How to sew a lined tote bag with a pocket (and which pattern to pick)

To sew a lined tote bag, make two bags, one from the outer fabric and one from the lining, and box the corners of both. Slide the outer bag inside the lining with right sides together and the straps between the layers, sew round the top edge, turn the bag through a gap in the lining, close the gap and topstitch. If you want a pocket, sew it to a lining piece first, while the piece is still flat. The free Sewzy Boxed Tote Bag works this way in about 90 minutes, and three Premium totes add more pockets, a gathered panel or a quilted puff.

TL;DR

• A lined tote is two bags in one. You sew the outer and the lining separately, join them at the top edge and turn the bag through a gap in the lining bottom. The gap is 5 in on three of the patterns and 6 in on the Pocket Tote.
• Sew the pocket to the lining before the lining side seams. In the Boxed Tote Bag it sits 3 in below the top edge.
• Choose by skill and time: Boxed Tote (free, beginner, about 90 minutes), Ruched Tote (beginner, 150), Puffer Bag (beginner, 180) or Pocket Tote (intermediate, 180).
• None of the four is a reversible tote. Each has a lining that goes inside.
• The boxed corner method has its own guide: how to sew a tote bag with boxed corners. This page covers the lining, the pocket and the choice of pattern.

How is a lined tote bag put together?

A lined tote follows the same seven steps whatever its size, and the Boxed Tote Bag pattern lists them in this order. Knowing the order helps with the lining, because the pocket and the straps both go on before the bag is closed.

1. Cut. Cut two bag bodies from the outer fabric and two from the lining, one pocket and two strap strips. The pattern cuts a square out of each bottom corner on all four body pieces.
2. Make the straps. Press each strip in half lengthwise, open it and fold both long edges to the center, then fold it in half again and topstitch both long edges. The straps finish 1 in wide. Baste the ends to the top of each outer piece with the loop pointing down.
3. Sew the pocket to one lining piece (more on this below).
4. Sew the bags. Stitch the outer pieces together along the bottom and both sides. Do the same with the lining, but leave a 5 in gap in the bottom seam.
5. Box the corners. At each cut-out corner, pinch the side seam onto the bottom seam and stitch straight across. Do all four corners, outer and lining.
6. Join. Turn the outer bag right side out and drop it inside the lining, right sides together, with the straps inside. Match the side seams and stitch round the top. Turn the bag through the lining gap, close the gap and push the lining in.
7. Finish. Press the top edge and topstitch ¼ in from it, catching the straps a second time.

How do I sew the lining of a tote bag?

Sew the lining exactly like the outer bag, with one change: leave a gap in the bottom seam so you can turn the finished bag right side out. The gap is 5 in on the Boxed Tote, Ruched Tote and Puffer Bag and 6 in on the Pocket Tote. Skip it and you will have a closed bag with no way to turn it.

Keep the layers straight when you join them. The outer bag goes in right side out and the lining stays wrong side out, so the two right sides face each other with the straps tucked between. After you turn the bag, push the lining inside and press the top edge so the seam sits right on the fold. The Pocket Tote and Ruched Tote then get two rows of topstitching, one ¼ in from the edge and one 1¼ in from it, and both rows run through the strap ends to lock them.

Three of the four patterns also add a magnetic snap. On the Pocket Tote and Ruched Tote, you fuse a small interfacing square behind the snap mark on each lining piece and push the prongs through the lining. The outer fabric is never pierced, so no metal shows outside. On the Boxed Tote Bag a snap is optional.

How do I add a pocket to a tote bag?

Add the pocket to a lining piece while it is flat, before you sew any lining seam. Once the lining is a bag, the pocket is much harder to reach. The four Sewzy totes handle pockets in four different ways:

How do I sew a patch pocket on the lining?

This is the Boxed Tote Bag method, and the same idea works for any flat pocket.

1. Hem the top edge of the pocket: fold it over ½ in, then ¾ in, and topstitch.
2. Press the other three edges ⅜ in to the wrong side.
3. Center the pocket on one lining piece, 3 in below the top edge, and pin it. Measure on both sides so it does not tilt.
4. Topstitch the two sides and the bottom close to the edge. We recommend backstitching at the top corners, where the pocket takes the most strain. Leave the top open.

Then sew the lining side and bottom seams as usual. The Pocket Tote goes further: one lining gets a wide slot, a phone slot and a pen slot, and the other keeps one wide slot for papers or a tablet.

Can I make a reversible tote bag?

These patterns do not make a reversible tote. Sewzy has no dedicated reversible tote pattern, so this guide gives no steps for one. In all four totes the lining is pushed inside the outer bag and the top is topstitched, and the pockets and snaps sit on the lining side.

You can still get a bag with a good-looking inside. Choose a lining fabric you like as much as the outer, in a weight the pattern allows, and make the lining pocket in a matching print. It will look good open, and it stays a lined tote rather than a reversible one.

Which lined tote bag should I sew?

Choose by the skills you want to practice and the time you have. All four are lined, and all four have boxed corners.

Boxed Tote Bag: the simple everyday tote

Choose this one for a first lined tote. The Regular size takes ¾ yd of outer fabric and ¾ yd of lining, and the Large takes 1 yd of each. Regular carries a 13 in laptop flat, and Large carries a 15 in laptop. It is the only one of the four with a free pattern.

Ruched Tote: a gathered panel and a slip pocket

A ruched panel between the band and the body gives this tote its softer look. You gather the panel with two rows of long stitches along each edge, then sew it between the two. It has a slip pocket and a magnetic snap in the lining. Mini takes ½ yd of outer and ½ yd of lining, Medium takes ¾ yd and ⅝ yd, and Large takes 1 yd and 1⅛ yd.

Puffer Bag: a quilted, padded tote

The outer panels are layered over two layers of high-loft polyester batting and quilted in horizontal channels, 2¼ in apart on the Mini and 3 in apart on the Tote. You cut the outer oversize, quilt it and then trim it to the pattern, because the panel shrinks as it puffs. Use a walking foot. Mini takes ¾ yd of outer, ½ yd of lining and 1¼ yd of batting. The Tote takes 1¼ yd of outer (60 in wide), ¾ yd of lining and 2 yd of batting. The Mini fits a phone, wallet and keys, and the Tote takes a 13 in laptop.

Pocket Tote: the organizer

This is the one to choose if you want to find things quickly. It has deep and shallow pockets outside and slotted pockets inside, plus a magnetic snap. Standard takes ⅞ yd of outer, 1¼ yd of pocket fabric and 1⅝ yd of lining. Large takes 1 yd, 1½ yd and 2½ yd. Use a lighter fabric for the pocket bands, because it keeps the boxed corners easier to sew.

What fabric should I use for the outer and the lining?

Use a sturdy fabric outside and a lighter cotton inside. For the Boxed Tote Bag, the outer can be canvas, denim, corduroy, waxed cotton or upholstery scraps, and the lining can be quilting cotton or poplin. If your outer fabric is light, interface it with a medium fusible. A 90/14 jeans needle suits canvas; see the needle and thread guide for the other sizes.

The other three patterns have their own advice:

• Ruched Tote: soft cotton canvas, linen-cotton blend, chambray or quilting cotton with some drape. A very stiff canvas will not gather softly.
• Puffer Bag: nylon, ripstop, waxed cotton, velvet, corduroy or quilting cotton outside, with cotton lining.
• Pocket Tote: cotton canvas or duck of 7 to 10 oz, denim or heavy linen outside, with a lighter quilting cotton or contrast print for the pocket bands.

What mistakes should I avoid when lining a tote?

• Sewing the lining seams before the pocket. Sew the pocket while the lining piece is flat.
• Forgetting the turning gap. Leave 5 in in the lining bottom seam, or 6 in on the Pocket Tote.
• Twisting the straps. Check that the loops hang down, inside the bag, before you sew the top seam.
• Piercing the outer fabric with the snap prongs. Fit the snap halves to the lining, with interfacing behind them.
• Skipping the second pass over the strap ends. The straps carry the weight, so topstitch over them twice.

Make it with Sewzy

All four totes are in Sewzy, a sewing pattern app for iPhone. The Boxed Tote Bag is one of the free patterns, so you can sew a full lined tote before you spend anything on a pattern. The Ruched Tote, Puffer Bag and Pocket Tote are Premium. Each pattern has every size, a letter-size PDF to print at home and an A0 file for a copy shop. If printing is new to you, start with how to print PDF sewing patterns. Browse more bags on the bag sewing patterns page and the free sewing patterns page, or get Sewzy on the App Store.

Related guides: how to sew a puffer bag, how to sew a crescent sling bag, how to sew a duffel bag and how to sew a yoga mat bag.