DIY Reusable Produce Bags
It’s officially summer and it feels like everything you could want to eat is in season. Sweet berries, big leafy greens, summer squashes, it’s like a rainbow of produce every time you enter the grocery store. In honor of that, I decided to use the leftover muslin I had on hand to make some reusable drawstring produce bags to help lower the amount of plastic I use while grocery shopping. If you want to learn how to make this quick sewing project, keep reading.
Tools:
Muslin, mesh, or any other durable lightweight fabric
String
Scissors
Pins
Sewing machine
Thread
Yarn needle, bobby pin, or safety pin to feed string
Steps:
Cut Fabric
The first step is to cut your fabric to your desired size. With muslin or any woven material, the easiest way to do this is to cut a small notch and rip the fabric the rest of the way to prevent any excess fraying. For these square bags my pieces of fabric ended up being about 18” x 8.5”, but of course you can make yours as big or small as you’d like depending on what you want them to fit.
Muslin cut to 18” x 8.5”.
Iron
The next step is to iron your fabric. First, fold your fabric in half and iron to create a center crease. Next, create a casing by folding the top and bottom edges of your fabric ½ an inch and ironing it down.
Ironed fabric.
Sew side seams
Once your fabric is ironed, sew up the side making sure to stop just before you reach the casing.
Side seam ending just before the casing.
Snip corners
With your side seams sewn you can quickly snip the excess fabric from the bottom corners of your bag to reduce bulk later when you flip it right side out.
Corners snipped to reduce bulk.
Iron seams open and topstitch casing
Taking your iron once again, press your side seams. Then, with your side seams pressed open to create a clean hem on the opening of your drawstring casing, sew it down making sure to leave enough space to feed in your drawstring.
Topstitched drawstring casing.
Turn bag right side out and thread strings
Similar to my DIY Backless Ruffle Top, the last step is to thread your strings through the casing to create the drawstring for your bag. Using a yarn needle, bobby pin, or safety pin, thread one string through the bag going clockwise then knot the ends together securely. Repeat in the opposite direction and your reusable drawstring produce bag is done!
These reusable produce bags have been so helpful while shopping and I’ve already begun experimenting with making them in different shapes and sizes to fit different kinds of fruits and vegetables. If you decide to give this project a go, whether for groceries or to store anything else, please feel free to tag me on social media! Until next time, happy sewing.
