DIY Rope Tote Bag
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Your New Go-To Beach Tote
We’ve been discovering the versatility of cotton clothesline as a craft material. Of course it is a great material for making macrame projects, but other than this you can make a whole variety of home goods. Today we are showing you how to make a DIY rope tote bag, perfect for a sturdy beach bag or reusable grocery bag. We have shared DIY canvas tote tutorials in the past, but a rope tote is better for when you need a more durable bag.
Tools & Materials
- Sewing Machine
- Sewing Pins
- Scissors
- 7/32″ Cotton Clothesline
- Leather Straps (Similar)
- White Thread
- Paint of your choice (optional)
Crafting your Rope Tote
We do not have a photo tutorial for this project because it uses the same technique as our cotton clothesline baskets and bowls. As you sew, cotton clothesline is fairly easy to mold into the shape you are wanting. While you are coiling the rope, use your hands to manipulate the shape as you go. Start by deciding how large you want your tote to be. Create the flat base, then build it up from there.
Adding Leather Straps
Once you finish sewing up your DIY rope tote, you can decorate it with custom straps and paint colors. We added leather straps for a textural accent, but a pretty (but sturdy) ribbon could also work well. You can even make straps by upcycling your old leather belts!
To attach the straps:
- Punch 4 holes at each end of the straps in a square pattern (refer to photos).
- Starting inside the bag, thread a piece of clothesline out and through a hole in the strap.
- Thread back through the hole that is diagonal and back into the bag.
- Repeat with the two remaining holes to create the X (refer to photos).
- Finish with both ends of the threads inside of the bag and sew them into place to secure the straps.
- Repeat these instructions with the other end of your strap and the second strap.
Just like our cotton clothesline baskets, we painted a block of metallic gold faux finish on the bottom, but any sort of paint should absorb well into the cotton material. If you’re really feeling creative, why not paint a whole sunny scene on the side of your new bag!
Get Inspired!
Browse all our cotton clothesline projects for inspiration, or look through our collection of DIY totes you can incorporate into your wardrobe. What other cotton clothesline projects would you like to make? Let us know in the comments and we can try bringing them to life! Pop over to our membership page to get in on the crafty fun with us or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for inspiration right in your newsfeed. Cheers! ~ Lia & Team
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Discussion
Ask Lia or the community!
15 Comments
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Julie Reses
January 26, 2021 at 7:09am
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Lia Griffith
January 26, 2021 at 9:25am
@Julie Reses
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Elaine Davis
January 21, 2021 at 3:01pm
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Lia
January 22, 2021 at 10:37am
@Elaine Davis
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Theresa Triebold
March 16, 2020 at 11:29am
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Lia
March 17, 2020 at 10:33am
@Theresa Triebold
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John
June 5, 2019 at 4:49pm
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Lia
June 5, 2019 at 5:34pm
@John
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Noreen
April 23, 2018 at 6:35pm
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Lia
April 27, 2018 at 12:17pm
@Noreen
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Julie Huntsman
April 17, 2018 at 7:37am
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Lia
April 17, 2018 at 9:56am
@Julie Huntsman
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Inlay work
February 23, 2018 at 3:27am
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Antonella | White House Crafts
March 29, 2017 at 5:02am
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Lia
March 29, 2017 at 6:45am
@Antonella | White House Crafts
Leave a CommentAny photos of the inside? Just curious to know if the paint comes through the rope and what it looks like!
Hi Julie. We do not have photos of the inside but the acrylic paint did not seep through the rope but instead created a coating.
Hi,
Love these bags! I use a variegated thread which gives them a nice style. My problem is that my bags end up with a curve to them. Do you have any thoughts on what I’m doing to cause the curve?
Hi Elaine,
You may be developing a curve if you are not stacking your ropes directly on top of one another, it’s very easy to get slightly off and may just take some practice! 🙂
Can you provide more details on the handle part? or Pictures? I’m interested in re-creating your masterpeice and would like to see the inside of the straps
Hi Theresa,
We are so sorry but we do not have a photo of the inside of straps. I hope these written instructions can help you, please let us know if any of this is confusing! To attach the straps punch 4 holes at each end of the straps in a square shape. Starting inside the bag thread a piece of clothesline out and through a hole in the strap. Continue threading back through the hole diagonal and back into the bag. Repeat with the two remaining holes to create the X. Finish with both ends of the threads inside of the bag and sew them into place to secure the straps. Repeat these instructions with the other end of your strap and the second strap.
What paint did you use to paint rope
We used a gold acrylic craft paint.
May I ask how you attached the leather handles? It looks like you used clothesline to make an “X”, however, did you weave it through the bag to the other side? I love the look of the “X” with the straps! Great idea, I so want to try to make one of these. I think this would be good as a Farmer’s market tote…and I might put a lining inside that can be pulled out to wash to protect the inside.
Hi Noreen! Yes that’s exactly what I did. I also stitched the rope to the inside of the bag to reinforce it a bit.
Love your totes. May I ask where you purchased your leather handles. Thanks so much Julie
We were lucky to find them at our local leather store, but this is very similar! https://www.amazon.com/Tandy-Leather-Heavyweight-Natural-4532-00/dp/B0056ULQZC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1523984102&sr=8-2&keywords=cowhide+leather+straps
oh wow! I really love this tote bag and your creativity. Great tutorial and pictures. Thanks so much for sharing your patterns and directions with us.
This is a gorgeous tote!
Thank you!
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