Quick and Easy Cloth Grocery Bags

While we were in Spanish Fork, my mom asked me to help her make some cloth grocery bags. Hooray! I learned to sew with my mom at my side and it was fun to have a project to work on with her again. These grocery bags were a quick and easy option for an afternoon of sewing. Plus, they're great for our environment--and they can carry lots more than groceries very fashionably (if I say so myself). I absolutely love this fabric, too. My mom has an amazing knack for finding great fabric in odd places--I think she found this at DI.

When I make these bags, I lay my fabric out so that the fold is at the bottom of the bag and the selvage edges are at the top. Then I cut to the desired width (these are 16 inches wide) so that I only have to sew up the sides of the bag. Because the selvage is at the top, I don't have to worry about heming the top!

To make the handles for the bag, cut strips 2 1/2 -3 inches wide (these are 2 1/2) and pin with right sides together. These handles are approximately 20 inches long--I like to leave mine long enough that you can sling them over your shoulder. Now sew the sides of your bags (right sides together) and your handles, turn your handles right side out and iron flat.

Now the only tricky part of the bag. With the bag still right-sides together, unfold the bottom of your bag sp that it makes a triangle (as you see below) and pin it. The bigger you make your triangle, the bigger the bottom of your bag will be. These are about 1 1/2 inch wide. Sew from one pin to the other.

Now turn your bag right sides out and voila! A beautiful square bottom for your bag!

Next, attach your handles so they are approximately 3 inches from the sides, pin and sew in a square around your handle, then make an X from one corner to the other. I like to do this with a zig-zag stitch. This makes your handle incredibly strong, so you don't need to worry about your handle coming off when your bag is loaded with canned goods.

Ta-da! You now have awesome grocery bags, finished in about 2 hours. My only challenge with these is remembering to put them back in our truck after I go shopping so they're there for next time. You won't believe how many comments I get about my bags--mine are made from orange and yellow sheets I got at DI and people love them. They also hold a ton more groceries than regular plastic bags. Plus, some grocery stores now offer a cash discount (usually less than 10 cents per bag) for bringing your own. Hey, every little bit adds up!