In my years of bringing my own bag I’ve found a special joy in being fancy at the grocery store. It makes me feel so much more put together. Even if I’m in yoga pants with an un-brushed pony tail (it happens), I pull out my cute bags made with vintage fabrics and am filled with pride. Someone usually compliments; the checker, the other customers, and that always boosts the old ego.
I decided to take things a step further with the fanciness and eco-friendlyness and whipped up some drawstring bags for the bulk bins. Do you buy from the bulk bins? They are so much cheaper, you can get exactly the amount you want, and they create so much less waste. Making your own bulk bags is a snap! I used a curtain from the thrift store, and I could make about 50 more bags with the fabric I have left.
To make a bag you will need:
❤ scrap fabric
❤sewing machine or needle and thread
❤ribbon
❤safety pin
❤ 1-Cut out two rectangles about 1/2″ bigger than you want your final bag to be. Mine was 8″ x 11″ ❤ 2-Place the rectangles right-sides together and pin along the sides and bottom ❤ 3-Stitch together the sides and bottom, pivoting at the corners. To pivot, simply lower your needle into the fabric when you are almost at the corner, lift up the presser-foot and slide the fabric in the other direction! ❤ 4-Cut off the corners where you did your pivoting and turn your bag inside-out ❤ 5-Fold the top down about 1/4″. It will look better if you press with an iron at this stage, but I’m a lazy sewer and it’s just a bag, so I chose not to ❤ 6-Fold the top again another 3/4″ or so. Press again if the mood strikes you (it didn’t strike me) and pin in place ❤ 7-Starting about 1/2″ from one of the side seems, sew along the top of the bag, stitching as close to your original fold as possible. Stop 1″ from your starting point, and don’t forget to back-stitch! ❤ 8-Stick a safety pin through the end of your ribbon and thread it through the casing you have just created ❤ 9-Tie the ribbon ends together.
Beautiful! I think a set of these would make a great gift, and the holidays are just around the corner…
happy stitching,
brittany