Directions
- Fold piece J in half, hotdog style, wrong sides facing. Press.
- Open, fold long edges to center, wrong sides facing. Press.
- Fold closed along center crease, raw edges inside. Press.
- Topstitch along both long edges.
- Press flat. Fold into U-shape and press again. Set aside.
- Repeat steps 1–5 for second piece J.
- Repeat steps 1-4 with piece I.
- Fold in half matching short raw edges. Press. Set aside.
- Sew piece F (fabric 1) to one piece D (Fabric 2) , along top long edge of F with right side of D facing wrong side of F.
- Press seam and smaller piece away from larger fabric piece.
- Fold other raw edge of D toward seam, wrong sides facing, leaving 1/8" gap between raw edges. Press.
- Fold again so folded edge from step 11 just covers the stitch line from step 9. Press to hold folds in place. Topstitch.
- Place this finished pocket piece on piece B (fabric 1). Match edges, back of pocket to right side of piece B.
- Sew lines from the bottom to the top of the pocket piece, perpendicular to pocket trim, at 1.25", and 2" from right side. Reverse stitch at start and end of each stitch line.
- Repeat steps 9-12, using piece G instead of F.
- Place new pocket piece on piece E (fabric 1) and sew lines from the bottom to the top of the pocket, perpendicular to pocket trim, at 1.25", 2", and 3.75" from the right. Reverse stitch at start and end of each stitch line.
- Place top raw edge along one zipper tape, with fabric centered on zipper and front of zipper facing right side of fabric. Pin in place.
- Place piece E (fabric 2) with right side facing back of zipper and line up fabric edges, making a “zipper sandwich”. Sew along outside edge of zipper teeth.
- Press all fabrics away from zipper and topstitch through all fabrics to hold them together and away from the zipper.
- Place long raw edge piece D (fabric 1) along opposite zipper tape, centered on zipper, right side fabric facing front of zipper. Pin in place.
- Place piece D (fabric 2) back of zipper. Align fabric edges to make a “sandwich”. Sew along outside of zipper teeth.
- Press fabrics away from zipper and topstitch through all fabrics to hold them together and away from the zipper.
- Place zippered piece on piece B (fabric 2), zippered piece back facing right side of B. Pin; treat as one piece.
- Pin both pocketed pieces to each other along one long edge, right sides of fabric facing (zippered pocket on the right when opened). Unzip zipper into center of project.
- Sew along this pinned edge, careful when sewing across zipper. Press seam allowance behind the side without the zipper. Trim excess zipper length to edge of fabric.
- Place piece from step 25 on top of piece C, wrong sides facing, top edges lined up, and pieces centered. Pin along top edge.
- Sew piece H to this top edge, right side of H facing right side of C (piece without the pockets or zipper on it).
- Repeat steps 10-12 with the piece sewn in step 27.
- Place onto one piece A, right side of A facing back of pocketed piece and bottom and side edges of the aligned. Pin to hold in place.
- OPTIONAL: Cut a length of Sew What Box's handmade ribbon labels, cutting 1 inch past both ends of the label that you want to show, and place it diagonally across the bottom left corner of the pocket piece. Ends of ribbon will be about 2 inches away from corner of project. Pin to hold in place.
- Place one long U-shaped strip from step 5 along the top long edge of piece A, on the right side of fabric, 1.5" in from the corner, with raw edges on the raw edge of A and bottom of U-shape toward the center of A. Pin in place.
- Repeat step 31 with second U-shaped piece on other side of long edge.
- Place D-ring on folded short strap piece from step 8. Pin raw edges to top long raw edge of the right side of piece A, 1/2 inch away from the right button loop, toward the center of piece A. Pin with D-ring toward center.
- Place second piece A on top of this entire pinned piece, lining up all four edges, right sides of fabric facing. Pin in place.
- Sew around all four edges, leaving a 3" hole in the center of the top unsewn. Reverse stitch on both sides of this hole. Clip fabric from all four corners.
- Turn right side out through hole left and poke all corners out square.
- Press entire project flat, with seam line pulled out and to the edge of the project. Turn raw edges into hole about 1/2 inch and press flat.
- Beginning above the pocket trim, topstitch around the 3 edges without pockets attached to them (with D-ring strap folded toward center).
- With pockets smoothed flat, topstitch from the top to the bottom of the large pocket along the center seam line. Reverse stitch at top and bottom.
- Sew a button onto the large fabric piece at the base of each U-shaped loop.
- To use, loop U-shaped pieces around tote bag handles and button to secure.
Project PDF Pattern
Want a PDF pattern for this project? Click the button, below, to download the pattern and make even more--out of any fabric color you like!
New to using our PDF patterns? Learn how to assemble and use the downloadable pattern by clicking here.