FaveCrafts

1000s of free craft projects, home decor ideas and DIY tips

  • About
  • Holidays
    • 4th of July
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Father’s Day
    • Halloween
    • Mother’s Day
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Seasonal Crafts
  • Projects
    • DIY
      • Advice, Tips, & Tricks
      • Gifts
      • Photography
      • Wearable Crafts
      • Pet Crafts
      • Clay
      • Candles and Soap
    • Full Project Tutorials
    • Green Crafting
      • Thrifty Crafts
    • Home Decor and Design
      • Woodcrafts
      • Kitchen Crafts
      • Garden Crafts
      • Painting
    • Jewelry Making
    • Kids Crafts Projects
    • Needlecrafts
      • Embroidery
      • Felt
      • Sewing
      • Quilting
    • Organization
    • Paper Crafts
      • Cards
      • drawing
      • Mixed Media Art
      • Scrapbooking
    • Pop Culture
    • Wedding Crafts
    • Yarn
      • Crochet
      • Knitting
  • Newsletter
  • Giveaways

How to Make a Reusable Grocery Bag from Sheets

April 22, 2012 by FaveCrafts

This guest post was written by Karen Lee from ecokaren.

Why You Should Refuse Plastic Bags

More than five hundred billion plastic bags are made worldwide each year. Plastic takes thousands of years to biodegrade in landfills and when plastic debris end up in ocean, they harm marine life and pollute the waters. Several cities and towns are banning plastic bags and started charging for paper bags. But paper bags are no better as over twelve billion paper bags are produced annually. That’s a lot of trees!

So it behooves you to bring your own bags but how many times have you gone to the market and realize that you left your reusable bag at home? Lots of times I bet. Me too.

So I started carrying a little pocket size reusable grocery bag that I made from an old fitted sheet awhile ago. Since then, I’ve not been caught without a reusable bag at the supermarket. In fact, I keep a few in my glove compartment and one in my purse just in case i make quick unplanned trip to the store. I use them in all stores, not just at the supermarket.

How to Make Reusable Market Bags

The tote is really easy to make and you can make about five bags from a full size sheet with these dimensions. Again, just like the garment bag tutorial using a fitted sheet, the measurements for the bags are totally up to you. You can make them whatever size you want or need.

Also, you don’t have to use a sheet to make these bags. I happened to have an old sheet that I couldn’t donate, so, wanted to use it up. You can use any fabric you want as long as it’s thin enough to be folded into a little square. My objective was to make as many as I can with a full size sheet, without wasting fabric, so I left the edge raw. But you can finish the edge nicely if you want.

Let’s get started!

You’ll need:

  • Old fitted sheet – I used a full size for this tutorial to make five bags
  • Sewing machine
  • Thread  – I am using a dark colored thread in the tutorial for you to see but use a coordinating thread color as your sheet.
  • Scissors

Instruction:

1. Cut out the elastic pieces from the fitted sheet and open up the corner seams to flatten out the sheet.

2. Fold the sheet in half in any direction and cut two layers of this “Tank Top” shape in approximately these dimensions. Again, the dimensions are up to how big you want the bags to be.

**Note**It is best to use the folded edge of the sheet as the bottom of the grocery bag. But if you have to sew the two pieces at the bottom, double stitch the seam for strength.

You see the little cut out above the bag? You will need that so don’t throw it out.

3. Take the cut out piece and hem the top (straight edge) by folding the raw edge under.

4. Center the cut out piece on the RIGHT SIDE of the bag and pin the sides.

5. Sew three sides, leaving the top edge open. I use small zigzag stitches to prevent the edges from fraying.

6. With the RIGHT SIDES together, sew around the sides of the bag, reinforcing with double stitches. I used zigzag for the second time around to prevent the edges from fraying.

7. While the bag is turned inside out, fold the two sides inward about two inches. Line up the handles to match. As you can see, the shape of the bag is not exactly square or rectangle. Pin down the folded edges and sew the handles and bottom, as indicated.

8. Turn it inside out and voila! You have a reusable grocery bag! A.K.A. T-Shirt Bag!

9. Now, how to you get it to a small compact size that you can fit into your purse? This is the part I wish I video taped but that didn’t happen. But I think you can follow the pictures and see how easy it is.

Now you have a pocket size reusable grocery bags and you’ll never be caught without them at the store! Make a few and give them out as presents! Happy Earth Day!!

Karen lives a simple, frugal, green life and shares her eco tips and news on ecokaren. She sells green goodies in her Etsy shop and writes for various green blogs. When she’s not leading the team or blogging, she is a mom to two greenagers, wife to an accidental recycler, master chef to hungry locavores, seamstress, knitter, and dumpster diver, not necessarily in that order.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Follow me
FaveCrafts
Editor at FaveCrafts
FaveCrafts.com is a website with all the craft project ideas, tutorials, videos, and tips you'll ever need! We add new projects and tips every day. Some of our readers' favorites include Christmas Crafts, Free Knitting Patterns, Free Crochet Patterns and Crafting with Kids. You will find step-by-step instructions, videos and patterns to make it quick and easy.
Follow me
Latest posts by FaveCrafts (see all)
  • Why You Should Submit Your Projects to FaveCrafts - February 12, 2020
  • How FaveCrafts Celebrated Our 10 Year Anniversary - July 15, 2019
  • Best Blogger Contest 2019 Winners! - April 25, 2019

Filed Under: Full Project Tutorials Tagged With: Earth Day, Earth Week, eco-friendly crafts, free bag pattern, Green Crafting, Guest Post

Email Email Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Google Plus RSS

Full Project Tutorials

Learn how to crochet the Catherine Wheel Stitch

Catherine Wheel Crochet Tutorial

The Catherine Wheel stitch came in 2nd place for the highest viewed tutorial last week on YouTube. I’m not surprised because of how fabulous the end results look. Grab your crochet hook and just follow along. PLAY CROCHET TUTORIAL NOW For 1000’s of more free great patterns and crochet inspiration, you need to go to […]

Categories

Free eBooks

The Latest and Greatest Sewing for Baby Collection

There are a million reasons to sew for baby, but we'll just mention a few. 1) Babies, and everything associated with them, are adorable. Ergo, … [Read More...]

Seasonal Crafts

New Pattern Monday: Pretty Little Things

The countdown to Mother's Day begins! In just under a week you can surprise your mom with fun handmade gifts that will just melt her heart. If you … [Read More...]

Archives

Crochet

Adorable Granny Square Crochet Scarf Pattern

Adorable Granny Square Scarf + 10 More Uses for Granny Squares

Jewelry

22 Beach Wedding Jewelry Ideas

Knitting

Get Cozy with This Free Knitted Shawl Pattern

Paper

13 of the Most Beautiful Free Printables for Your Home

Sewing

Sew In Love Mug Rug Pattern for Valentine’s Day

Thrifty

Home Decor Dollar Store Craft Ideas

27 Home Decor Dollar Store Craft Ideas

Prime Publishing Craft Group
Copyright © 2023 · FaveCrafts - A Prime Publishing LLC property. All rights reserved.

About Us Advertise Contact Us FAQs Privacy Policy Subscribe Terms of Service Unsubscribe

Copyright © 2023 · Tidy Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in