Quilted tote bag with embroidery of multi-colored snowflakes on the front and back panels

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Christmas Quilted Tote with Machine Embroidery

This tutorial guides you step-by-step through sewing a sturdy quilted tote bag with Christmas machine embroidery on the front panel. You will quilt the fabric layers, add plaid borders, attach strong handles, and finish with festive embroidered designs like snowflakes or ornaments. With your sewing machine and embroidery machine, you can create reusable holiday tote bags perfect for gifts, shopping, or carrying seasonal items.

We used the Christmas Snowflake design for the front panel, and the designs from the Festive Snowflake Set for the back panel. The first design is available in 3 sizes. We used the largest size (7.58" x 7.58"). However, the smaller versions of the pattern will work great for this tote too.

The finished size of the bag is about 16"W x 14"H x 4"D.

You can purchase this tote bag from our Etsy store!

Finished tote bag with embroidery of a large multicolored snowflake on the front panel.

You will need:

embroidery threads
about 1/2 yard of black fabric for the center of the front and back panels
about 1/2 yard of red-black-green plaid (or any patterned Christmas-themed) cotton fabric for the sides;
small amount of bright green fabric;
fabric for the backing/lining;
light-weight cut-away embroidery stabilizer;
low-loft polyester batting;
for the handles, you can either use 1" wide webbing of matching color, or sew the handles out of black fabric

Finished tote bag with embroidery of small multicolored snowflakes on the back panel

You will also need:

quilter's ruler;
rotary cutter and/or scissors;
tailor's colored chalk pencil or disappearing fabric marker;
iron;
#12 universal needle, and sewing thread;
#16 universal needle and extra strong thread;
#12-14 quilting needle and quilting threads of colors matching the fabrics;
sew-on snap 1/2" to 3/4" large

Embroidery:

With a chalk marker, draw a rectangle 10" x 18" on the black fabric. Do not cut it out! Mark the center. It should be the center of the Christmas Snowflake embroidery.
Stabilize and hoop the fabric, so that the center of the design is in the center of the hoop. Now you can cut away the excess fabric, but do not cut away the fabric with the drawn rectangle.
Prepare threads. Upload the file into your embroidery machine and embroider it.

Repeat the procedure for the back panel: draw the 10" x 18" rectangle.
Mark the position of the small snowflakes within the rectangle. If you have a printer and embroidery software, print-outs of the designs can be helpful. If you do not, you can cut out rectangles of the same size as the designs and arrange them on the fabric to determine the position of the embroidery.

Prepare threads. Upload the files from the Festive Snowflake Set into your machine and embroider them one by one. Don't forget to stabilize the fabric with light-weight cut-away stabilizer and hoop tightly.

Trim the stitch-outs to 10" x 18".

Cutting:

Out of the patterned fabric, cut:

4 strips measuring 4 1/2" x 18" each
1 strip measuring 3" and the length of the width of the fabric

Out of the green fabric, cut:

4 strips measuring 1" x 18" each

Out of the fabric for the lining, cut:

2 squares measuring 19" x 19" each
1 strip measuring 12" x 16" for the inner pocket

Out of batting, cut 2 squares 19" x 19" each.

The Front and Back Panels:

Note: seam allowance is 1/4" unless otherwise recommended. Press every seam immediately after you make it.

Fold the green strips lengthwise in half and press.
Pin them along the 18" edges of the black pieces, aligning the raw edges. Topstitch together, seam allowance scant 1/4".

The green strips sewn to the long edges of the front panel.

Sew the patterned 4 1/2" x 18" strips to the left and right edges of the panels.

The Inner Pocket/s:

Fold the 12" x 16" piece of lining fabric lengthwise in half, face inside. Stitch the long and one short sides together, seam allowance 1/4". Trim the corners.

The fabric for the pocket folded and sewn along the one short and one long sides.

Turn the piece right side out. Press.
Fold the finished edge of the pocket 4" up, press. Topstitch the sides.
Put the pocket aside for the time being.

Quilting:

Prepare 2 "sandwiches": place the lining/backing pieces on a flat surface (table) face down. Cover with batting. Spread both panels over them.
Pin all layers together.

We quilted in a free-motion style all over both panels. Start from the embroidery, and echo-quilt it, then proceed from the center to the outer edges. Change the threads to match the colors of the fabrics.

After quilting is done, press with heavy steam and trim both panels to 17" x 17" squares. Finish the side and bottom raw edges with zig-zag stitch or on a serger/overlock.

The panels are quilted, trimed to 17" x 17" squares, raw edges finished.

Assembly:

On the lower edge of both panels, cut out 2" x 2" squares at the corners.

A 2" x 2" square cut at the bottom corner of the front and back panels.

Pin the pocket on the back panel's wrong side, so that it's positioned at equal distance from the side edges.

The pocket is pinned to the wrong side of the back panel.

Stitch in place, seam allowance 1/4". Pin to the panel so it is not in your way.

The pocket is attached to the back panel.

Position the panels face to face, align all edges. Pin the bottom. Stitch together with seam allowance 1/2".
Open and press the seam.

Topstitch 1/4" on both sides of the seam.

Cut the webbing in 2 pieces, choose the length of the handles yourself. We used pieces 25" long.
Pin the handles to the upper edges of the front and back panels, equal distance from the side edges, the ends of the webbing protruding beyond the edges 3/4".

Pin the handle to the upper edges of the panels.

Topstitch the handles to the panel, seam allowance 1/4".

The handles attached to the front and back panels of the tote.

Fold the working piece, face inside, align the sides. Working with one side at a time, stitch with seam allowance 1/2". Open and press the seam. Topstitch 1/4" on both sides of the seam.

Repeat for the other side.

To shape the bottom, fold the bottom of the bag so that the bottom and the side seams align. Pin.

Stitch. Seam allowance 1/2". Stitch several parallel lines.
Finish the raw edge with bias tape, zig-zag or overlock.

Stitch the bottom with several parallel lines.

Measure around the upper edge of the tote. Out of patterned fabric, cut a strip 3" wide and the length of the circumference plus 1 inch. In our case it's 32" + 1" = 33".

Fold the right short edge of the strip back about 1/4" and press.
Fold the strip lengthwise in half and press.

Raw edge to raw edge and starting with the folded short edge of the strip, pin the strip along the upper edge of the tote. In the end overlap the unfinished short edge with the folded short edge.

Stitch with seam allowance 1/2".

The folded strip is pinned to the upper edge of the bag.

Turn the bag wrong side out. Fold the upper edge with the binding onto the wrong side. Press the edge with steam.
Topstitch along the upper edge, seam allowance 1/4" to 1/2" from the edge.
Hand stitch the lower edge of the strip to the lining. Press.

Sew the snap onto the wrong side of the bag between the handles.

Turn the bag right side out.