Reusable Bulk Food Bags: Friday’s Project #15
A couple of comments I’ve had on the blog and in conversation inspired today’s project. In my quest to reduce my use of plastic, I have been doing my best (which admittedly could often be better… darn my forgetful brain!) to take reusable bags or containers to the grocery store. I love the idea of taking my jars to the store to fill with bulk items, but it does become cumbersome. To solve the problem, I made a trip to the fabric store and got out my trusty sewing machine.
I made five reusable (and washable!) bags with less than a ½ yard of rip stop nylon. The nylon is very lightweight (not any heavier than a plastic bulk bag—I checked) and has a tight weave that won’t allow fine powders to seep out the fabric. Need flour? Buy in bulk! It’s cheaper and if you use your own bags, there is no waste. My favorite bulk items are spices. You can buy what you need, rather than an entire bottle that you may not use before it expires.
I used a contrasting thread color to give my bags some interest. This is not a fussy project; you don’t have to be a great seamstress or strive for perfection.
You will need:
- rip stop nylon
- thread
- ruler
- sewing scissors or rotary cutter
- sewing machine
- Fold the fabric in half so you can cut one piece for each bag. This will allow the bottom of the bag to be seamless.
- Cut the fabric to the desired size, plus seam allowances and an extra ½” for the rolled seam at the top. I suggest ¼” seam allowances for this project. My bags are 3” x 5”, 4” x 6”, and 14” x 10”, finished. This means my 3” x 5” bag started as a 3 ½” x 11” piece of fabric.
- Fold both top edges under ¼”, then fold under another ¼”. This will make a nice rolled edge for the top of the bag. Pin and stitch the hem with a scant ¼” seam allowance. I used a zig-zag stitch for the top seam (just for kicks).
- Pin the sides of your bag with right sides together. Sew ¼” seam allowances along both sides, tacking both ends with a few reverse stitches.
- Clip the threads, turn right side out, and iron your seams flat.
Making five bags from start to finish took me just an hour and cost about $3. Not bad. They are now in my pile of bags to take to store--not a bad afternoon or weekend project.
