How to Make an Irish Design Canvas Tote Bag at Home!
St. Patrick’s Day is such a fun holiday to celebrate with friends and family. It’s a day where people are decked out from head to toe in shades of green with shamrocks and clovers covering hats, shirts, and even pants! If you’re looking to get festive this year, why not add an Irish canvas tote bag to your outfit!
This Irish canvas tote bag is a very quick project that can be completed in less than 20 minutes! The heavy canvas multipurpose shopping tote used for this project is the perfect size to carry all of your belongs. Since the size is a bit smaller than a traditional canvas tote bag, it would also make a great BYOB bag. This Irish canvas tote bag could also be used as a Leprechaun loot bag with some gold coins in the inside. With your coins stashed out of sight, you could strategically hide them around your house for lucky little kiddos to find. No matter how you use this Irish canvas tote bag, it’s sure to be a fun and festive accessory to use on the luckiest day of the year!
Check out the full video tutorial below to see how you can make your very own Irish canvas tote bag!
Supplies:
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Heavy Canvas Multipurpose Shopping Tote (White)
Printable Heat Transfer Vinyl (White)
Irish Template
Inkjet Printer
Paper Trimmer
Scissors
Cricut Easy Press (or Iron and Ironing Board)
Teflon Sheet
Step 1: Click on the above template and download it to your computer. If you would prefer another St. Patrick’s Day saying for your canvas tote bag, you could use Microsoft Word or a free service like Picmonkey or Canva to create your own saying or St. Patrick’s Day image.
Step 2: Print the Irish template onto a sheet of printable heat transfer vinyl. When you add the sheet to your printer, be sure you have it placed correctly so the image prints on the vinyl side (not the liner backing). I used a Canon printer and was able to place my printable heat transfer vinyl in the rear tray with the vinyl facing up. Again, you will have to check with your specific printer to find out the proper placement of your printable HTV.
Step 3: After your image had been printed, place in on a paper trimmer with the image facing up. Push the vinyl sheet under the trimmer and trim as close to the words as possible. Rotate the vinyl sheet and trim all sides until the entire image has been trimmed.
Step 4: Flip the vinyl sheet over and peel off the liner backing. If you’re having problems separating the liner from the vinyl, you can use the end of a pin or a weeding tool. Just place the tool in the corner of the sheet and pull up. This should make removing the liner much easier.
Step 5: Place your canvas tote bag on top of a heat mat (or ironing board).
Step 6: Add your vinyl sheet to the center of your Irish canvas tote bag.
Step 7: Place a Teflon sheet on top of the vinyl design. If you don’t have a Teflon sheet, parchment paper makes a great alternative. Make sure to cover the entire design.
Step 8: Now, it’s time to heat the vinyl so it adheres to your Irish canvas tote bag. Heat up a Cricut EasyPress (or iron) to 340 degrees. If using an iron, turn off the steam and set it to the Cotton setting (this is typically the highest setting on an iron). Then, heat the vinyl sheet for 30 seconds.
Step 9: After 30 seconds, remove the EasyPress (or iron) and Teflon sheet. Your bag is now ready to use!
After 24 hours your Irish canvas tote bag can be washed. Be sure to set the water temperature to cold when machine washing your tote bag. You’ll also want to turn it inside out so the design is on the inside. This will help provide long lasting results. You can also wash the bag by hand in cold water. If the bag becomes wrinkled, press it with an iron, but be sure to turn off the steam when pressing the bag as it could ruin the design. Enjoy!