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How to Make Reusable Grocery Bags

JJNW by JJNW

How to Sew or Upcycle Homemade Shopping Sacks

Ready to go green in style? Creating washable, grocery bags for reuse is a quick project anyone can enjoy. Sew or make some reusable sacks for yourself or as part of an event to help others become more eco-friendly and aware.

These reusable bags make great gifts and can be as tough, beautiful, or whimsical as you like.

Just a few reasons for making diy (do-it-yourself) shopping bags:

Finally, no more store advertising on your totes!
Want to make money from home? Why not make some unique artsy bags to sell?
Perhaps you have a scouting troop or homeschooling group. Scouts & homeschoolers will have fun creating one-of-a-kind grocery bags for local senior citizens or as Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts. What a great lesson for kids!
Want to save money? Some stores are giving a .03 to .05 credit for each bag they do not have to provide.

Some cities are thinking of outlawing store use of plastic bags to help the environment. In some areas, plastic bags are already being banned. We can help make that change-over pleasant for others with gifted bags.

Offered here are many styles from which to choose! Make recycled bags, cheap bags, fancy creations, or crafty sacks! You'll find helpful links and videos showing how to make reusable grocery bags. These sacks will be used and enjoyed for years.

Reusable Grocery Bag Photos for Ideas

Photo above by neverever, Flickr

Cool Reusable Grocery Bags Ideas

Click on photos for credits or larger view.

by julietakespictures
by julietakespictures
Reusable Giant Bags by Mr. T in DC
First. by all of olive.
Reusable Grocery Bags, Pedometer & Sunglasses by divaonadiet
grocery bags by tyger_lyllie
IMG_1380 by Neeta Lind
ReUsable Grocery Bag by deb roby
Gus Gus by Tiger Girl
DC Grocery Bag Maintenance by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
reusable grocery bag made for swap on swap-bot by cakersandco
grocery bag by MissMessie
grocery bag by MissMessie
grocery bag by MissMessie
grocery bag by MissMessie
Saturday Market Bag by starathena
ReUsable Grocery Bag-stuffed by deb roby
I'm so proud of my reusable grocery bags! by paul_irish
automatically generated by Flickr

Sewing Essentials for Sale - Great Gifts!


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How to Make Grocery Sacks Videos

Watch these instructional video lessons for free!

How to Make a Cloth Grocery Bag : Sewing Parts Together for Cloth Grocery Bag
by expertvillage | video info

2 ratings | 8,507 views
curated content from YouTube

You can never have too much love or too much FABRIC!!!

Funky Food Print Fabric

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Beautiful Quality Material / Fabric for Bags

Lots of Colors, Prints, Florals, Plain

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Burlap Natural 60 Inches Wide x 5 Yards Long

Burlap Natural 60 Inches Wide x 5 Yards Long

Burlap is a sturdy cloth made of jute or hemp and vegetable fibers. Burlap's durability, breathability and resistance to condensation make it a good candidate for storage bags or protective wraps for any product. Burlap is also a popular choice for arts and crafts, sewing, and can be used as a base for painting, much like canvas.1 point

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54'' Wide Premier Prints Hooty Owl Village Fabric By The Yard

54'' Wide Premier Prints Hooty Owl Village Fabric By The Yard

Screen printed on cotton duck this versatile medium weight fabric is perfect for window accents (draperies valances curtains and swags) toss pillows bed skirts duvet covers slipcovers and more! Get creative with tote bags and aprons too! Colors include spa brown rust and pale olive on a natural background.0 points

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45'' Wide Moda Funky Monkey Friends Blocks Multi Fabric By The Yard

45'' Wide Moda Funky Monkey Friends Blocks Multi Fabric By The Yard

This cotton fabric is designed by Erin Michael for Moda is part of the ''Funky Money" collection. This fabric features an all over print of sock monkeys in multi-colored blocks. The color palette includes red orange yellow pink lime blue and sock monkey brown. Use for quilting and craft projects.0 points

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45'' Wide Moda Funky Monkey Sock Red Fabric By The Yard

45'' Wide Moda Funky Monkey Sock Red Fabric By The Yard

This cotton fabric is designed by Erin Michael for Moda is part of the ''Funky Money" collection. This fabric features an all over print of sock monkeys on a red background.0 points

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45'' Wide Michael Miller Paradise Reef Peaceful Water Blue Fabric By The Yard

45'' Wide Michael Miller Paradise Reef Peaceful Water Blue Fabric By The Yard

Designed by Michael Miller Fabrics this aquatic sea life inspired fabric features a color palette of royal blue and aqua. Fabric is ideal for quilts home decor and craft projects.0 points

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54'' Wide Premier Prints Accord Stripe Brown/French Blue Fabric By The Yard

54'' Wide Premier Prints Accord Stripe Brown/French Blue Fabric By The Yard

Screen printed on cotton duck this versatile medium weight fabric is perfect for window accents (draperies valances curtains and swags) toss pillows bed skirts duvet covers slipcovers and more! Get creative with tote bags and aprons too! Colors include blue and brown.0 points

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54'' Wide Premier Prints Ele Village Brown/White Fabric By The Yard

54'' Wide Premier Prints Ele Village Brown/White Fabric By The Yard

Screen printed on cotton duck this versatile medium weight fabric is perfect for window accents (draperies valances curtains and swags) toss pillows bed skirts duvet covers slipcovers and more! Get creative with tote bags and aprons too! Colors include ivory/white on a brown background.0 points

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54'' Wide Zebra Cotton Duck Black/White Fabric By The Yard

54'' Wide Zebra Cotton Duck Black/White Fabric By The Yard

This fabric is screen printed on 7 oz. cotton duck and very versatile. Perfect for window accents (draperies valances curtains and swags) toss pillows bed skirts duvet covers slipcovers and more! Colors include black and white.0 points

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42'' Wide Premium Broadcloth Solid Emerald Fabric By The Yard

42'' Wide Premium Broadcloth Solid Emerald Fabric By The Yard

This premium cotton broadcloth fabric is light weight and it is perfect for shirting fuller skirts quilts and quilting projects.0 points

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Polyester Cotton Broadcloth HOT PINK Fabric By the Yard

Polyester Cotton Broadcloth HOT PINK Fabric By the Yard

Light and airy Polyester Cotton Broadcloth fabric is soft to touch and delightfully resilient. It has a soft nap pile. Good insulating properties and very light weight. Its made with 100% Cotton. This fabric will keep you warm and cozy during cold winter nights. The Cotton fabric can be used at home and commercial applications. It is sold by continuous yard.

This is a very fine quality fabric, easy to sew and work with.

Machine wash warm, delicate cycle, use mild detergent, no bleach, Hang or tumble...

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42'' Wide Premium Broadcloth Medium Pink Fabric By The Yard

42'' Wide Premium Broadcloth Medium Pink Fabric By The Yard

This premium cotton broadcloth fabric is perfect for shirting fuller skirts quilts and quilting projects.0 points

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45'' Wide Cotton Blend Broadcloth Light Yellow Fabric By The Yard

45'' Wide Cotton Blend Broadcloth Light Yellow Fabric By The Yard

Cotton blend broadcloth is an even weave lightweight fabric that resists wrinklingwill not shrink and holds it's color very well. Create apparel use it for lining you can even quilt with it!0 points

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44'' Wide Kona Cotton Baby Blue Fabric By The Yard

44'' Wide Kona Cotton Baby Blue Fabric By The Yard

From Robert Kaufman Fabrics this 4.3 oz. per square yard 100% Kona(R) cotton broadcloth is perfect for quilting apparel and more! This fabric has been tested for carcinogenic dye stuffs formaldehydes lead skin-friendly ph factor and has the Confidence in Textiles certification.0 points

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44'' Wide Kona Cotton Violet Fabric By The Yard

44'' Wide Kona Cotton Violet Fabric By The Yard

From Robert Kaufman Fabrics this 4.3 oz. per square yard 100% Kona(R) cotton broadcloth is perfect for quilting apparel and more! This fabric has been tested for carcinogenic dye stuffs formaldehydes lead skin-friendly ph factor and has the Confidence in Textiles certification.0 points

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45'' Wide Cotton Blend Broadcloth Tangerine Fabric By The Yard

45'' Wide Cotton Blend Broadcloth Tangerine Fabric By The Yard

Cotton blend broadcloth is an even weave lightweight fabric that resists wrinklingwill not shrink and holds it's color very well. Create apparel use it for lining you can even quilt with it!0 points

Free Alternatives to Making Bags

- Ask others for their extra plastic or paper bags
- Use old pillowcases
- Use old gift bags for light items
- Bring a box instead
- Ask for cloth grocery bags as gifts

Reusable Bags to Purchase - Green Gifts - EcoFriendly

Re-Use = Green Living

Most items eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping (via Amazon).
Plus, part of the proceeds of ANY Amazon product you buy through these links goes to the March of Dimes charity at no cost to you! Thanks!

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Plastic Bag Facts

photo by Carlos Gustavo Curado, SXC.hu/


* Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million per minute.

* In 2001 there was 1,678,900 tons of plastic packaging in the waste stream, an increase from 1,600,000 in 2000. Research conducted in September 2000 indicated that UK consumers used eight billion plastic carrier bags per year.

* According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion)

Links to FREE Patterns for Making Grocery Bags, Totes, Sacks


Patterns and Instructions for Making Reusable Grocery Sacks
Cheap & Easy Fabric Grocery Bags


An overview of how to make a bunch of fabric grocery bags (out of sheets) for less than 2 dollars each. (And most of that cost is in the webbing for the handles. They'd cost less than 50 cents if you use denim from old jeans.)

GOOD PHOTOS AND INSTRUCTIONS!

Sew a Durable, Reusable Grocery Bag


Sew a Durable, Reusable Grocery Bag. Pattern makes a bag with a boxed bottom with webbing or fabric strips for straps.

"Green" Re-usable Grocery Bags


These beginner-level bags have handles to allow them to be placed on a grocer's plastic bag holder, if available, for the grocery loading process.

Grocery tote bags: happy bread, sad toast AND MORE


Grocery bag pattern and sample photos of how to decorate them. Uses 5 pieces sewn together and straps are added.

Make a Reusable Grocery Bag


Step-by-step tutorial to teach you how to sew a reusable cloth grocery bag. This is a great, earth-friendly project for the novice sewer. These bags are completely reversible and the cut out handles are very strong. Cute!

How to make a canvas bag


Very nice bag with instructions for block-printing a logo. More advanced, but not too hard.

Wallet-Sized Fold-Up Re-Usable Shopping Bag


You can stash this wallet sized bag in your purse and have it ready whenever you go to the store.

Say hi and/or leave your tips!

  • xriotdotbiz May 3, 2012 @ 6:51 pm | delete
    Enjoy the greenness of the lens. Plus, the idea of making one'e own grocery bags reinforces the idea of reuse and self-sufficiency.
  • JaguarJulie Apr 24, 2012 @ 12:26 pm | delete
    I love the concept of making reusable grocery bags ... so many creative possibilities.
  • StacyBirch Apr 22, 2012 @ 6:50 pm | delete
    I like the idea of making your own bag because you can make them as fancy or plain as you want and if you're making them out of fabric scraps you are recycling at the same time...Great lens.

    We use reusable bags and plastic bags and then use them as small garage bags, because we have small trashcans in every room. We empty the bags into the larger trashcan before trash day, but reuse the same small plastic until it gets dirty from fruit skins or something else messy.
  • Pastiche Apr 22, 2012 @ 3:05 pm | delete
    I've been saving those big durable birdseed bags to cut up and make into totes. I have a collection of fabric, string, canvas and plastic fiber shopping bags I take to the market or grocery store. Been carrying my own bags since 1975 ...
  • WhiteOak50 Apr 21, 2012 @ 8:20 am | delete
    Nicely done! Leaving you with a "Earth Day Blessing"
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