Cloth Sandwich Bags

Cloth Sandwich Bags How to Make Guide

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Plastic and aluminum foil has flooded my kitchen for the past seventeen years, and it seems to only get worse with every passing year. All that plastic and aluminum costs money and then ends up in the garbage a few days later. When I started to notice how much I was throwing away, I got sick to my stomach. I wanted to stop buying all those plastic bags for sandwiches and snacks, so I decided to make fabric bags.

These bags get a great amount of use between the kid’s school lunches, and my husband’s work lunches. Plus, we use them when the entire family goes out on a road trip. We save much money, not buying fast food or eating at a restaurant when we are out of town. Making a picnic lunch and using these reusable sandwich bags are perfect food and money savers.

Get your fabric prepared.

To get started, I used Fat Quarters fabric swatches. One afternoon, I took my six-year-old daughter to Joann Fabrics and let her pick out her favorite Fat Quarter fabrics colors and patterns. These quilting fabrics are usually expensive, but they had a sale for $0.75 each. We stocked up needless to say. You can make two large bags from one piece of fabric.

The pre-cut fabrics don’t have to be used. You can use your fabric pieces. Cut them to 21″x18″ size just like a Fat Quarter piece. Wash and dry all the pieces. The Fat Quarter pieces will shrink up about 1″ and may possibly fray. Cut any fray pieces off the clean cloth. These pieces of fabric will be your outer covers.

Now you need a cloth for the inner section. I used an old but clean vinyl table cloth. These cleanable table cloths are perfect for the inner fabric, which will have your sandwiches or loose snacks in them. They are easy to wipe clean from crumbs and any wetness that the food may leave behind. I have also seen people use oilcloth.

Overview: For each large bag, you need one outer fabric to measure 18″x9″ and one inner fabric to measure 17″x8″.

Pin and sew your lunch bags.

Next, you will need to take your cut pieces of fabric; both the inner and outer and pin them together to get prepared to be sewn together. It isn’t tricky, but just a little different.

First, layout your outer cloth with the side you want to show face down. Then put your inner cloth face up on top. In short, all good sides of the fabric should be facing out.

Now, take the extra outer cover and fold it over the inner and pin. It should look like the picture to the left. I use a lot of pins to ensure nothing comes undone from all my hard work.

Using a Sewing and Quilting Machine or by hand sew along all the sides of the sandwich bag.

At this time you will want to fold your sewn fabrics in half. When folding, make sure the oil or vinyl side to be facing out. Thus it should be a bag that is inside out. Don’t fold it completely in half but make sure there are about one to two inches of fabric exposed from one side. This part will make the flap that goes over the top of the bag when the bag is done.

Pin only the two sides when you have everything in place and sew the those pinned sides. Do not sew the top. You need an opening for your food. Next, turn the bag right side in, and now you are complete. Keep repeating to make more to use the other pieces of fabric.

If you want, you can sew a button or a strip of Velcro to secure the top flap.