Thursday, May 27, 2021

DIY Knotted Tote Bag

 


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How often do you wish you had a stylish tote bag to use at any given moment? You won't believe how easy it is to make one! Since I had lots of macrame cording left from a previous project I wanted to make a simple knotted tote bag perfect to carry groceries, books, or whatever! Some of you might think this is a macrame bag - but I prefer not to call it that. When you say macrame, you think of rather intricate ways of tying knots. But this bag is made by tying just a basic overhand knot - over and over - a knot most of us learned as a child. 


So, for this bag, you just take a cord and make a loop and insert one end of the cord into the loop. Pulling both cord ends in opposite directions so that the knot is tight - making knots over and over again. How easy is that!

Materials:
Macrame Cord - 3mm (328 ft.)
Board (13x20") wood, cardboard, or rod to hang cords on
Clips to hold the cords
Measuring tape
Scissors
Thread
Wide eye needle

Directions:
Decide how wide and deep you want the bag to be. I measured 4 times the length of the bag (20"x4) I should have doubled the 20" to 40" (front and back) I Cut 7 cords 80" long and folded in half to get the center. Tie  a knot in the center of all the cords.  

This will be the bottom of the bag.


Drape the cords over the board and place the knots at the top. Secure knots with clips to keep in place. Begin tying knots alternating cords using the right/left cords first.

Once the first row is tied, turn the board over and tie the cords on the back, making sure to tie the side cords (one from the front and one from the back) together.
Begin alternating cords .  .  .
tying simple knots .  .  .
Front .  .  .
and back .  .  .
for the next ten rows.
Then, gather the cords in two groups to make handles, tying together in a knot. At this point I realized I didn't have enough cords to make a shoulder length handle. So I cut more cords and tied them together on each side. Overlapping ends in a u-shape for handles.
Use thread to wrapped around the cords where they are tied and overlapped together.
Next, cut two cords, 24ft long to wrap the handles by creating  half slip knots the entire handle length. Make a loop with one cord and use finger to grab the opposite cord and pull through the loop .  .  . 
creating a slip knot. It's quite time consuming making these - pulling the long cord through - so sit down and watch a tv show, lol!
Continue making slip knots .  .  .

along the entire length of the handle .  .  .
making sure to push the loops together along the handle to keep it neat.
When finish knotting, use a wide eyed needle to thread the cord ends down through the loops .  .  .
to secure. Cut off excess cords.
Talk about looking stylish! You bet!
Perfect for groceries .  .  .
or to hold a few books!

Welcome to the Monthly Creative Craft Hop

hosted by Andrea of Design Morsels

If you're coming over from Mary @Home is Where the Boat Is, WELCOME! Wasn't her flower garden stake adorable! Up next after me is Carol @Bluesky at Home sharing how to paint a flower pot using ceramic paint! You won't want to miss this!

Be sure to have fun and get inspired by all of the wonderful creations this month by clicking on the links below!


16 comments:

  1. Gail, Your knotted tote is SO cute, I especially love the handles! You make macramé look easy and fun too! Happy to be crafting with you again. Wishing you a Happy Memorial Day Weekend ♥

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  2. Wow Gail, you made such a beautiful market bag! Thanks for the tutorial on how to make it!

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  3. So cute Gail! A simple knot has never looked so good! Your crafts are always so clever and your tutorials so detailed and well explained! It looks like it would be fun to do too, thanks for sharing!
    Jenna

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  4. Wow Gail, that is awesome. Such a useful and needed idea and great for summer too. You're tutorial is great, and I might have to give this one a try. Thank you so much for sharing and wonderful crafting with you

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  5. I've never tried macrame.... it does look time consuming! I do like working with thread, though (usually crochet). Your bag turned out very cute!

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  6. This is fabulous Gail; I'm loving your macrame tutorials. I'm really so inspired to try a project now!

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  7. Gail, this is an easy to follow tutorial and I love how your tote bag came out! Happy Memorial Day weekend! Blessings, Cecilia @My Thrift Store Addiction

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  8. Gail, this is so darn cute. I'm really stating to like the Boho thing, and can see me at the farmers market swinging this on my arm!

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  9. Gail, what a great job you did on this market bag and what fantastic detailed instructions you offered for those of us, like me who have never tried macrame! This looks like a project I might be able to tackle by following your directions! Thanks!

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  10. Super cute Gail. Love the bag, not only for grocery shopping but for a beach towels too. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Nice bag - vacation/market ready to use!

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  12. Such a cute and functional bag, Gail! I'm new to macrame myself, and this looks like a great project for a beginner. Thanks for the excellent tutorial! I would love to have one of these chic market bags. It was fun hopping with you!

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  13. Gail, I am so impressed with this bag and your clear explanation of how to make it. I’ve never done any cording or knotting project. I’m inspired to try it now.

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  14. What a wonderful craft project! I have never done macrame before, but your detailed tutorial is very helpful. I am inspired to try! I hope you're having a great weekend!

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  15. Gail, you are so good with this. it looks lovely. You have so much creativity. Always sharing some spectacular projects.

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  16. I lover this tote bag! What an awesome idea. It looks so easy, too.

    I'm going to feature this at our Party in Your PJs link party tonight on my Grandma Ideas site. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful idea!

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