Lunchbox Inspiration 2: Fabric Grocery Sacks

 

Hello, lunchbox swappers!  This week I made replicas of plastic grocery sacks -- another thing that I often see people carrying their lunches in. 

Because I intended to use mine for groceries, I made these bags out of vintage percale sheets and pillowcases, which I thought would be durable.  I thought the percale was also a good choice since it's an easy-care cotton/poly blend.  (Regardless of how cute they are, I have no intention of ironing my grocery bags!)

The bags have a tie closure at the top, which can be used to tie them up like this:

They're each fully lined with a contrasting print.  I made the ties from the lining prints, so you could see both prints on the outside of the bags.

Most of the bags like this that I've seen have a seam on the top of the handles.  I didn't like that idea, since those seams are, in my opinion, kind of clunky looking.  These handles are sewn into the top seam of the bag and reinforced with several rows of stitching -- two to the seam allowance on the inside, and two through all layers of the bag.  The interior/bottom of the bag is the only "raw" seam.  I finished it with several layers of zig-zag stitches and, since these are utilitarian bags, I don't think it will be particularly bothersome. 

I had never tried out the pleating technique I used for the sides, but it was super, super easy.  It accomplishes the same thing as "boxing" the corners, but the way the pleats are sewn makes the bag much more compact when it's not in use.  I can see why, basically, all plastic grocery bags are made this way, it's a genius design!

If you're looking for ideas for all manner of shopping bags (far more patterns than the one shown on the cover) I recommend Japanese Craft Book ISBN 978-4-8347-2571-1, which I purchased at Kinokuniya in Beaverton.  The strap concept for my bags was inspired by one of the bags in this book. 

Unfortunately, my sewing machine became quite ill during their construction, so you'll probably be seeing some non-sewing posts for the next week.  I'm hoping it will be in good repair in time for next week's lunchbox inspiration post!

Comments

[Claire]

They are so cute! Thanks for the tips on the pleating too.

[Renee]

I love them!!! What a wonderful idea! I love all the prints!

[Marcia]

Thanks for the inspiration. I hope your machine is better soon.

[Stacy A]

Those bags look perfect for shopping or carrying a decent amount of stuff for a mini trip,picnic, etc. I had never thought about how the bags are pleated at the bottom, but it seems a lot better for this type of thing than the boxed bottom. My only problem is that when I do shop I get a lot more things at a time than these bags would hold. They might inspire me to make little shops more often, which means fresh veggies!
The baby quilt idea is fantastic. Everyone has a part. That will be held very dear I am sure. Thanks for all the ideas. Love Stacy

[Cindy Hansen]

What a great idea! Did you do a french seam at the bottom? I'm puzzling over how to get the pleat in both the outside fabric and lining. Love your blog.

[Cindy]

Ah, just re-read your post. Now I understand how the bottom was formed. Thanks.

[Amy]

Oh how fabulous. Those are so much better than the eco-friendly bags they sell at the grocery store.

[Jackie]

You've done it again! These are awesome. I'm trying to get everyone I know to use reusable shopping bags. It might not be the one thing to save the planet, but I think it sends a message to retailers that more people are interested in "green" choices.

[Adria]

Truly eco-friendly, with the recycled fabric! You make me want to buy a sewing machine. I hope yours feels better soon. :)

[lindsay]

great idea! my new year's resolution was to use less plastic. i've been using an old canvas bag for groceries, but these are so much cuter!

[Rebekah]

These bags are adorable! Loving the vintage sheets! That looks like an awesome book, too! Thanks for sharing it!

[homes-n-gardens.com]

Great idea, thank you!

[tammie]

Thanks so much for this! I actually just took a break from dissecting a plastic grocery bag, trying to figure out if it would work for this swap, and here you've done all the work for me. I love how yours turned out!

[lily boot]

Hi Elizabeth! You're tagged!

[Valerie]

These are wonderful little bags, I love them! What a great idea!

[Wendy]

Hi, I wanted to say congrats on your designs. They are pretty darn good! My guild will be having our quilt show in July this year (we only have them every 2 years), and we will be having a boutique for only the 2nd time. We always get the ladies to donate various items to sell, as the monies raised go to helping in various community projecs. I was wondering how I could get your pattern for the grocery sack fabric bag, as I really think it would sell good in the boutique. I'd love to make them for myself, too! Anyways, if you could contact me about what it would cost for your pattern, I would appreciate it greatly. My guild is located in Dolores, CO near the 4 Corners area.

[Suzanne]

Hi,
Your mobile post mentions a Japanese Craft Book ISBN 978-4-8347-2571. I went to a couple of book websites (bn.com, Kinokuniya.com) but my searches came up empty. Could you please check that ISBN? Thanks!

[Elizabeth]

Suzanne,
The ISBN (for the felt book) in the mobile post appears to be correct. The ISBN referenced in this post was missing a "1" at the end, which I've now corrected. I'm sorry for the confusion!

[sir jorge]

wow, that's really cool.

[Amanda]

I LOVE THIS BAG!!! a few girls on my military wife website are trying to be more green and the reusable bag came into topic and i went searching and found this! i love that you can use old sheets as well...my mom is in the process of boxing up all her old sheets and they are on there way to me!