Umbrella Tote Bag

25 October 2024 Julien

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A broken umbrella doesn’t have to end up in the garbage can! In this article, I’ll show you how to recover the canvas of your old umbrella and turn it into a practical, foldable tote bag.

Ideal for your errands, this lightweight bag folds easily and can be slipped into your handbag or backpack.

An eco-friendly and stylish way to shop while taking care of the planet!

And as usual, if you prefer the video tutorial, it’s at the very bottom of this article!

Sewing equipment

To sew this tote bag, you will need to cut :

1 large rectangle measuring approximately (H) 80 cm by (L) 40 cm. These dimensions may vary according to your umbrella canopy: a small folding umbrella will provide a smaller canopy than a golf umbrella. In short, the height may vary according to your possibilities.

The main rectangle that serves as the body of the tote bag — For this tutorial, I cut a rectangle in the fold of the umbrella fabric. The unfolded dimensions are 80 cm X 40 cm.

2 rectangles measuring approximately (H) 60 cm by (L) 10 cm. Again, don’t focus on the height of these rectangles.

2 rectangles of 60 cm X 10 cm are cut from the off-cuts for the handles. — 2 rectangles of 60 cm X 10 cm are cut from the scraps of canvas.

You’ll also need to retrieve the little strip that holds the umbrella closed. On my umbrella, this strip is 21 cm X 1.5 cm and the Velcro fasteners are 1.5 cm squares.

Put aside the little tab that closes the umbrella — We’ll put aside the little tab with the Velcro fasteners or the press stud.

And, of course, you’ll need your usual sewing equipment.

Sewing the handles

The handles are made from the 2 60 cm x 10 cm rectangles. First fold the rectangles onto themselves, right sides together lengthwise, and mark the fold with an iron.

We open each strip, then fold the long sides inside, making the raw edge coincide with the fold we made just before. Mark the 2 new folds, and fold the rectangles back on themselves one last time.

On the sewing machine, we’re going to stitch twice as close to the edge as possible.

Preparing the bag handles — The 2 rectangles are folded on themselves to form the handles of the tote bag.

We now place the large main rectangle, 80 cm x 40 cm, face up, and position the handles at each end, 10 centimetres from each side.

We’ll sew them temporarily in straight stitch, stitching 0.5 cm from the edge.

The handles are placed at the ends, towards the inside, and temporarily pricked. — The handles are placed 10 centimetres from the edges, towards the inside, and temporarily sewn in place.

Tote Bag Sewing

We’re now going to shape the top of the bag, with the reverse side facing us. We first fold the short sides over 2 centimetres and mark this fold with an iron.

The ends of the bag are folded over 2 times to form the top.

Fold again, this time over 3 centimetres, and fold the handles towards the top of the bag.

For one side, place the small tab we’ve kept in the middle, towards the inside.

One of the bag's tops houses the tab closure — The locking tab is positioned right in the middle

We sew 2 seams to hold the handles and tongue in place.

English sewing

To close the bag and avoid visible seams, we’re going to do an English seam. Start by folding your tote bag inside out, and using the sewing machine, we’ll stitch the 2 sides and the base of the bag at 0.5 cm intervals.