girl. Inspired.

travel, food, design

  • TRAVEL
  • FOOD
    • Breakfast
    • Breads
    • Main Course
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
    • Soups|Salads|Side Dishes
    • Sauces|Dips|Salad Dressings
    • Cake Decorating
      • Inspiration and Ideas
      • Tips and Tutorials
  • Design
    • Craft/DIY
    • Sewing
      • Patterns and Tutorials
      • Pattern and Product Reviews
      • Sewing Ideas and Inspiration
    • Parties
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe

Reusable Snack Bags

September 6, 2013 by girlinspired 17 Comments

Make snack bags that are washable - great for on the go!

My littlest munchkin headed back to preschool this week and the school year is in full swing!  Along with the morning hustle of brushing three sets of tangles and finding clothes and shoes, there are also lunches to be made.  We’re working on a routine where the kids pack their dry snacks the evening before so that I can concentrate on making sandwiches, cutting fruit, and filling water bottles in the morning.  I’ve pulled out some of the reusable snack bags that I sewed up back in the spring and we’re putting them to good use once more.  Not only are these baggies cute, but I like the earth-friendliness of reusable bags.  You can make them in less than 30 minutes and the crumbs shake out easily or you can wash them in your dishpan.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Go gather your supplies.  I used oilcloth/laminated cotton for the outside/main fabric – it wipes off with a damp cloth, repels water, and just makes a really nice outer layer for these bags.  Note:  oilcloth will melt if you touch it with a hot iron – choose a piece that is as wrinkle-free as possible; if you must iron it, use a very low heat setting and work on the back of the fabric, be very careful!  For the lining fabric, I used a thick canvas material that is 100% cotton.  I wanted a natural material since it would be physically touching our food.  (I have read mixed opinions on the safety of using various fabrics to store food – please choose a material that you feel comfortable with for your family.)  You will also need a strip of velcro 1″ shorter than the width of your bag pieces.  Machine sewing with oilcloth can be tricky because the outside of it typically sticks and the machine requires a Teflon foot to pull the fabric through.  For this project, you will not need any special tools as the main side of the oilcloth does not come into contact with the sewing machine/sewing foot.  You can also place your hands in front and behind the sewing plate while stitching to help guide the oilcloth through.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Begin by cutting your fabric.  You can make your bags in any size.  You will want to cut your fabric 3/4″ wider than the finished size and 2 x finished height + 3/4″ (for seam allowance). Cut one piece of the main fabric and one piece of lining.  We also need a flap; for the flap, cut one piece of main and one piece of lining.  The flap pieces should be the same width as your bag pieces and 3″ high.  For this specific bag, you can reference the measurements in the image above.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Next, attach the velcro.  Sew the rough piece of Velcro 1″ down from the top edge of the main BAG piece, center it on the outside.  Sew the soft, corresponding piece of velcro 1″ from the edge of the lining FLAP piece, centered on the right side of the fabric.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Sew the flap.  Place the two flap pieces, right sides together, and sew around three sides, using a 1/4″ seam allowance, and leaving the top edge open.  You can round the corners by tracing a round object and sewing along the curved line as shown (you can also leave the corners square!)  Trim corners and seam allowance and turn the flap right side out.  Set aside.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Sew the two bag pieces into pockets.  Working on the main bag piece and the lining bag piece separately, fold the length of the bag in half, right sides together.  Stitch down each side; be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end to secure the stitches.  Trim the bottom corners.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Now we’re going to stitch the bag and lining together.  Press the seams of the lining pocket flat, then turn it right side out.  Slip the lining pocket inside the main pocket (which is still right sides in); match the side seams and place a couple pins just along the top edge (so that pin holes don’t show in the finished oilcloth).  Now, you will need to insert your flap piece.  See the diagram above to place the flap correctly.  You will want the lining pocket between the two velcro pieces, and the velcro pieces should be facing each other.  Raw edges for all pieces should be matched at the top.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Stitch all the way around the top edge of the pocket, using a 1/4″ seam allowance.  This small project will take a little maneuvering to get it under the needle of your sewing machine, but should be fine once you get going.  Leave at least a 3-4″ opening at the center, opposite the side with the flap, for turning.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Turn the pocket right side out.  Work slowly and carefully – you don’t want to tear your oilcloth by pulling too hard.  Once you have the whole bag turned right side out, push the lining into place as the inside of the baggy.  Fold the raw edges of your opening in and finger press in place.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Finally, top stitch around the bag, right along the top.  This gives the bag a finished appearance and closes up the opening at the same time.  You may want to press the top of the bag before stitching, but use a cool iron, try to press the lining only, and work carefully!  Also, you can turn the bag so that the lining faces out if your machine has trouble pulling through the oilcloth.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Alternate Option:  If you would like to make a sandwich baggy or something with some extra room inside, you will need to add another 2″ to your bag measurement width.  Then, after step 4, you can make the bottom corners squared off by pinching the bottom so that the bottom seam pressing up against the side seam, then sew a line straight across that corner as shown below.

 Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

Do this for both corners, on both the main bag and lining bag pieces; trim excess fabric.  Then continue with stitching the two pockets together as described above.

Make snack bags that are washable - great for on the go!

And there you have it!  Super cute reusable snack bags ready for school lunches or your purse or the gym bag!

Reusable Snack Bags: Sewing Tutorial

**This tutorial was originally published at I Heart Naptime.**

Filed Under: Home Decor, Patterns and Tutorials, Sewing Tagged With: bags, reusable lunch bags, sewing tutorial

The Spring Market Tote – Tutorial

February 25, 2013 by girlinspired 20 Comments

The last week of February already, can you believe it?  My daffodils are blooming, we spent the weekend outside mowing and pruning; the sunshine just has a way of lulling me outside – is it the same for you?  I have been in need of some totes to lug snacks and sweatshirts and a magazine to and from all of the places I run every day with the girls.  Today, I’m going to share a tutorial for a very basic oilcloth tote that you can sew up in a snap.  I used oilcloth for this one, primarily because I wanted something that would be easy to wipe down and would also hold up to rain while I dash in and out during the inevitable spring showers.

Supplies
1 piece of oilcloth 36″ x 18″ (or alternately, two pieces 18″x18″)
1 piece of lining material 36″ x 18″ (or two, as above)
2 straps – 30″ each (you can use braided trim, leather straps, or make straps with fabric)
The basic construction of the tote is a cinch!  You’ll simply attach your straps to each end of the oilcloth piece (the short sides).  Then fold the oilcloth in half and sew up each side to form the side seams.  Repeat with the lining.  Square off the bottom corners of the bag to make a flat bottom.  Attach the lining and main bag together, then turn and topstitch.  Here’s a picture tutorial with a few more details.

And that’s it!  You’ll notice that I referenced “bottom seam” in the instructions, which would apply if you are using two pieces of fabric for the main bag and two pieces for the lining.  For a quicker bag, you would simply omit all references to that bottom seam and just use the one larger piece of fabric.  Does that make sense (so you’ll have a bottom fold not a bottom seam)?
Okay!  Now get sewing – you can have one of these puppies done in about 30 minutes.  Have fun!  

Filed Under: Easter, Patterns and Tutorials, Popular Posts, Sewing Tagged With: bags, market tote, oilcloth, quick sew, sewing tutorial, tutorial

Zippered Pouches

January 16, 2013 by girlinspired 15 Comments

You know how you see a project flash across your computer screen and you just can’t stop thinking about it?  When I saw Kate’s “Little Zippered Bow Pouch” tutorial, I knew I needed to make a few for the girls. These little bags sew up in no time and they are adorable. They’re really quite spacious, too!
I used an upholstery fabric on the inside since I didn’t plan ahead and had no duck cloth on hand for interfacing.  This worked okay, but when I make more, I think duck cloth would really make them nice and sturdy.  I altered the pattern just a tad to sew the zipper in with the method I typically use; that way I didn’t have to think about it.  I love the way that Kate designed the bow on the zipper pull – it’s pure genius!  I would’ve made these little bags just to line them all up for cute pictures, but I actually filled them with something before I gave them to the girls for Christmas – I’ll post about that next time!!  Find the tutorial and free pattern here.
 

 

Filed Under: Pattern and Product Reviews, Sewing Tagged With: bags, fabric, zippered bag

About Stef
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search Older Posts

Sharing Policy

It is my hope that you will find inspiration on the Girl. Inspired. blog. All photos are copyright protected by Girl. Inspired. If you wish to share something that you have seen here, I am absolutely thrilled! Please use only one picture with a direct link back to the project you are referencing. Thank you so much for your understanding!

Privacy Policy

What are You Looking For?

Search by Category

Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Child Theme by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

This site uses cookies: Find out more.