I scoured the interweb high and low a couple of weeks ago, searching for a re-usable sandwich bag pattern. I had a few specific features I was looking for.
My Four Criteria:
1. Uses all wipe-able food-safe fabrics, either water-proof or water-resistant.
2. Utilizes a fold-over tab and does not require zippers or aplix. (This was a big requirement for my husband)
3. Uses fun, affordable, accessible fabrics.
4. Can be created by a novice sewer.
The Search
I found so many fantastic patterns from talented women on blogs, through Pinterest links, and sewing sites. I quickly learned that “food-safe” is a debatable term and that fun and affordable water-resistant fabrics are not easy to come by. I discovered patterns using laminated cotton, PUL, and cotton. I found fold over tabs, but not with boxed corners or a inside that could be pulled out to wash. I ran across box corners and the perfect insides, but with velcro.
Experimenting
Since, I couldn’t find the ideal pattern, I played around with different fabrics and prototypes, flipping fabrics, ripping seams, bringing different options to Tim for his input. I wanted to use laminated cotton, but at $12 to $14 a yard and only laminated on one side, it was a bit pricey for my project. Laminating my own fabric seemed like the prefect, affordable choice, but proved too stiff and unforgiving for my needs.
Here are a few of my initial tries:
Some people might have given up at this point, but I was on a creative high. I also recognized how quickly my family is plowing through the Costco sized box of sandwich bags I purchased and the financial and environmental impacts of this wasteful practice.
Motivation
Did you know?
* Lunchtime trash is second only to office paper as the leading source of school waste, according to Green Teach Magazine, 2004. (Reusit.com)
*RecycleWorks.org estimates that an individual using a disposable lunch generates 4-8 ounces of garbage each day, which can add up to as much as 100 pounds of trash per year.
*Families spend $85 a year on disposable sandwich bags.
According to Wastefreelunches.org, eliminating disposable packaging and single serving items can save families $250 a year.
Persevering
So, I kept at it, nearly there countless times. I quickly learned that safety pins are a lifesaver in pattern making, allowing for fiddling without the agony of ripping seams.
The best moment came when I decided to use rip stop nylon as the water resistant inner layer, still hoping that laminated cotton would work on the outside. I visited JoAnn Fabrics and found the rip stop nylon. Right next to it, I discovered Olefin 100%, the fabric used to make reusable grocery bags. At $2.99 a yard and with “wipe clean” written clearly on the care instructions, I couldn’t wait to try it for the outside fabric! Only 2 fabric choices were available, but I decided to give it a try. I purchased 4 yards of fabric, 2 of each fabric choice, and used 50% off coupons on all of them, making the cost just over $10.
Then, I finally created this sandwich bag pattern using scrap fabric and safety pins
I created the bag using my preferred fabrics and experimented with larger boxed corners, accidentally discovering the ideal snack bag base. While I plan to mini snack sized bags in the future, I’m thrilled to begin using these two patterns with my family today.
Reusable Fold-Over Tab Sandwich and Snack Bag Pattern
I’ve included my pattern in this post, but you can also go here to download a PDF version for personal use. I hope these patterns help your family save money and produce less waste! If you use this pattern, I’d love for you to link up and share your creations.
Awesome! Thank you so much! I need some more snack bags for my kids 🙂
Mindy these are adorable!!! I love the fabric. Every time I open my ‘bag’ drawer I think about how whatever I pull out will end up in the trash. This is such an awesome idea and I love the pattern. I will be doing this!
Awesome idea! I will be trying this for sure. You taught me about Olefin 100% too! I’ve always wondered where to buy this kind of fabric and now I know. I also agree, it is definitely important to have daddy/husband input when you introduce changes like this to your family. Thanks for sharing your pattern and tutorial too.
I will be trying this for sure! Thanks for sharing your pattern and tutorial. I also agree, it is really is so important to have daddy/husband input when you introduce changes like this in your family to make sure your hard work gets put to use.
Mindy these are great… been wanting to make some of these for my daughters snacks that she takes to school.. just need to get some pul some kind of fabric for that. Thank you for the tutorial 🙂
These are fantastic! Now I just need to get someone else to make them for me. 🙂 (I don’t sew.)
I think you did a fantastic job! Great post!
I love this. I just need to learn to sew.I have some resuable bags but none are really great.
Considering I take sandwiches to work on a regular basis this would be a very good idea for me. Right now I try to use containers as opposed to sandwich bags for everything!
I really want to try these. We use plastic containers now for snacks since they are reusable, but snack bags would be more convenient and take up less space.