Olivia's Snack Bag || Tutorial

This is a fun little project.  These cute little snack bags help reduce waste by not using Ziploc bags.  Plus,  you will look uber chic pulling one of these out of your bag. :)  They are perfect for kids or those long car rides we all dread.   Bonus? You choose what size & color bag you want or need, and they are eco friendly.  No more mass produced bags!  Except I doubt you want to marinate your chicken in these.

Items Needed:

Prewashed Fabric :  I cut out (8) 7" x 6.5" pieces of cotton fabric.  4 pieces per bag.  Seam allowance is 1/4" (already included in dimensions).  If you want your liner fabric to be different like mine, you will need 2 pieces of fabric for the outside and 2 pieces for the inside.
*You can also use laminated cotton for wet items like sandwiches, or you can head on over to Chica and Jo, who use plastic bags.*

Light weight to medium fusible interfacing

Marking pen, chalk, or pencil

12" long piece of Velcro

Point turner for the corners (not necessary but nice to have)

Hot iron

Sewing Thread

Sewing pins

Measuring tape or quilter's ruler

Sewing machine

How to make your own reusable sandwich bag: 

Step 1.

Iron out your fabric first.  Measure your fabric, and mark dimensions.  Cut out fabric, and iron again, if needed.

Follow instructions on your interfacing, and apply to one side of the liner.  Apply another piece of interfacing onto the second piece of liner.

Step 2.  

Place a 6" strip of Velcro (either the fuzzy piece or the hook piece) 1/2" from the top of your fabric, and pin it onto the right side of your fabric.

Stitch Velcro onto fabric.   I stitched 3 rows to secure it tightly.

Step 3.

Place the liner right side up on your work surface.  Velcro is at the top.  Place your outside fabric face down lining up all the edges.  Pin into place.

Sew 1/4 from the top.  This attaches the liner to the outside fabric.

Step 4.

Open your seams and iron flat.  Fold fabric over and iron again.  In my experience, ironing can make all the difference.  You get more professional results, so don't skip this step.  Set fabric aside.

Repeat steps 1-4.

Step 5.

You will now need to join both liner pieces.  Take your Velcros, and attach them together.  Make sure they are straight and even.  Pin the two liner pieces together.  Your outside fabric pieces will be together on the opposite side.

Sew the three sides of the liners together.  Do not sew the top edge with the Velcro. 

Step 6.

Sew the 3 sides of the outside fabric together, BUT you will need to leave a 2 inch opening at the bottom.  Make sure you sew your corners though.  This hole will allow you to pull all your fabric right side out.  Don't sew the edge that is joined to the liner. Basically, you are repeating step 5 but for the outside fabric instead. 

Trim off excess seam allowance.  Do not cut your stitches!  Cut off your corners at an angle to reduce bulk.

Step 7.
THE PHOTO ABOVE IS ONLY TO SHOW YOU THE HOLE AT THE BOTTOM OF MY BAG.
Your bag should be complete now with the exception of pulling out the fabric and stitching the hole.
You will now need to push your fabric through this hole, so everything will be right side out.  Using a turner tool, you can poke at the bottom corners carefully to have a sharper edge.  Otherwise, you corners will be rounded.  I know people who have used various objects to help push out corners, if you do not have this tool.
Your options to close the hole are to slip stitch or sew the hole shut with a sewing machine.  This will depend on your skill and the look you want.  I am terrible at slip stitching, so I mostly use the machine because it is fast.  My bags were done using the machine.

Happy sewing!

 

xx nancy

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