Transforming a Tote Bag: Black-and-White Decor
I don't know about you, but in the summer I like going out with all kinds of bags! What is more, in just one evening you can decorate an ordinary fabric bag and turn it into an original accessory for walks around town. We'll use materials at hand, dig into our stash, and make black-and-white decor for the bag!
This embellishment option is especially relevant this season, when many people were sewing masks for themselves out of black and white cotton. If you also have unused strips of fabric left over, go ahead and put them to use!
So, for decorating you will need:
- Fabric scraps: cotton, silk, satin, or whatever you have at home.
- White or black lace, including small pieces of guipure lace.
- Satin ribbons in different widths.
- Seed beads and beads.
- Buttons.
If you add fabric paint, use a product labelled for the specific fabric. Work in a ventilated area, protect your skin and work surface, and follow the label exactly for drying and heat-setting; an adult should handle a hot iron. Use scissors carefully, and keep sharp tools, buttons, and beads away from young children.
How to decorate a tote bag
First, make the ruffles. Cotton strips 5–8 cm wide work well. Estimate the required strip length by measuring the bag and multiplying that measurement by 1.5 for lightly gathered ruffles or by 2 for fuller ruffles.
Make markings along the center of the bag and measure out 5 cm in both directions, marking lines with chalk or a sliver of soap. Pin the finished ruffle along the line. Do the same on the other side and sew a seam line. Note that the edges are not finished in any way, resulting in a light fringe.
Next, we move on to the most interesting part—the creative one. If you have pieces of lace or guipure lace, cut out the elements and sew them between the strips; you can complement them with beads and seed beads.
The central part can be covered with another white strip using a decorative seam, and then thin black lace can be sewn on. This is an option for those who love minimalist things.
I prefer a richer embellishment: we sew on fabric flowers and small roses, which are easy to twist out of ribbons (there are several masterclasses on the forum on this topic for beginners).
We complement the flowers with large and small black buttons, sewing them on with seed beads 😍.
That's all!
We admire our work and head out shopping in a good mood with our updated bag!
Your imagination is enviable! I once tried making small fabric roses for brooches; it turns out they can be used in such an interesting way. You could decorate not only a tote but a small handbag as well; they would look great on a clutch, too.
Here is a simple but charming option.