Having cut and pinned the fabric for the bag, it’s time to sew the side seams. The bottom of the bag is the fold, so there’s no worry about stress on a bottom seam. For the side seams, I sew up each side of the bag (where I pinned yesterday), 1/2" from the edge. I also sew a second seam about 1/16" away from the first, between the first seam and the raw edge, just for strength.

Since canvas tends to fray, and since I’m not lining the bags, I also sew one more, zig-zag seam along the raw edges to finish them. Total sewing time (for six bags): 30 minutes.

(If you like a more finished look, but don’t want the bulk of a lining, you could sew a strip of bias tape over the raw edges. If you’re looking for a nicer tote, say for the beach, you could cut and sew a lining of lighter fabric in the same way that you made the outside of the bag.)