Gusseted Cloth Sandwich Snack Bag Tutorial

I can't stand spending money on items that are destined for the landfill. Diapers, wipes, sanitary pads, paper towels and especially expensive Ziplocs no longer have place in our home. Not only have we saved hundreds of dollars a year by not purchasing these "throw-away" items, they are also really fun to make yourself!

These bags feature a gusset at the bottom, so they open nice and wide, and don't squish sandwiches! Gussets allow the bags to hold more stuff (or wider items) and collapse flat when they’re not in use.


I designed these snack bags this past spring for a trip to Mexico, and we have a drawer full of them! I use them daily for granola, sandwiches and even our car toys.  My son is starting school tomorrow (1st grade - eek!) and he wanted his own cool bags for his lunches. He picked out this "awesome" flame fabric from the scrap bin at our local fabric store, and he can't wait to have lunches in them! Last year, his friends all told him that they wished their moms would make them some cool lunch bags too (blush!), so this is your opportunity, Moms!!

Need:
Sewing Machine
Scissors
(2) 7"x 7" Cotton fabric of your choice
(2) 7"x 7" Ripstop Nylon fabric
1 each 1/2"x 5" Hook and Loop Velcro (I cut mine to 1/2", but you can leave yours whatever thickness you like)

Step 1. Cut out (2) pieces of 7"x 7" Cotton fabric, and (2) pieces of 7"x 7" Ripstop Nylon for the liner.

Step 2. Place right sides of the fabric together and stitch the two (right and left) sides together with a 1/4" seam allowance.

This will make a "tube" of fabric. Repeat with the ripstop liner fabric, so you have 2 separate "tube" pieces.

Step 3. Turn the liner fabric inside out, and slide it inside the cotton fabric "tube", so that right sides are together. Make sure to line up the seams on the sides. You can pin the fabrics together at this point if you like. (I rarely do, but that is just me)

Step 4. Choose which side will be the top of the bag, if your cloth has a top direction, and position this side in sewing machine. Sew through 2 layers of fabric - 1 cotton layer, 1 liner layer. Stitch *almost all the way around on one side. Leave a 3" hole un-stitched for later (Step 9). Make sure you don't accidentally stitch through all 4 layers.

Step 5. Pull the liner out, and lay flat, right sides of the fabric inside, aligning the side seams.

Step 6. Sew a straight line along the bottom (open) end of the liner fabric. Repeat with the other cotton fabric side.

Step 7.  Create a Gusset: On the bottom corner, pinch and slide the bottom corner of the fabric into a point, so that the seams align with each other on opposite sides. It helps to open up the bag a bit to give you some room to slide the fabric around. Pin, or iron this flat. (See the pic in Step 8 for clarification).

Step 8. Sew across this point in about 1" from the end. Note - you can make these as large or as small as you like, the larger (longer) you measure away from the point of the fabric, the wider the bag will be. Don't make it too wide (over 1 1/2") or the bag will be too small to fit a sandwich.

Repeat on the other side. Then do the exact same with the nylon side.

I like to trim the excess fabric triangle off, as it makes the bag less bulky. Be sure not to cut through the seam.

Step 9. Remember the hole we left open in Step 4? Turn the bag inside out through this hole.

If you forgot to leave a hole, gently use a seam-ripper and open up a hole.

Nice huh!

Step 10. Tuck the liner fabric down into the cotton fabric.

 Step 11. Topstitch around the opening of the bag to help it lay flat.

 Step 12. Line up the hook side of the velcro along the top, and stitch around. Repeat with the loop side. Finished!

To clean, just wipe clean with a damp cloth, or toss in a cool water washing machine and dry.

Congratulations!! Aren't you proud of yourself? By using fabric sandwich/snack bags, we can save thousands of plastic bags from becoming non-biodegradable trash filling up landfills and floating in our oceans!

Super Hero Cape DIY Tutorial

I have a Son who has a shadow. A two year old shadow, always following at his heels, copying his movements, words and every silliness that can be had. Since his greatest ambition in life is to grow up to be Batman, he practically lives in his cape - zooming around the yard fighting bad guys, and all other injustice (the world needs more of these heroic men, doesn't it?). Along with all of this crime-fighting comes his little Sister - shadowing his every move like an apprentice in training.

So what a shame, I thought, that this little super heroine doesn't have a super cape of her own. A crime worthy of the baddest of bad guys! I have redeemed myself today, and hope to pass along this fun design to you, so that you may not face the wrath that I did. ;)

You will need:
- 2 Pieces 22"x 24" fabric (I used fabric remnants from the fabric store. 1 cotton print, 1 satin liner)
- 1 Piece Hook Velcro
- 1 Piece Loop Velcro (I prefer these over snaps, as they are safer and easier to break in event of
     choking)
- Scissors
- Sewing Machine

**Note: this cape is to fit a 2 year old, so you can adjust the length to fit your Little Hero (or big one!).

1. Decide on the top & bottom of the fabrics, line them up with right (printed) sides together on the inside.

2. Cut the bottom corners to be rounded, and cut a semi-circle from the top for the neck. I also tapered the sides so they angle up from the bottom of the cape to the top.
 

3. Line up the fabrics and start sewing with a 1/4" seam allowance. Sew all the way around the edge of the fabric, stopping about 4-5" from your starting point. You will need this opening to flip the fabrics right side out.

4. Open the hole, reach inside and pull the fabric through, flipping the whole thing right side out.

5. Straighten the seams, making sure to push out the corners on the neck pieces, so they are nice and square, or rounded, if you prefer.

6. Place the fabric in your sewing machine, starting just above the open hole that the fabric was pulled through. Roll the rough edges inside and carefully stitch (slowly to maintain control) the seam closed.
Continue sewing a 1/4" seam all the way around the fabric.

7. Now that you have the nice seam around the whole cape, we will add the velcro tabs. Place the Loop (soft) velcro on top of the right neck piece on the outside fabric of the cape. Sew securely.

8. Next, sew the Hook side on the left neck piece on the inside fabric.

9. They should lay on top of each other like this when finished.

10. Last, carefully apply whole cape to the neck of your favorite Super Hero and watch them fly!!

Balance...

I am having flashbacks of crazy college end-of-semester days - where deadlines loomed, art projects and final papers scrambled together, and last minute studying done in attempt to get every last bit of information stuffed into every spare memory brain cell? Then... the blissful moment when the last exam is done, all art projects turned in, and the feeling of numbing bliss washes over, and then utter relief. I am reliving those feverish days.

The prospect of a full day with no sewing before me is so unfamiliar. I see my empty, clean desk - no towering, toppling cutout felt stacks, spools of unraveling thread, random bits of scrap and fluff littering my space making my OCD brain crazy. For the last 4 months, I have been a whirlwind of planning, sewing, processing orders, trips to the post office, reams of paper, boxes and boxes of printer ink, and so many yards of felt - I don't even know the count. Now, finally, the quiet... My desk is clear - who knew it was white underneath? My sewing machine sits idly in the corner, cooling down for the first time in way too long. I still giggle at the weekly cleaning of my trusty machine - pulling out enough fluffy felt fibers to stuff an apple.

So, with the utter relief of all Christmas orders shipped out and no customer cue cards papering my computer monitor, I have days of freedom before me. I really do not know when my shop will reopen for business, but I promise myself that it will not be until I have had a great long rest, am restocked (I will NEVER sell items I don't have in stock again - playing catch-up sucks!) and am excited to sit down and sew again. I greatly look forward to my days of knitting, baking, making homemade marshmallows and being a lazy bum playing games and blocks on the floor with my two kids. I have been the Elephant balancing on the ball, and am ready for a more steady foundation.

What I'm Working on Today

After a delightful soiree to Pumpkin Land with my little Man's Kindergarten class this morning, I am back at my desk, feverishly trying to crank out Ham Sandwich Sets, Chips & Grape bunches before school lets out for the day - the time when I switch gears into full Mommy mode. Sometimes I dream of "self-stitching" grapes that will just magically assemble themselves together, because 10 grape sets can get tedious when you hit that 100th grape ball. Though, that negates the whole purpose of "handmade" so I'll just keep plugging along.

I am planning several new items for my shop in the next few weeks. Especially with the plethora of pumpkins today (we picked out 2 GIANT pumpkins for the front porch) it is making me think that I need a little pumpkin & squash set in my shop.