FARM SHARE BAG::

Here's how it happened:  Thursday is farm share pick-up day.  And the veggies don't come in grocery bags from the farm so...

I found inspiration hiding under this table in a West Elm catalog.

(And I've being trying to think a(nother) great use for this beautiful 18" wide linen.)

Step 1::  Decide what size you want your bag.  I made mine HUGE and cut my pieces accordingly.  The finished bag is about 17" x 17" with an 8" bottom panel. 
I cut:  3 pieces 20" long (for the sides) and one 9" piece (for the bottom panel). 
My fabric came 18" wide, but you could certainly trim down a wider fabric.

Step 2 :: Cut one of your 20" pieces in half, parallel to the selvage, to create the band for the skinnier sides of your bag.  They should be about 20" by 9"

Step 3 :: (Optional:  I serged all my raw ends to keep them from unraveling.)  Next, sew the 2 skinny side pieces you created in step 2 to either side of the bottom piece to create a long band, with the bottom panel in the middle.  Press your seams flat. 

Step 3 :: Lay one of your larger (20") side panel pieces, right sides together, centered over the bottom panel of the bag, and pin if you wish.  Sew the side panel to the bottom panel of your bag, your project will look like a "T".   

Step 4 :: When you reach the seam on the band between your bottom and skinny side panels, pivot and sink your needle, lift the foot of your machine and shift the fabric so that the long side of large panel matches up with the long side of of your shorter panel.  Put your foot down and stitch.  Do the same thing to attach the other end of your side panels together.  Once you've sewn the first side panel to your side and bottom band - repeat step 3 and 4 for the other large side panel of the bag.   

Step 5 :: Press all your seams flat and press a nice big hem into the top of the bag - mine is about 3".  Top stitch your hem close to the raw edge so it lays flat. 

Step 6 :: I couldn't find a ribbon I liked that was large enough to fit the scale of this giant bag, so I zig-zag stitched 2 lengths of ribbon together.  Each strap ended up being about 30" so that I could fit the bag comfortably over my shoulder.  Press a hem into the raw ends of the strap to give a finished look and add to the stability at the spot where you stitch it to the bag. 

Step 5 :: Stitch your strap to your bag in a box shape for so it is nice and secure. 

Fill it with veg, or whatever.