How To Make a Nautical Rope Eyelet Tote

As soon as you start preparing for Summer, you can guarantee that Mother Nature will make it rain, so I take full responsibility for weather since giving a basic tote this makeover.

What I Used:

HobbyCraft Plain Tote

Eyelet Kit

Rope

White Pleather / Thread / Needle

Hammer

There are some easy ways to personalise plain tote bags [previous tutorials here and here], but for todays DIY, I'm adding a function and getting rid of any aggression with a hammer.

To add a beach/nautical style to the tote, I'm adding a rope tie to the upper third of the bag with a simple kit and an up-do that takes 30 minutes to complete.  I chose the 10.5mm- you get 24 eyelets and all you need to provide is the hammer.  

I made four measured marks on the front of the tote and two at the back, these will be where the eyelets are fixed:

 To make the two back eyelet holes line with the front, I used a pin, going from the front through to the back and then used tailors chalk to mark:

Using my kit [here], I made the 6 eyelet holes:

...and then added the hardware:

[If you aren't familiar with eyelet tools, there will be a full tutorial on the blog soon]

Next, to thread the rope through the eyelets, starting at the front and weaving between the
 eyelets round to meet the front again:

To create a simple tie, I made a white fabric wrap to sew in place around both rope ends securely.

I used the entire length of my rope, but if yours is longer than needed, make sure the bag is flat and the rope also sitting flat through the eyelets.  Tie the rope where the front eyelets start and ensure that your rope is not cut any shorter than this length.  These knots can then guide you as to where you trim your rope, dependant on the design you want:

  Take a small section of fabric and wrap around the rope ends to measure.  Mark this with a pin and then cut the marked length and stitch the ends together:

[I find a blanket stitch easiest for a secure and strong stitch and neat finish]

Thread your rope through the fabric:

...and to create some extra detail, I used a pin to unravel the ends to create a tassel effect:

[and gave the bag a quick iron to neaten it all up]

It's a really simple upcycle that's easy to do.

see you next time x