Tote-ally Easy Totes

Do you ever have those days where you want to sew up something simple and fast? I seem to have days like that a lot!  Even though I have some projects that I really need to do, for some reason I just can't build up any enthusiasm to start them.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. I had these packs of fabrics that my Mom found for me on the clearance rack at Wal-mart for only $5.00:

Two yards of quilting fabric for $5.00..... score!  I decided I wanted to make a tote, and immediately thought of Bethany's "totetorials" (love that!) that she posted back in June on her blog Sweet Bee Buzzings.

I followed this totetorial for her one yard tote. Since I had two yards of coordinating fabric, I decided to mix and match the fabrics and make two totes.

This was an excellent totetorial to follow, with lots of good pictures to help along the way. If you are new to sewing, this is a great place to start.

Here are my finished totes:

They only took me a couple of hours to do (and that was with interruptions), and I love how they turned out. The nice thing is it folds up flat, so you could tuck it in your purse or keep it in your car for those last-minute trips to the store.  The best part is, I made two tote bags and it only cost me $5.00.... it's not often I can say that!

The solid green bag is going to my niece, and I am keeping the floral one for myself! I think I might add a crocheted flower to the front to dress it up a little bit.

Bethany has several other great totetorials (and tutorials!) on her blog that I want to try. She is a sewist and crocheter like me, plus she has a great sense of humor, so I love reading her blog. Go check it out!