Back of Tote

Front of tote

These are very easy to do, work up VERY quickly and are much appreciated by those who receive them. Consider donating to a retirement home or a healthcare agency that specializes in physical therapy and other services to the elderly.

Materials: 
· 1 ½ yards sturdy weight cotton or cotton-poly blend fabric (makes 2 totes)
· About 14 inches Velcro for each tote

Instructions:
1)  Cut one 16"x 53 1/2" strip of fabric.

2)  Fold in half, right sides together,  to form rectangle 16" wide and 26 3/4" long. Stitch edges using ½” seam allowance; leave one short end open.

3) Clip corners, turn and press; at open end, press ½ inch to the inside. (it’ll look like an elongated pillowcase).

4) ) Stitch closely along pressed-in edges of open end, closing the “pillowcase”.

5)  Mark or pin line 10” from the folded end (this will be your next fold line); mark another line 5” from the end you’ve just stitched closed (this will be your placement line for Velcro).

6) Fold along marked line 10” from end; stitch closely along sides to form pocket (pocket now forms front side). 

7) On back side, stitch Velcro strips close to top edge and close to line 5” from end. (This will form a casing that will go around the top bar of a standard-size walker.)

8) If desired, turn the large pocket into two smaller ones by stitching a vertical line through all thicknesses of the pocket. If you stitch a line about 5 inches from the edge, you make pockets that are a good size for a cordless phone or TV remote on one side; a folded newspaper or magazine on the other side.

You could also jazz this up by stitching a row of rick-rack or other trimming along the top of the pocket before stitching the tote edges together.