Summer tote at the seaside

I was given a big quantity of pieces leftovers from men's swimming shorts. They are colorful, amazing prints but strange shapes. Some of them are small narrow stripes, some has curved sides.
I have ordered on my table, dreamed a while and gather back in the box.
Three months or more I have no concrete idea.
One morning I got a pile of them. They are almost rectangle so I stitched two along the longest side.

I was not satisfied and insert a narrow blue stripe between.

 

What ate they use for?
Is it possible to make a tote?
Collect 4 of them, add thin batting and quilted. Trim to a square 15" (38 cm)

Attach a zipper pocket was very easy.
Cut two rectangles and stitch them like cushion leaving two inches opening and turn over.

 Stitch the first side of a zipper and prepare two felt pieces to cover both ends.

 Place on  the quilted back and stitch the pocket and the second (upper) side of the zipper.

 Attach the felt pieces.

The finished look.

Cut a stripe 45" long and 5" wide for side and bottom.
Place the stripe on the right side of the quilted square and stitch first side to a quarter inch to the edge and backstitch.
Forget to take a picture :)

Clip the stripe to make the corner and easy lay on the bottom side and stitch the same way.

Look how it looks on the front side

Repeat the same for the next side.
If you have exceed stripe trim it. It is better to have exceed fabric than run out.
Make the same steps with second quilted piece.
Now comes the lovely step for each quilter when the work is almost finished - the binding.
Yes, you heard properly. What does it mean to bind a tote?
If you have a serger one possible action is to sew and prevent fraying.
But binding the edges is more secure and the only possible variant without serger.
Use one inch stripe non folded.
Make as you usually make a quilt binding - the corners like the quilt's corners.

The second seam  - I don't care too much where goes the needle, but it is a good practice for the real quilt binding..

Make binding the same way at the upper side, too.
Now come the handles.
I found this beautiful synthetic rope.
Cut two pieces - 25 inches (64 cm) each and burned the ends by a lighter.
Stitch firmly on the tote and add buttons to hide the ends.

As a real summer tote I bring her at the seaside and took some pictures there.