Cut one piece of oil cloth or lightweight upholstery fabric that measures 42" x 18". This will be the front, bottom , and back of the bag.
Cut 2 more that measure 14"x 10". These will be the 2 side panels.
Cut two wood 5/8" dowels cut to 16-16 1/2".
lay out the long piece lengthwise and measure 6 inches from one edge of the 18" end and make a cut 6 inches deep. Do the same from the other edge. Cut across making a 6 inch cut out that will be for the handles.
Do the same for the other end.
Make a small 1/4'' cut diagonally at each corner, and turn the edge over. Stitch in place. Stitch right next to this seam to reinforce it.
Turn ALL raw edges over 1/4'' and stitch. All edges of the big piece should now be turned, stitched and finished before the next step.
Fold over 1/4'' and stitch all 4 raw edges of the 2 smaller (14"x 10") pieces of fabric.
Mark the very center of both long sides with a pin. You can find the center by simply folding the fabric in half and marking the fold.
Do the same with the 10" side of the smaller (side panels). Mark with a pin.
Putting RIGHT sides together, match the pins of the small piece to the longer one. Stitch in place with a 1/4'' seam. Do the same with the other side panel.
Now stitch up the side panels (right sides together) to the front and back. Now you should have a 3 sided box (inside out).
Now, take the part that will create a casing to hold the handles and fold over 1 1/2" and sew. Now sew ONLY the outside edge of that casing. This will keep one end of the dowel from slipping out. Do this with the other 3 handle casings- leaving the center ends of the casing un-sewn. Slip the dowels in.
Turn the bag inside out. I guarantee you will love this bag!
I hope this is clear enough... I'm learning the fine art of instruction writing the hard way!
