Fully Lined Eco Bag Tutorial
Some say “there’s a time for everything”, and indeed. I suddenly had this urge to make an eco bag and kept playing with the idea in my head. It is modeled exactly after the common plastic bag. And here it is, plus, a tutorial too! 
Step 01: Cutting fabrics. 2 pieces for your outer fabric and 2 for your inner fabric. This is the pattern for the eco bag. I didn’t list down any measurements because my eco bag has straps that are too fat and not long enough. I will post them when I’ve figured the right measurements.
Step 02: Place 1 inner and 1 outer fabric right sides together and sew all around leaving a 5cm gap. Snip the corners and if you like, you can use your pinking shears to trim all around it. (I have an obsession with pinking and this step is absolutely optional.)
Step 03: Turn the bag inside out and slip stitch the opening. Do the same for the other two pieces of fabrics.
Step 04: Here’s where it gets a teeny bit tricky: when you’re done, place both fabrics right side together and sew two sides together (as shown in the picture) but only up to the mark of the yellow flower pin.
Step 05: Now turn the bag inside out and fold the part where the handles should be into half, you should do this 4 times if you’ve followed correctly so far. Hang in there, we’re almost done!
Step 06: Double stitch across the bottom of the bag as well as across the straps at the top and you’re done!
Tip: You can choose not to make a fully lined eco bag and skip Step 01 - 03. Dive in to Step 04 and hem up the edges, use a bias tape or simply leave them raw!
I hope you have fun making your own eco bags. 
Will appreciate it if you do not make it for resale purposes and kindly credit or place a link back to this tutorial.
That is so cool! My grocer just started selling totes and I bought one. It’s not as spiffy as yours though! :o)
Wish I could sew darn it! :oP
Erika
22 Sep 07 at 0718hrs
You should try! It’s pretty straightforward and you only need to sew straight lines.
Thanks for your kind words!
keymistress
2 Oct 07 at 1200hrs
Try cutting a grocery plastic bag in half for your pattern. I made a bag like this, and it helps with the proportions.
cnine
11 Oct 07 at 0120hrs
Such a nice eco-friendly bag! Thanks so much for posting this great grocery tote.
RecycleCindy
18 Oct 07 at 1013hrs
I spotted your bag on Craftster a couple of days ago, and decided i had to make one!
Mine is heaps bigger, it’s 27 inches high, and almost 21 wide. I made it as a washing bag to put things that need to be hand washed in.
The fabric is from one side of a vintage doona cover that i had, i love it!
The bag was really fun to sew, but was absolutely the thickest thing i have ever sewn! I’m only a beginner though, and i learnt a thing or two about sewing several layers of fabric
Hope you like it. The stitching is a little dodgy at times, but i love it! Thanks for the great idea.
Here’s a pic;
Bronita
23 Oct 07 at 2000hrs
I’m very happy to see someone else making a bag out of a tutorial I wrote! This really made my day! Thank you!!
I admit it’s kinda thick to sew but I hope it helps that you only have straight lines to follow.
keymistress
24 Oct 07 at 1738hrs
Oops, my pic didn’t work! Here’s the link if you want to see it..
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2210/1708731162_5849516014.jpg
Yeah your tut was great, thanks again, and have a great day!
(I’ll be making mroe of these, they are so cute!)
Bronita
25 Oct 07 at 0824hrs
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
Idetrorce
16 Dec 07 at 0221hrs
Hello Idetrorce, may I know which part do you not agree with?
keymistress
19 Dec 07 at 1957hrs
I would like to see a continuation of the topic
Maximus
20 Dec 07 at 1536hrs
[...] Zakka-Zakka offers a couple of great tutorials on some crafty little sewing projects. Learn how to make a five-stones game here. Or make yourself an eco friendly re-useable shopping tote here. [...]
Web Site Review Swap - Sent « the aesthetic onion swaps
13 Feb 08 at 0351hrs
Hey: that’s neat. There’s a website called craftster.org that has tutorials about making these bags. The Tute for a shopping bag is by Queen of DIY. try it out; you might like it almost as well.
Abby
28 Feb 08 at 0711hrs