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Every Adventure Tote Pattern Hack

Can you believe I have been quilting for YEARS and just made my first quilted tote bag?! Whether you’re wanting to get into quilting and learn the basics, or are a quilt-making machine, this tote bag pattern is a really great project to try! This pattern hack not only follows a completely FREE tutorial, but is specifically designed to teach you how to add interior pockets to your very own Every Adventure Tote!

Here are some of my favorite things about making this Every Adventure Tote:

  • Uses way less fabric than a whole quilt
  • Finishes so much faster than a quilt
  • You can bring it anywhere
  • Every time someone compliments it, you get to say “THANKS I MADE IT!”

For making my tote bag, I loosely followed the Every Adventure Tote tutorial by @PatchworkandPoodles, which can be found at this link right here. I added my own twist to it and added some interior POCKETS because pockets make everything better and I am famous for constantly misplacing my phone/keys (seriously, just ask my husband!). Now my essentials all have a safe place in my tote and I can locate them at a moments’ notice.

To get started with making your tote bag, you’ll need some key essentials:

I made my Every Adventure Tote with fabrics from PaintBrush Studio. The solids are Painter’s Palette Solids (Coral for the lining and Forest for the bottom/straps) and the main fabric is a print from Carolyn Suzuki’s line “Green Thumb Girls”. This tote holds its shape thanks to the foam on the inside; I used Bosal In-R-Form double sided fusible foam. The thread I used was from my Sulky neutral multipack and is 50 wt cotton! (I used cream and black to achieve this look)

Ok so now onto the pattern hack!

In order to add interior pockets to your Every Adventure Tote bag, you’ll first want to follow the steps on the full instructions for constructing this Every Adventure Tote, please read Patchwork & Poodle’s full tutorial! You can add your pocket to the lining as soon as you finish the cutting instructions, or you can do it after step 10 in the sewing instructions.

For creating your interior pocket, cut an additional piece of interior fabric (or some fun contrasting fabric if you want to spice it up). I used a piece about 7″ x 10″ and only put in one pocket – but you could do two pockets if you want! Since it’s your bag and you do what you want, go ahead and choose any size pocket you want, but be sure to make your fabric 2-times as long as you want your pocket to be. My finished pocket is 6.5″ wide and 4.5″ tall and fits my cell phone quite nicely!

Fold your pocket piece in half along the short side, right sides together, and stitch a 1/4″ seam along the 3 raw edges, leaving a 2-3″ opening to turn inside right.

Turn inside-right through the opening, and press with Best Press or starch to crisp it up.

For best placement & ironing abilities, I suggest getting yourself a Clover Hot Ruler like this one! I use mine all the time!

To center your pocket placement, iron a small crease in the exact middle of your pocket and also in the exact middle of your interior bag fabric (along the top of where the bag opening will be). Line up your crease on the middle of your pocket and the crease on your lining fabric to center your pocket and pin in place 3″ below the top of the bag. Be sure to have the folded side of your pocket up.

Top stitch your pocket onto your lining fabric along the sides and bottom of the pocket, being sure to close up the opening from turning the pocket inside right.

Now that your lining has the pocket added in, follow the rest of the instructions on Patchwork & Poodles to finish your Every Adventure Tote! (Full Instructions Here!)

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