These bags are beginner friendly and a quick make. It's a great way to help reduce your plastic consumption and can be used in place of ziplock bags. This version isn't waterproof or water resistant, but it’s really easy to add a liner. You can either use a wax canvas or if you don’t mind a little bit of plastic, you can use a food safe fabric like PUL, which is used for making reusable diapers. You can add a closure on the flap if you like. I am a little partial to using velcro because it’s just a little bit easier to open & close but you use a snap if that’s more your style.
This method uses French seams so that you don't have any raw edges on the inside of the bag. If you've never sewn with them before, it can feel "wrong" at first, but just trust the process!
What you'll need:
- 1/4 yard or FQ of pre-washed cotton, linen, or canvas
- Coordinating thread
- Velcro or snap (optional)
1. Cut a rectangle that is 9" wide by 18" long.*
2. On each 9" side you will create a hem by first folding 1/4" towards the wrong side press and fold another 1/4" told the wrong side. Stitch in place close to the open edge. The finished piece should be about 17" but long don’t worry if it’s not exactly 17". It will still work perfectly! If you're adding a closure, you'll need to do it now.
3. Place the fabric wrong side up. Fold up one edge up 7" matching the raw edges. If you have a directional fabric pay attention to which way it is going so that you can have that fabric facing up. Fold the remaining piece down over top of it to create a flap and pin the edges. You fabric should be wrong sides together.
4. Sew each side using a 1/4" seam allowance then trim the seam allowance in half and trim corners. Turn it inside out making sure that you poke out your corners. Press well so that the seam allowances are sitting along the edges. Your fabric will now be right sides together.
5. Sew another seam along each side, this time with a 3/8" seam allowance. This should encapsulate your first seam.
6. Turn right side out, poke out the corners, and
* If you have a fabric that is directional you’ll want to cut two pieces 9" wide by 9.5" long. You'll need to sew these together at the bottom with a French seam to form a rectangle. Make sure the directional print is facing in the opposite direction of each other.