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How to sew a reusable grocery bag

Sew & Using Reusable Grocery Bags

A lot of people and stores tend to use cheap reusable grocery bags but even I know the same old cheap bags can get a little annoying every once in a while.  But, what if you could make large reusable shopping bags or even better a reusable tote bag instead of those old cheap reusable grocery bags, I mean, let’s face it we tend to keep things a little
longer if they are reusable.

Now doing this is not as hard as it sounds at all. Starting off, some of the items you will need will be:

1 yard of 45-inch-broad heavy-duty material such as canvas or denim to give the bad a sense of fashion and sturdiness

1 yard 45-inch-broad Nylon material for the lining of the bag, some thread to hold everything together

4 feet of 1-inch-broad Nylon webbing

a pencil to help with design and tracing

rotary cutter

ruler

cutting mat

pins

a sewing machine to make sure this won’t take up all your time.

The first step is to make the following cuts with the appropriate material:

1 37×14-inch fragment of both the external and lining materials.
2 15×8-inch fragments of both the external and lining materials.
2 24-inch fragments of webbing for the straps.

Mark the midpoints of the 37-inch peaks on the body of the bag and the midpoints of the
8-inch peaks of the side fragments.

The next step is to stitch the right sides of one side of the bag together, try to match the
midpoint markings of the body of the bag and the sides of the bag.

Then carefully sew down the sides and bottom of the bag using a 3/8-inch seam adjustment.

Repeat the same steps on the other side of the bag. And for extra strength, backstitch the bottom
corners.

Then repeat the same process to sew the lining together, this time using a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

Trimming the corners will help reduce bulk.

Try and apply a seam finish to the external bag part to prevent the raw peaks from ​shredding. Because the bag has a lining, also depending on the type of material you use of course because not all materials require this step, but if you do see any kind of fraying as you work, it is probably best to take the time to complete this step because it
will help your bag last longer. Not mentioning you will have to start trimming with some shears because it is a faster and easier way to do this. You can also zig-zag the peaks, and try to use a serger, or apply a sealant to help it stay shut. Try to make sure you press the seam tight and firm.

The following step is to try to measure in 3 inches from the side seam on the body of the bag. You might want to also enclose the strap in place with about 1-inch of the end of the webbing extending past the raw side of the external bag fragment.

Carefully sew across each and every end of the straps three or four times 1/4 inch from the peak of
the material to make sure it is nice and sturdy. This acts as basting, which is sewing easily removable running stitches, by machine or by hand, this can also be known as tacking.

With the external bag turned wrong-side out and the lining turned right-side out, nest the lining in the external bag. Pin around the raw peaks. Sew the external bag and lining together with a 3/8-inch seam allowance. Leave a 5-inch opening on one of the side areas. Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end. When it comes to finishing you
might want to finish the seams as you did the others. Turn that same bag right side out through the opening. Finally, push the lining into the bag and start to gently press the top seam to open it fully. Try to make sure that you press the seam allowance of the opening so it is even. Then carefully pin around the top, and stitch around the top of the
bag 1/8 inch from the seam and 5/8 inch from the seam. Next, just sew a square or rectangle with an X through each strap end to securely hold the straps in place. Load it up and take your new bag and just have a ball!