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Pattern for Customized Tote Bag

“Your Favorite Beach” Tote Bag Pattern

Use this design to personalize any tote bag with the name of your favorite beach destination.

Position your cursor over the pattern and save to your hard disk or print it out. In the likely event that Playa del Carmen is not your personal favorite, not to worry. Here’s how to change it.

Method 1: Using Your Computer Graphics Program

Import the JPEG file onto a blank (portrait orientation) page of your graphics program. Draw a white borderless rectangle to cover “Playa del Carmen”.

Create a headline with the name of your favorite beach using the Chalkdust font. Place it in the design. Size it by pulling on one of the corner double arrows.

Corral all of the elements together and group them (or click Edit, Select All, right click on the design and choose Group). Size your finished design so that it will fit comfortably on an 8-inch square of cotton.

Method 2: Using Hard Copy

The final design should fit onto an 8-inch square of cotton. So when you print it, select your printer’s “Poster” option and “2X2”. Put four pieces of paper in your printer tray – a clean sheet on top and three sheets of scrap paper.

The design will print out in the correct size on page one. The rest of the “poster” will print on pages two to four. If you have the font called Chalkdust in one of your word processing or greting card programs, type up the name of your favorite beach and paste it over “Playa del Carmen”. If not, choose a different font and type out new labels for both the top and the bottom.

Method 3: Let Me Do It for You

I would be happy to personalize the above design and e-mail it to you ($2) or create a completely new and unique design ($10) for you.

Just give me a theme, color choice and the words you would like included. For more information or to order a custom logo using PayPal, please go to my order page.

Complete Your Project

Once you are happy with your design, you want to transfer it to fabric. Heavyweight cotton gabardine or canvas work very well.

You can have your design professionally printed at a tee-shirt shop that does screen printing or print it yourself onto pretreated colorfast fabric sheets.

The tee-shirt shop shouldn’t charge more than a dollar per print. If you shop around, you may find one that will do it for about 50 cents like I did – especially if you order a large quantity. Having just one color lowers the price as well.

If you prefer to do-it-yourself or if you want to add more color to a design, you can print your own colorfast fabric sheets.

Print from your greeting card or graphic program or scan and print onto pretreated fabric sheets. You can purchase these for about $3 each or make your own using Bubble Jet Set& Rinse for about one-tenth the cost.

You can read about how to Use Bubble Jet in this article.

Another way to transfer the image to fabric is to use Lazertran Silk Decals which are specially designed to allow you to place artwork on fabric.

Hem each printed panel and sew it to the front of a tote bag (purchased or hand made) to form a pocket.

Advanced Project: Tote Bag in Zippered Pouch

For something truly unique, sew an 18-inch (opened) zipper around the edge of the printed panel. Then sew the zippered panel onto the front of your tote as above. Now you have not only a pocket on the front of your bag, but also a tote bag that folds up into a little zippered pouch.

Check out the design I did for Kathy and Doug Strom of Strom Moving.

Strom Moving specializes in moving households into and out of Mexico. Since their home base is near the central highlands of Mexico where monarch butterflies migrate each winter, we chose the monarch theme. Kathy and Doug give these bags as welcome gifts to their migrating human customers.

This is my personal bestseller. I have customized the design for various groups and companies. It is also a great gift idea!

The complete pattern, including tips I have devised after making over 200 of these bags, is available for $10. Order a customized design for the front panel along with the pattern and get the design at half price! Pattern only: $10; pattern and design $15. For more information or to order the pattern using PayPal, please go to my order page.

Bulk orders of ready made bags are also available.

Poncho in a Zippered Pouch Pattern

A little while ago, Kathy Strom asked if I could come up with a gift for their male clients. The ladies loved the tote bags and Kathy didn't want the men to feel left out.

I suggested the poncho pictured here. It uses most of the same materials including the black water repellent nylon and the butterfly panel that forms a pocket when open, as well creates a small zippered pouch just like the tote bag.

The prices for this pattern are the same as for the tote bag, $10 for the pattern only, $15 for the pattern plus a customized design.

For more information or to order the pattern using PayPal, please go to my order page.

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