Tote bags make a great beginner sewing project! They also make great handmade gifts, which is why I love to make them. Finding a beginner tutorial for them can be tricky, though. There are some amazing bag patterns out there, but if you just need the most basic tote bag tutorial, that can be harder to find.

I’m sharing with you today how to sew a basic tote bag (with inside pockets, of course!) from start to finish. This tutorial will walk you step by step through the bag sewing process, including those seemingly abstract boxed corners.

Last week I posted a tutorial for how to make a small circular drawstring pouch for hair accessories or jewelry when you travel, or your quilting pins, or anything like that. This week I’m back with another drawstring bag tutorial, but this one was designed specifically to board hold game pieces: tokens, tiles, dice, or other components! It has a square bottom and is interfaced, helping it to stand upright on the table when you pass it between players.

Of course, you can use this little pouch for lots of other things! It would even make a great little gift bag that’s like a gift in a gift! The recipient can keep the bag to use for whatever they like.

I have such a fun little tutorial for you today! My girls’ dance recital is coming up and Natalie and her friends like to give “cast gifts” to each other. We came up with the idea to make small drawstring pouches to hold their hair pins and other hair accessories. (If you have a dancer in the house, you know how important these things are and how hard they are to corral!)

This small pouch makes a great travel bag for jewelry and hair accessories, or you can use it around the house or in your craft room. It’s a perfect container for your Wonder Clips or quilting pins! They also make great small handmade gifts for little ones or teens. I know my girls loved carrying little things in cute little purses when they were little, and they still love receiving bags of any kind now that they’re teens.