Upcycled Tote Bag

We’ve all got them. Either a tote bag or beach bag that is kinda cute except for a HUGE corporate logo. Like the one below. This bag is due to be an Upcycled Tote Bag.

No offence to the rental car companies listed on this bag but even your employees after the Viva! summit wanted to get rid of this bag. That’s why my daughter got it in a free box at a garage sale.

Overall it’s a nice size bag. Perfect to toss a few things into for a quick jaunt to the beach. I would hate to see this end up in a landfill just because of the logos all over it.

Time for an Upcycled Tote Bag Project

Supply List

• Fabric to fabric decoupage glue
• Art brush
• Fabric with a pattern you like
• straight pins
• scrap cardboard

This upcycled tote bag project is easy and 100% no sew, because if you follow my YouTube Channel then you know I have no sewing ability what so ever. It is an applique project using fabric decoupage glue. I used Martha Stewart’s because it’s what I had but it’s no longer available. Luckily Mod Podge has our backs!

You could try regular decoupage glue but then don’t put it on a bag you plan to run through a washing machine. Fabric to fabric medium is made to stay on even when you wash a garment or bag.

Before you start gluing anything to anything no matter what type of decoupage glue you’re using make sure to put a piece of cardboard inside the bag. This ensure that you won’t accidently glue your bag together. I used corrugated plastic because I had a few scraps lying around. This also gives you a surface to pin to in a little bit.

Cut Your Fabric

Now you get to be creative. I’m assuming you have picked a fabric you like. For me it is this upholstery fabric with Peony’s on it.

I wonder why I like that. LOL!

You pick what you like though. You can choose any pattern you want. Maybe you want butterflies, birds, or flip flops for a beach themed bag.

Whatever fabric you choose just make sure it’s not see through. No shear fabrics or you’ll see the original logo glowing through.

I cut out my fabric close to the flowers to make sure I could place them and create the vignette that I want. You could of course cover the entire side with one large piece of fabric and change the whole look of the bag. It’s up to you.

Lay out the design you want. I pinned mine in place to keep them from shifting around while I glue them down. Make sure your design is centered and the layers are in the order you want.

Carefully fold back small sections of your fabric and give it a nice even coat of decoupage glue. I’m folding back small sections to ensure my layout doesn’t move. Nothing worse then gluing down all the pieces and finding out the piece shifted and you’re off center. EEP!

Once you’re done placing allow the piece to dry for an hour.

Protect Your Project

You’re almost done! It’s an easy DIY so far. See would I lie to you?

The last part of the project is to put a protective coat of decoupage glue over the top. If this were a piece that I was planning to was this piece I would probably give it several coats but because this is a tote bag that I might wash or I might not; I only put one thick coat over the top.

Once that was on it was time to let it dry. And that’s it.

As you can see I filled in some small buds around the edges to make the piece seem “finished” to me.

Now, I know the floral motif is not everyone’s cup of tea. Like I said earlier, you have to pick the design elements that you love. One thing is sure it’s better than toting around a bunch of corporate logos. I feel like this is my new farmers market bag. Perfect for corralling my purchases.

Let me know what you think in the comments below. If you want to see another fun decoupage project don’t miss How to Decoupage with Napkins!

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