Jolly braid tote bag - fat Quarter shop

It's an exciting day, its Throw Back Thursday!   I got to show off the tote bag last year, and I think its equally great this year!!  The Jolly Braid Tote Bag pattern is available at Fat Quarter Shop and it uses one Jolly Bar Precut to make it, so fast and easy!  

The pattern is available from Fat Quarter Shop.  You’ll need a Jolly Bar package, yardage for the sides and liner, some Annie’s Soft & Stable, one-inch polypro strapping for the handles, and a roll of “Fat Jelly Braid” Triangles on a Roll paper.  

The Triangles on a Roll paper made it very easy to make the bag, it takes the guess work out, and it's a great technique if you have never made a bag.  I decided to use True Blue Jolly Bar by Zen Chic for Moda Fabric for the braid portion of the bag, and I used Fragile Mustard for the liner, because I love a pop of color, this collection is from last season, but there are so many new and fabulous fabric collections you can't go wrong, Fat Quarter Shop has it all!  ​I also made a little zipper bag to match since the pattern didn't add any inside pockets.   It was super easy to make, because I just added a few more strips to the "triangle on the roll" paper as I was making the main braid portion of the bag.  Then I used left over mustard fabric from the liner and added a zipper.  Super Cute!

The back of the bag has braids too!

I had some questions about the back of the tote bag on Instagram (follow me @gina_tell_threadgraffiti), and I wanted to let you know that the back of the bag is also braids!! The braid portion of the pattern is one big piece, so it folds and gives you braids on both sides.  You can really have some fun with the fabrics you use!

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The Fat Quarter Shop has a tutorial video to help you make your own bag!
​You can also find great pictures on Instagram by searching  #jollybraidtote and #jollybraidtotebag.  This is a great pattern that is easy to follow, and I look forward to making more!