Thrifty Travel Bag

I thought I'd post this just for fun. I made a travel bag for my niece's 1st birthday. Above is just the basics I did to the bag. I forgot to take finished photos of it but you can just use your imagination for adding embellishments onto yours.


These are the things I used to create mine:
1. A canvas tote ( I bought mine at Pat Catan's for around $6.)

2. A wide ribbon of your favorite design. (I bought a whole roll at Walmart for $2 but you can also buy them by yard for 50 cents-You will need at least 2 yards.)
3. Pins
4. Color alternated thread(s) to match your ribbon or any other embellishments you choose to add.
5. Embellishments- I do not recommend iron on letters or designs because for me they were a pain in the butt to use on canvas. Iron on appliques work fine though.

I started out first by pinning all the ribbon on to the areas I wanted to dress up. I then used basting stitches to sew them on for decorative appeal and because once a tote or bag is already assembled its much more difficult to use a sewing machine on it. I was able to sew the top lip ribbon on to my bag with a sewing machine without difficulty.


I sewed more basting stitches on my ribbon I folded onto the front pocket of my tote. As far as decorating your bag the ideas are limitless! I love buttons and they would be a cute addition that you can find at any craft store in numerous colors and sizes. You can even buy special iron on paper very reasonably at your local craft store and create and print out your own designs that you want to put on your tote as well! I can't wait to try that for my next one!

I made this tote for my little niece, inspired by the summer and the need for a simple colorful travel bag for toys and etc. I ended up cutting and sewing on felt letters to her bag decorated with more basting stitches that read" Camryn On The Go". But there are a ton of fun ways to add a colorful cute tote to your day!
Some examples of totes you could use: a sewing bag, a travel bag for kids or for yourself, a summer beach bag, craft bag, bag for books, bag for groceries. Use your imagination!