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This project uses the Sugar Cube Mini Tote Bag sewing pattern, code BAG-B5-037. It is a compact box-shaped bag with one handle, rather than an open shopping tote with two shoulder straps. The download contains a three-page pattern PDF and a separate four-page illustrated assembly guide, both in English. The pattern labels use inches.
You will work with a zipper, several fabric layers and narrow binding. Practise those operations on scraps if they are new to you. The steps below explain the supplied pattern's assembly; they are not a record of a Patternly test sew. The product page shows current pricing and download conditions.
Print and check the scale
Print the three pattern pages on A4 paper in landscape orientation at Actual Size or 100%. Do not use Fit to Page. These are separate pattern-piece pages, not tiles to tape into one sheet. The four assembly-guide pages are A4 portrait and do not need to be printed at cutting scale.
Measure the calibration bar on every pattern page, between its two outer ticks. It is labelled 1.181 in, equivalent to 3 cm. The middle tick is not the end of the bar. If the printed bar is wrong, correct the print settings before cutting. See the PDF printing guide if the printer changes the scale or clips an edge.
The body template is a half-piece. Its marked straight fold edge must meet the fabric fold, so opening the cut fabric produces the whole body. Do not cut just the half-piece as the complete bag body. This tutorial follows the one-piece version using a non-directional fabric; the source's optional centre join for directional prints is a separate variation.
1. Put the marked edge on the fold
The half-template is rotated here. Keep its double-semicircle edge on the fabric fold. Do not cut or add allowance along that fold.
2. Open out one whole body
Cut one outer and one lining this way. Clay lines mark the two zipper edges: add 7 mm there. Other sewn edges need 10 mm.
Gather the pieces and supplies
Use the printed templates to lay out the pieces on your chosen fabric before buying or cutting. The supplied files do not state a finished width, height and depth or a total fabric allowance. A guessed yardage would be especially unreliable for a directional print.
- Outer body: one whole piece, cut using the half-template on the fold. Add 7 mm (0.276 in) at the zipper edges and 10 mm (0.394 in) at the other sewn edges. Add nothing at the fold.
- Lining: one whole body piece, with the same fold and seam allowances.
- Support: fusible interfacing suitable for the outer fabric. The source names manufacturer grades; test your chosen fabric and interfacing together before fusing the body.
- Handle: one rectangle, 22 × 12 cm (about 8.66 × 4.72 in). Its allowance is already included; do not add the body's seam allowance to it.
- Binding: six pieces cut from the binding template. Its allowance is already included. Two finish the body-end seams and four finish the corner seams.
- Closure: No. 3 zipper tape, 23 cm (about 9.06 in), and one matching slider.
- Matching thread, clips, marking tool, ruler, iron and a suitable sewing-machine needle. A zipper foot helps you sew beside the teeth.
The source suggests 8 oz fine canvas or cotton for the outer, with lightweight twill or cotton for the lining. Follow the standard, unquilted construction here; the padded variation shown in the download does not have a separate cutting list or full set of instructions.
Keep the body, handle and binding templates separate: the instruction to add seam allowance applies to the body, while the other two templates already include it. After cutting, mark the midpoint of each of the two recess edges shown in the assembly guide; these new marks locate the two handle ends.
1. Stabilize the body and make the handle
Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the outer body, following the interfacing manufacturer's heat and cooling instructions. Keep the piece flat. Cut the lining separately and match its shape to the outer body.
Fold the handle's long raw edges toward the centre, then fold the strip in half along the centre so both raw edges are enclosed. Press and topstitch both long sides. The four-layer strip is approximately 3 cm wide before allowing for fabric thickness. This project uses one handle, so keep both ends of this same strip together for the placement step.
1. Quarter-fold one handle
Cut 22 × 12 cm, with allowance included. Fold both long edges to the centre, then fold in half. Topstitch both long sides.
2. Match the two handle ends
Outer right side up. Centre each handle end on its marked recess edge. The loop lies over the body, untwisted; baste inside 10 mm.
2. Sew the zipper between outer fabric and lining
Place the zipper right side against the outer fabric's right side at the designated zipper edge. Align the tape and fabric as shown in the pattern guide, and baste inside the 7 mm allowance. Repeat at the matching zipper edge without twisting the tape.
Lay the lining right side against the outer fabric, enclosing the zipper tape between the two layers. Match the edges and centre marks. Sew the two zipper-edge seams at 7 mm; do not sew all the way around the shaped body. The remaining edges must stay accessible for turning and forming the box.
Turn the layers right side out through the unsewn area and smooth the lining away from the teeth. Press with care around the zipper, then topstitch about 3 mm (0.118 in) from each sewn edge. Check that the lining cannot catch in the slider's path.
1. Enclose each zipper tape
Separated layers, viewed from the edge. Outer and lining right sides face each other; the zipper front faces the outer right side.
2. Sew only the two zip edges
Leave the shaped edges open. Turn the flat layers right side out, then topstitch 3 mm from each sewn zipper edge.
3. Place the handle and fit the slider
Mark the midpoint across the width of each handle end. Match these two points to the marked centres of the body's two recess edges, as shown above. Lay the handle loop over the outer fabric, with each raw end aligned to its attachment edge. The middle of the handle's length stays free; do not stitch it to the bag.
Baste the ends inside the 10 mm seam allowance so the later body seams secure them. The basting alone is not the finished attachment.
Fit the slider with its front end facing the handle, as in the supplied assembly guide. This step assumes you already know how to thread a matching No. 3 slider onto zipper tape; the download shows its orientation, not a close-up threading lesson. Open and close the zipper while the body is still accessible. Leave it open enough to turn the bag later, and keep the slider on the tape while working on the ends.
4. Join and bind the two body-end seams
Arrange the body with the lining outside. Match the raw end edges without pulling either layer sideways; check that the zipper is centred in each end seam. Keep the handle loop clear of the stitching.
Place a binding piece against the first raw seam edge and stitch the seam at 10 mm, catching the body layers. Wrap the binding over the raw allowance, turn its free raw edge under and topstitch about 3 mm from the folded edge. Check the other side to make sure the stitching caught the binding. Repeat for the opposite body end and trim the excess binding as shown in the guide.
You have used two binding pieces. Keep four for the corners.
5. Form and bind the four corners
Open a corner and bring its matching cut edges together to form the box shape shown in the pattern guide. Match the layers rather than forcing a fold through a notch. Clip all four corners first and compare their alignment before committing to stitching.
Two of these corner seams also secure the basted handle ends. Keep the free handle loop clear, and check that each corresponding end is included in its corner seam.
Use one binding piece on each corner seam. Sew at 10 mm, turn the binding's short ends inward, then wrap and fold the long edge over the raw allowance. Topstitch about 3 mm from the fold, catching the binding on the inside. Repeat for all four corners.
Six strips: two ends + four corners
Bind the two flattened end seams first, then the four shaped corner seams. Each structural seam uses 10 mm.
Wrap the raw seam allowance
Section through a bound seam, enlarged. Fold the free binding edge under, wrap the allowance and topstitch 3 mm from the fold. Turn corner-binding short ends in too.
Do not add another generic boxed-corner cut or an invented corner-depth measurement: this pattern's shaped body already provides the corner geometry. Work from its cut edges and guide, not from the screen diagram as a cutting template.
6. Turn and check the bag
Turn the bag through the open zipper and ease out the corners without forcing a sharp tool through the fabric. Smooth the lining and check the six bound seams for exposed raw edges or missed stitches.
Check both handle ends from inside and outside: each must be caught in the structural seam, not only the basting. Run the slider along the opening and check that neither lining nor binding catches. If one side of the bag pulls out of shape, inspect the corresponding corner seam before adding any extra topstitching.
The final checks are sewing checks, not a tested load rating. Repair missed stitching before putting the bag into use.
Other tote sewing pattern examples
The instructions above apply only to BAG-B5-037. These alternatives illustrate different files and construction choices; they do not use the same seam allowances or assembly order.
- Plaid Shoulder Tote, BAG-B2-008: a wider rounded tote with two handles and a recessed zipper. The current product listing describes an A4 PDF pattern, reference images and measurement guides. Use its own pattern and guidance for the three-panel body and zipper.
- 20245 Panelled Tote: the current package contains a PLT apparel-CAD pattern and a reference image. It does not contain a PDF or a size chart. Choose it only if you have a suitable workflow for the PLT file; the mini-tote print instructions do not apply.
For more shapes, browse the tote bag sewing pattern collection. If you mainly need help reading allowances and marks, start with how to read a sewing pattern.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a free PDF tote bag sewing pattern?
This web guide is free to read. The pattern download is a separate product; check its current price and any claim conditions on the linked product page. Reading the guide does not create download access.
Can I use US Letter instead of A4?
The reviewed pattern pages are A4 landscape. Do not scale them to fit Letter. Use paper that can contain the page at its original size, or ask a print shop to preserve that size, and verify all three calibration bars.
Why are there two seam allowances?
The zipper edges use 7 mm, while the other sewn body edges use 10 mm. The fold gets no extra allowance. Handle and binding templates already include their allowances. Treating every edge alike changes how the pieces fit.