Might as well share the Buckthorn TOTE that I made! This is my Buckthorn Tote – Riverbend style! Hope you spotted the Buckthorn Backpack that I shared earlier. I had so much fun putting these together!

Buckthorn Tote – Riverbend
I love the Buckthorn Tote for a smaller bag! It is perfect for using as a lunchbox, a knitting/crochet tote, or whatever else you might need. I like making these for kids gifts, too. They love the top zipper to secure their favorite things and is easy to tote around.
I’m excited to put another one of these together soon. They don’t take as much fabric and have less pieces than a lot of my patterns, so there’s a definite time and cost savings right off the bat. I think I’ll try another one of my Riverbend Canvas prints for my next sample. It’s so fun to combine fabrics and webbing! Who knows though, I might dig through my stash of older canvas or maybe even do some quilted panels (like this one, or this one).


Exterior Fabric Options
It doesn’t take up too much fabric, and is a super satisfying sew. I’ve made quite a few now with a variety of substrates for the exterior:
- dry oilskin
- waxed canvas
- quilted to fusible fleece (batting scraps work great, too!) – here’s the quilted backpack version as well
- cotton canvas
With so many choices, I’m sure you’ll be able to pull something from your stash that would be perfect!

I also love that you only have to pick out two fabrics to make it! One for the exterior and one for the lining. I know it can be a challenge when a bag is made of several different fabric that you have to coordinate. I love how that process can be part of the fun, but the Buckthorn keeps it simple!


Project Details:
- Pattern: Buckthorn Tote (pattern available in PDF and paper)
- Fabrics: Riverbend Canvas for the exterior, Riverbend Essex for the lining
- Hardware & Supplies:
- 14″ zipper (in Sand)
- cotton webbing in Cognac (this is the 1″ webbing and you’ll need two yards to complete the Buckthorn Tote) – hoping to get some Cognac back in stock soon! It looks really great with this print!

Beautiful.