I am planning a trip to the beach for the first time in years. Having just thrown out a decade’s old beach tote that was collecting a smell, there was a hole in my arsenal of bags waiting to be filled.
I’d been saving a yard of gorgeous printed cotton for who knows how long, waiting for a special project to showcase this unbelievably beautiful fabric. A big ol’ tote bag was a great solution. I’ve made bags in the past, but here I wanted a lot of special features to really make this bag special.
First of all, I did a pleather bottom on the shell, to make the bottom water-resistant. Inside the bottom panel, attached to the shell is a hidden layer of plastic thermal insulation, the sort you find in soft coolers, to keep the bag’s contents from cooking on hot sand.
Inside, the lining is made of a combination of the shell fabric and a cotton broadcloth. I did two(!) zippered pockets, one medium, one small, on either side of the lining. Those zippered pockets feature fun floral patterns to discover.
Beneath each zippered pocket are a range of open pockets, the largest secured with a button, to hold sunscreens, glasses, books, etc.
Back on the outside, each end of the bag features a large water bottle pocket, that will hold 32 oz of water (or a bottle of wine).
I didn’t actually intend for this bag to come out so enormous. I took some suggested measurements from another wordpress blog for the “perfect” oversized beach tote, and it’s a little more oversized than I bargained for. The bag easily holds 5 towels, or 3 towels and two changes of clothes. It’s more than I need, and might easily get a little heavy, but I know I’ll never run out of space. I triple-reinforced the straps to compensate.
To construct your own bag, assemble a shell and lining of the same size (two sides, two ends, a bottom), leaving a 6-inch hole in one bottom seam of the lining. This assembly of shell and lining should include all your desired pockets. Baste your straps to the shell to hold their position, raw ends pointing up, straps down along the side of the bag. With right-sides together, sew the lining to the shell. I put my shell inside the lining. Make sure the straps are inside between the two layers. Then, through the 6-inch hole in the lining, turn the bag right-side-out. Top stitch, and that’s it!
