DIY Reusable Snack Bags from Laminated Cotton

Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bag Tutorial

Reduce waste, save money, and ROCK a cute pattern ;)
 

I've been planning to make these for a long time, and Spring Greening has given me the perfect opportunity to finally do it! I love using reusable products whenever I can so I can ensure we really are reducing our waste. And since these are small, they come together in no time at all!

Remember the Laminated Cotton Tablecloth I made last year? I had some fabric left from that project, and I was able to use it for a few. Since then, so many other cute patterns have come on the market--I love this pattern by Cloud 9 and this pattern by Kaufman fabrics, and may just have to make another batch! 

(FYI, I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that helps bloggers like me earn a little bit of cash--in March 2017 I earned a whopping $5--by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.).

I hadn't originally planned to make SO many bags. I figured I'd make two or three, take some pics along the way, write a quick post, have some new snack bags for the kiddos, and be done with it. But figuring out the whole process ended up being a little trickier than I had planned.

And that's not to say that the project is in any way difficult, because even beginner sewers can handle it, it's just that it took a while to figure out which steps needed to come in which order to achieve the best result. And it took me about six tries to figure all that out. Yea, every time I thought I figured it out, I realized another mistake and had to build upon a new {improved} foundation every time (so now you know, the majority of the bags in that first picture have some sort of flaw--but they're still usable!).

But don't let any of that worry you, because I did finally figure it out, and it's that flaw-free process that I'm sharing here today! I would just caution you to follow the steps in the order I describe... or you may end up with many more bags than you bargained for ;)

Tutorials for Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags

1. Cut fabric to size: {Snack Size - 7.5" x 9"} {Sandwich Size - 7.5" x 15.5"}
2. Fold up (about 1/2") and sew along bottom seam
3. Add Velcro: Pin velcro strip on the right side {Snack Size - 1 inch from sewn edge} {Sandwich Size - 1.5" from sewn edge}. Next, sew along ONLY the long sides of the velcro (this helps eliminate extra lines on the finished product).
4. Fold side edges and sew along both long sides of the fabric.
5. Turn inside out and fold bottom up, leaving 1.75" of space from the top edge. Pin. Sew only the overlapping area as close as you can to {but on the INSIDE of} your last seam.
6. Turn bag right-side-out and you'll notice that the top seams start to curl in a little. Take advantage if this natural curl and pin so you can achieve a nice, flat seam.
7. Align your velcro at the very top edge and pin.
8. Sew from the top edge, through the velcro, to a little bit past where the top of the fold begins (see pic in step 8). Repeat on the other side.
9. Finish up by sewing the long edges of the velcro with two more long, straight stitches.

 

And you're ready to go! Go ahead and enjoy some yummy snacks :)

Love the idea of reusable bags but don't want to make your own? Well, you are in LUCK, because there's a giveaway planned for TOMORROW that will be right up your alley :)

This post is part of the Spring Greening Month Series. Find out why I'm hosting this event here.

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