Tote Bags are one of my absolute favorite things to make with Cricut
They are typically a quick, easy, and useful project! Here's a look at my favorite supplies, tips, Designs, and free svgs - as well as what I use all of these tote bags for.
They are typically a quick, easy, and useful project! Here's a look at my favorite supplies, tips, Designs, and free svgs - as well as what I use all of these tote bags for.
Right inside my door I keep a rack of tote bags - And also the "Dinosaur Expert" costume that my grandson wears for our weekly visit to Reptiland [where there is also a small dinosaur park.]
These are the "grab and go" bags for some of our various activities:
- Bag Of Bags - Literally, My Bag Of Bags [for shopping]
- Library Bag - with my library card on a keychain hooked to the handle, and our library books inside
- Grandma's Diaper Bag - with a couple of diapers, toys, wipes, a receiving blanket, and a couple of those fruit pouches.
- Park Bag - With more wipes, bug spray, frisbee and kite
- Lions Club Bag - from when I was Lions Club Secretary - holds all my lions club paperwork, my club pin, etc.
- Parade Bag - holds bug spray, a fan or two [those plastic ones that fold out - you can sometimes find them at the dollar tree] A pack of wipes, a blanket to sit on, a couple of bags for the grandkids to collect candy in & an extra one to collect trash [empty candy wrappers] in, a toy tractor or two for the grandkids to play with while they wait
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WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A TOTE BAG
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What I look for when buying tote bags:
- Gusseted Bottom. Gusseted bags have wider bottoms and will hold much more than a non gusseted tote. They will typically stand on their own, which is also nice, but the main thing is, if you are used to that gusset at the bottom, when you try to put stuff in a bag without the gusset, it's surprising how much less you can fit in there.
- Heavy Material - I do not want 100% natural cotton - because I need to wash my tote bags, and I do not want to have to hand wash, and then spend forever trying to get them unwrinkled and ironed back out. I want heavy fabric that can be tossed in the washing machine and will hold it's shape.
- Long Handles - I prefer 28 inch handles, but they are increasingly difficult to find.
- Inside Pocket - Whenever possible, I like an inside pocket large enough to hold my phone.
Please note that I am affiliate for Amazon. That means if you click on these links and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. It in NO way changes the price you pay - you'll pay the same whether I make a commission or not.
 These have been my favorite tote bags for years. Good sized. Long handles. Nice deep pocket inside. Gusseted so they stand well. Unfortunately, they have been out of stock for awhile. :-( I paid about $3 a piece for these. Not the most inexpensive option, but these are my idea of the "perfect" tote. |
 I have not yet ordered these, but they are on sale right now, with an extra coupon. Still more than $4 each. |
 Another brand I have not yet tried - but may work for me. Handles are not long - they are about 6 inches shorter than my favorites, and I do not think they have an interior pocket. |
This Transwonder Matte Black is my go to favorite HTV for tote Bags.
It's about $1 a sq foot [inexpensive!], goes on beautifully, and there's just something about matte vinyl on canvas that I think works especially well.
The only vinyl I never use is Cricut brand. I find the price to be the highest, and for me, it was consistently the least quality - although I have not purchased it in years, so that may have changed. It's not worth the extra expense for me to find out, when I have found other brands to be such good quality, for a fraction of the price. Caregy & HTVRont, are the brands I purchase most often.
Find a list of some of my favorites, price comparisons, and my own personal pricing guide lines, here:
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THE DESIGNS I HAVE USED
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Here's a look at some of the many I have made over the years:
[Whenever possible, the link below the photo will include the free svg, and/or how I made it]
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 One of my favorites |
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 My Farmers Market Tote |
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 Free svg |
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 A Christmas gift for my parents, who plant, by hand, hundreds of tomato plants, to sell tomatoes, each year. |
 Free SVG All Lioness Clubs are now Lions clubs, but I made myself a Lioness Tote anyway, when I was secretary of our local club. |
 Tote Bag and Matching Christmas Ornament |
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 Our Frisbee Golf & Kite Park Bag [SVG Coming Soon] |
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This is a tote bag I made, back in 2010. I think I made it from Placemats..
or maybe from a curtain? I know I reused something. I am sure I did not use a pattern - I rarely did use patterns... but I really wish I HAD, because I'd love to remember how exactly I made this. :-)
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A Quick History Of Tote Bags
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Did you know the word ‘tote’ is a colloquial term that means ‘to carry a heavy load’? Quite ironic considering that nowadays the tote bag is often used to carry a few light things for day-to-day wear.
L.L.Bean is often credited with creating the first tote in Maine in 1944 when they launched "Beans Ice Carrier" - a sturdy, durable, water-resistant canvas bag. Designed to “carry ice from car to ice chest”. At the time, Maine was known for stocking a large quantity of premium ice. The majority of American households didn’t have refrigerators, so the bag was the solution for transporting ice from the car to the freezer.
Before long, people began using it for all kinds of other things, like groceries and other household chores.
In the 1960s, L.L.Bean renamed their popular bag "The Boat and Tote". They upgraded the design with some stylish elements, and the result is still one of their best sellers today.
In the 1980s, the New York Book Store the Strand pioneered the trend of tote bags for advertising. The first Strand tote was made with cotton duck canvas (more tightly woven than canvas) and an interior lining, and it boldly advertised the store’s name, address, phone number, and slogan.
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