Decorate a Canvas Bag with Fabric in Three Steps

You can decorate a canvas bag with your favorite fabric in three steps! I made a fun DIY beach tote for summer pool trips. It’s SO easy!

I love having a big tote or two around this time of year. Summer adventures often seem to require a big tote bag, don’t they? Hence this decoupage bag!

Inexpensive canvas totes from the craft store are fun to decorate for the summer. Did you know you can decoupage them with your favorite fabric? This is a very fun, no sew fabric craft.

I made a fun tote for my summertime pool trips using a retro surfer-inspired fabric I found. I loved the scene depicted on the fabric and the mix of blues and red. Fun and beachy!

I could’ve just adhered a panel of this fabric to the tote . . . but I thought strips of the material could be more fun and interesting. Want to see how to make one?

When you were a kid in art class, did you ever draw a picture and then cut it up into strips and reassemble the picture with the strips staggered to create a different/mottled look of the original drawing?

I did . . . and that approach is what inspired this decoupage bag. I like how the stripes break up the Hawaiian scene a little so the effect is  varied and slightly abstract.

I’m having fun using this bag this summer . . . don’t you want to decorate a canvas bag to take to the beach or pool?

I love how the beachy fabric looks on my decoupage tote! If you want to decorate a canvas bag – this is a great way to go. It’s so easy.

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Decorate a Canvas Bag

Learn how to decorate a canvas tote with Mod Podge and fabric. This is a very easy project for beginners!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Active Time45 minutes mins

Dry Time2 hours hrs

Total Time2 hours hrs 55 minutes mins

Yield: 1 bag

Cost: $5

Equipment

• Rotary cutter
• Ruler
• Silicone craft mat
• Foam brush(es)

Materials

• Mod Podge Fabric
• Fabric
• Canvas tote bag

Instructions

• Prewash and dry both the tote and decorative fabric.
• Brush a coat of Mod Podge over the section of fabric you plan to use. Let dry.
  
• Using a ruler and the cutting mat, clean and square up the fabric edges to be the exact size you need to cover the side of the tote. Cut approximately 1” strips from that square. The Mod Podge you applied before should make the fabric easy to cut without fraying.
  
• Brush a layer of Mod Podge on the back of the top strip and smooth onto the tote. Let dry.
  
• Repeat applying Mod Podge to the strips and smoothing onto the tote, spacing the strips out evenly to recreate the design. Make sure to get the edges well.
• Let dry, then brush a layer of Mod Podge over the top of each strip. Let dry completely before for laundering.

Notes

Step 4: To add a little variation, you can also gently stagger each strip so the scene does not line up perfectly. It’s up to you.

Step 5: After the bag is completely dry, go back and check all the fabric edges. You don’t want any exposed. Touch up if necessary.

Now that you know how to do this project, you might one to try one of these other cool projects (some with Mod Podge Fabric):

• DIY Gift Bags That Will Up Your Gifting Game
• Decorating Tote Bags with Mod Podge
• No-Sew Tote Decorating with Mod Podge
• Colorful Confetti DIY Gift Bags That Sparkle
• Beach Letters Are the Ultimate Summer Decor