With the state of the economy and everyone trying to be more environmentally conscious, I have noticed fabric snack sacks popping up all over the place. Something that's incredibly cute and Eco-friendly? I love this idea! This morning I decided to sit down and try to make a couple for myself. I made my first one in fifteen minutes - that includes cutting, sewing, and making it up as I went! This was so simple and quick I can't believe I didn't make my own snack sacks years ago! Now I know what to make all my family and friends for the holidays!
Here's what you need to get started:
unbleached muslin for the lining
velcro
I have heard about some people using a pretty printed fabric for the lining, and, while this may look nice, my instinct is to use a natural unbleached cotton, instead of a fabric full of dyes.
First, cut your fabric to the desired size. I made my sacks from 7x12 inch rectangles. The finished pouch is 6x5 1/2 inches. I couldn't find my rotary cutter this morning (I am constantly misplacing that darn rotary cutter!) so I cut my pieces with sharp scissors and it worked out fine. So don't worry if you haven't invested in a cutter and mat yet! It's not necessary for this project!
Now, place your fabrics face to face, and use a straight stitch to sew the short ends together.
Flip the piece right side out, iron the seams flat, and stitch along the edges to hold the layers together.
Now it's time to add the velcro. I highly recommend using non-adhesive velcro. I couldn't get my hands on any non-adhesive velcro for this project, and I ran into the exact problem I knew I would - the velcro adhesive gummed up everything it came in contact with! My scissors, my presser foot, the needle. I am also blaming the adhesive for the messy bobbin thread on my stitches that I just couldn't seem to avoid. Try to stay away from this stuff! It's not worth it! But, of course if you can't get your hands on anything else - it gets the job done, just not as pleasantly as regular velcro would.
That being said, my velcro began as 3/4 inch wide, but I cut it in half lengthwise. I figure this amount of velcro will keep the sack closed while still being easy enough for little hands to open (my sister is coming to visit today, and my two year old niece will be the first lucky snack sack recipient!)
Cut a 6 inch length of velcro and pin each side to the inside edges of your sack (against the muslin). Stitch it in place well - this area will bear the brunt of being opened over and over again. Sew all the way around each little rectangle of velcro. (You can see some of my messy gummed-up stitches below)
You're almost done! Now it's time to sew the pouch closed. Fold the piece face to face again, matching up the corners. Begin by sewing a straight stitch down the edge. Yesterday at work Angela and I were talking about our current sewing projects (as usual!) and she mentioned having just learned to fake-serge raw edges. I thought it would be perfect for this project - sealing off all those loose threads so they don't mix in with your snacks. I am in love with this technique! (for all of us with regular sewing machines instead of fancy sergers!) Use a zig zag stitch to seal the frayed edges. Do this by sewing so that the far right of the zig zag catches the very edge of the pouch. I went up and down the seam twice. And look how clean that edge is!
Fill it up with some cookies or pretzels and head off to school, or work, or for a nice little walk!
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21 comments:
I made one! my husband took toasted seeds on a plane! treat time!
Thanks for the lovely idea
these are seriously adorable!
These are cute!
And I've done the same thing with adhesive Velcro, even though I knew what would happen. Now I keep a ridiculous stash of Just In Case velcro.
Thanks for the instructions!
So cute! I've been eying some of these on Etsy. After I get my sewing machine cleaned, I think this would be the perfect first project!
What do you think of oil cloth for the inside. Easier to clean!
perfect for school!!!!
;)
thank you so much!
this was a great tute
my daughter just started school for the first time (shes 16!) and i hate all those baggies!! this is a great alternative. and such a clever and cute idea to include adorable foody fabrics.curious...will this size hold a sammich?
Thanks for the late-night crafting inspiration. I made some too! http://bit.ly/3TVumv Love your fabric though.
I love this idea. Now I have something to make to take to church on Sundays for the kiddo's.
Oh, I'm so glad to hear so many of you have already made a few of these! Aren't they super easy?!
About the oil cloth lining - I think it sounds like a great idea, but I would try vinyl-coated cotton instead. You would be able to wipe the inside clean with a sponge, but it seems a little more natural than the oil cloth (oil cloth has a very strong smell - I would avoid it for this project). Here are some awesome vinyl fabrics:
http://reprodepot.stores.yahoo.net/mgrvbk.html
http://reprodepot.stores.yahoo.net/ktmsvnt.html
http://reprodepot.stores.yahoo.net/shstvpk.html
http://reprodepot.stores.yahoo.net/tdtsvbr.html
The brown polka dots are my favorite! I would love to hear how it works if someone tries this out!
Susan - if you add an inch to your starting length, it should fit a sandwich nicely.
And if you made it taller, little wider, used quilted fabric plus your muslin liner, it would make a nice snack sack for school. My kids have to have a separate snack bag and lunch bag. I really didn't want to have two lunch boxes as that would really take up the entire backpack.
Your blogs are really great Ashley!
Easy to follow and the pictures along the way help those of us that are instruction challenged!
Thanks ....
That is SO CUTE! I love it! Thanks so much for this, I can't wait to whip a bunch up. I'll be linking as well.
Just to add to the lining question...
The oilcloth and the other vinyl coated fabrics we sell (and those that are sold in other fabric stores) are not intended for prolonged direct contact with food. There is debate about whether any plastics are suitable for food storage, but plastic coated fabrics have not been tested for food grade usage so I would not recommend using them for a lining.
The beautiful thing about Ashley's snack bags is that they are washable and reusable as well as super cute. They can be easily washed in the kitchen sink with the rest of the dishes. If someone wanted to put something that might drip or leak (like a pb&j sandwich) I would recommend placing the item first in a waxed bag (biodegradable!) and then putting it in the snack bag. That way there would be no mess, no plastic, but plenty of stylish snacking!
I love this tutorial...we are using bags similar to this from Snacktaxi and now I can just make my own! Yay!
I would agree about skipping the vinyl. PVC often contains lead. I line my bags with a ripstop nylon but I like the wax paper idea too.
I also attach a ribbon "handle" so that my preschooler can easily carry her snack sack. I just sew it in along the seam.
I have made something like this but used a ziploc type bag (or any brand, I like the ones with the zipper on top because it's a bit easier to close) for the liner, it keeps the snack contained and works really well for those sticky snacks. Just another idea to add to yours. Great job and thank you for sharing.
Many thanks for this - great idea..! I made 3 of them last night for my 3 children, and they had loads of fun this morning choosing what to put into them for school today. So thank you very much for being so generous in sharing your ideas..!!
Great! I was trying to work some snack sacks out in my head, and you did it for me! awesome! I made some sandwich wraps with a potato chip bag as the liner to avoid the plastic issue - seems like it should be food safe since the chips were in there? It was a lot of peircing the bag which is very easy to tear, so we'll see how long it holds up... I'm just working on a blog about it now.
Thanks again!
Thanks so much for your snack sack idea. I'm making sandwich wraps and your snack sacks for teacher gifts as well as some for my 2 boys. I'm using PUL fabric so I don't have to make lining.
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