Thursday, June 2, 2011

Shower Curtain - Tote Bag Upcycle

Before













After
A month or so back, I ran across this fabulous cotton canvas shower curtain at my favorite thrift store for $1.91. You KNOW I had to have it! I knew that I wanted to make some kind of tote bag, but I needed fabric to co-ordinate with it. I ended up taking the shower curtain with me to M & L Yardage and found this great fabric called "Mod Charm" by Anthology. It was exactly what I was looking for! And at $4.98 a yd it was perfect! I used this great free tutorial that I came across over at Noodlehead. Seriously....you need to jump over there and bookmark this one! The tutorial is very easy to follow and totally FTS! I love everything about this bag! In my opinion, it's the perfect size! Love love love it!!!

These fully lined outside pockets are wonderful!

I added a divided pocket to the inside for my keys and cel phone. I also added 2 rows of top stitching around the top edge and down the center of the outside pocket for some added detail.

I love the added detail of the strip of bias along the pocket edge!

I wanted to give my bag a bit more stability. I cut a piece of plastic canvas that is just a tiny bit smaller that the base of the bag.

I tacked it loosely to the inside of the bag so that it wasn't too rigid. Then I flipped the bag inside out through the lining opening and stitched it closed.

Overall I love this bag! These are not my colors at all, but I think I'm going to keep this one for myself. The tote only takes 1/2 yd of fabric and 1/2 yd of lining. I spent $2.50 for lining fabric and $3.00 for the handles and less than 50 cents for the outer fabric. I'd say that's a great deal! I have so much of the shower curtain left over. I'm thinking pillows maybe?
Posted by at
Labels: ,

22 comments:

  1. Keep Stitchin'June 2, 2011 at 10:26 AM

    Great idea! Out of necessity, lately I've been really 'looking' at other places for fabrics, such as old sheets, clothing and whatnot, plus I have been taking zippers out of clothing more before tossing them. It's amazing what neat stuff you can do if you keep your eyes open!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMarch 18, 2026 at 5:34 PM

      Men's 100% cotton button-up long (or short) sleeve shirts work great to salvage for quilting fabric. I like finding them at thrift stores, especially when they change seasons & have discount! The bigger, the more fabric, so look for that too! They come in so many awesome patterns & colors! ♡

      Delete
  2. DeniseJune 2, 2011 at 10:40 AM

    Love the bag and I've never thought of looking for fabrics in other unusual places - but now I will!

    ReplyDelete
  3. RegenaJune 2, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    how do you finish stuff so dang fast????
    Looks like an Amy bag. :-)
    I think my (your) sunflower fabric could work with this pattern, no?

    ReplyDelete
  4. MarciaJune 2, 2011 at 12:20 PM

    Very nice :-)! Thank you for sharing the link for the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Out on a limbJune 2, 2011 at 12:26 PM

    Very Nifty

    ReplyDelete
  6. jillytacyJune 2, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    I love up-cycling projects. Tote bags are always great!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJune 2, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    You have such a good eye for the potential of thrift store finds! Love the colors! I never seem to find those kinds of goodies around here!

    LaDonna

    ReplyDelete
  8. B.ChenifulJune 3, 2011 at 6:13 PM

    Cute as a button! I love to up-cycle ;)

    I've started following you!
    If you get a chance, please stop by!

    http://bcheniful.blogspot.com/

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/BCheniful/172756599415025

    Thanks!
    Brandi at B.Cheniful

    ReplyDelete
  9. ~Beth D.June 4, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    i love the shower curtain! It looks fabulous as a bag! great job!

    ReplyDelete
  10. RebeccaJune 4, 2011 at 3:00 PM

    Cute bag! I love that lining fabric. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnnaJune 4, 2011 at 8:21 PM

    love it so much. What a fabulous fabric and for a great deal!

    ReplyDelete
  12. CityHouseStudioJune 6, 2011 at 7:58 AM

    What a fabulous project - love it!

    ReplyDelete
  13. MeganJune 6, 2011 at 10:28 AM

    Awesome bag and I love that it is an up-cycled project! Thanks for linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday and have a great week!

    ReplyDelete
  14. AsylumTanyaJune 6, 2011 at 12:17 PM

    I have a shower curtain that is calling out for a remake like this one! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. ShelleyJune 7, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    Great bag and nice find at the thrift shop!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Misty @Creative ItchJune 13, 2011 at 9:49 AM

    I'm always looking for great upcycling projects!

    Thanks for linking @'Sew Cute Tuesday'. I'll be featuring you tomorrow, so be sure to stop by and grab a 'featured' button!

    ReplyDelete
  17. theresasthisnthatJuly 4, 2011 at 8:03 AM

    This would be perfect for my daughter who's starting college next month!

    ReplyDelete
  18. AabellSeptember 27, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    Thank you! I bought a bright pink flamingo shower curtain on sale at Target for $2 with the hope I could do something cool with it! This project has just moved its' way up my to-do list!

    ReplyDelete
  19. MarciaJune 22, 2016 at 7:25 AM

    Very nice nice :-)!

    ReplyDelete
  20. farnandazaxFebruary 21, 2018 at 7:52 PM

    Graceful written content on this blog is really useful for everyone same as I got to know. Difficult to locate relevant and useful informative blog as I found this one to get more knowledge but this is really a nice one.
    canvas bag

    ReplyDelete
  21. Saqib KhatriMay 15, 2019 at 12:07 PM

    Thank you because you have been willing to share information with us. we will always appreciate all you have done here because I know you are very concerned with our. Best Fabric Shower Curtain Liners

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)