Easiest Beach Bag Ever Tutorial + 3 Free Designs!

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Embroider and stitch this cute beach bag for summer trips! Get full instructions below plus two free designs!

Download the Sea Shells and Sandy Toes design free from Embroidery Library here. Hurry, the design is only free until July 31!

Download the anchor design free from Embroidery Designs.com here.

Or choose a fun CME exclusive design, such as our new Fireworks Collection.

You can download this CME fireworks design FREE until July 15th.

Or pick an adorable sea critter from the CME Sea Critters Collection. Get one or catch them all! Find more cute and fun embroidery designs at shopsewitall.com.

Supplies

1/4 yard each of 2 print cotton fabrics (main & lining)

Coordinating cotton fabric scrap (pocket lining)

Thread: embroidery & matching all-purpose

Lightweight tear-away stabilizer

Mediumweight fusible interfacing

Construct

Load the designs in the correct format onto your machine.

From the cotton fabrics, cut two 15″x22″ body rectangles and one 4″x25″ rectangle each.

From the lining fabric, cut one 10″ pocket square.

From the coordinating fabric scrap, cut one 10″x14″ pocket lining rectangle.

Hoop the pocket square with a piece of lightweight stabilizer. Embroider the anchor design. Remove the stabilizer from the design wrong side; press.

With right sides together, align the pocket and pocket lining upper edges; stitch.

Press open the seam, and then align the pocket and lining lower edges. Stitch the sides and lower edge, leaving a centered opening along one edge for turning. Clip the corners.

Turn the pocket right side out, folding the opening seam allowances toward the wrong side; press.

With right sides together, align the long rectangles. Stitch each long edge, and then turn the strap right side out.

Press with the seams along the edges, or like me, go a little crazy and press with the seams 1/3 of the way from the fold so you can see both fabrics when using the strap.

Hoop one large main fabric rectangle with a piece of lightweight stabilizer. Embroider the Sandy Toes design centered on the rectangle. Remove the stabilizer from the design wrong side.

Fuse light- to mediumweight interfacing to each main-fabric rectangle wrong side.

Tip: Use lightweight cut-away stabilizer when embroidering the design on the bag body. Leave the stabilizer intact after embroidery and skip the interfacing.

Center the pocket rectangle over one lining rectangle. Edgestitch the sides and lower edge. I played around with decorative stitches as I attached the pocket, because why not. Backstitch at the pocket upper edges to secure.

With right sides together, align the lining rectangles. Stitch the sides and lower edge; press open the seams. Flatten each lower corner, aligning the side and lower seams. Draw a 2″-long line across the corner 1″ from the lower corner. Stitch along the line, and then trim 1/4″ from the seam.

Repeat to construct the outer bag. With right sides together, insert the lining into the outer bag. Insert the strap between the layers, centered along the side seams with raw edges aligned. Ensure the strap isn’t twisted inside the bag.

Stitch the bag upper edge, leaving a 6″ opening along the bag back for turning. Turn the bag right side out. Press the seam allowances downward and favor the upper seam toward the lining side. Press the opening 1/2″ toward the wrong side. Edgestitch the bag upper edge, closing the opening with the stitches.

Tote your towel, sunscreen and book to the beach in your snazzy new bag!

In hindsight, my designs got a little lost in my fabric print, so a more subdued print might work better. I just love loud fabrics!