Re-usable Sandwich Bags

At our house, we have 3 out of our 4 kids in school.  Three kids that never buy school lunch.  Therefore, we use an average of 4-5 sandwich bags per kid, per day.  That's a total of 12-15 per day, and 60-75 per week!!!  Now, that's a lot of baggies!!!  I've seen the re-useable bags on Pinterest & the internet, and wanted to make some, so I finally got around to it!!  ;)

I went to Hobby Lobby & didn't know what the fabric was called, so I explained it to the lady there.  She said it's what people make training pants for babies out of . . . but still no "name" for the fabric! ;)  (And like a dork, I didn't ask!! ;)  So - - whatever it's called. . . it's quite pricey!!  :(  It was between $12-$14/yd (depending on print)!!  However, I only got 1/2 yd & used my 40% coupon!!  :)

I must first say, (like I've mentioned a few times before), I do NOT claim to be an expert seamstress!!  I can make things, but my stitches aren't perfect!!  I had to tell myself, "Remember - these are sandwich bags. . . who cares how 'perfect' they are(n't)!!!"  :)

With that said - - here's what I did:

I used blue fabric - - there wasn't much of a choice. . . blue, green, baby dinosaurs or girly owls!!  :)  Now, with 2 boys & a girl in 6th grade. . . I thought blue made the most sense!!  ;)  I also used sew-on velcro.  I pre-washed the fabric, but wasn't sure if I could dry it, so I just laid it out to dry.  (It dries really quickly!! :)


The first few bags I made turned out a little too narrow for a sandwich, so they will be used for chips, fruit, cookies, etc!  :)  I ended up using strips that were 15 x 7", folding the top over 1" & just leaving a little gap between the top & the opening of the bag.  (And on some of the bags I made toward the end, I didn't even fold the top over - - just sewed the velcro right under the flap!!  ;)  I stitched around the top, sewed the velcro on, (apparently I didn't take a picture of that! :( , then sewed down the sides of the bag.  I added a little strip of ribbon to the tops of a few bags. :) I made a few small "snack-size" baggies with the extra fabric!!  (I didn't even worry about the raw edges being that this fabric doesn't fray!!  Once again - - they're only sandwich baggies!!  Had this been a gift, the stitches might have been a LOT neater!!  ;) 
I have to say - - this fabric is NOT fun to sew!!  The rubber-like lining kept gripping my machine & the silky top didn't hold still that well!!  :(  Therefore - my stitches were NOT pretty!!  However - they're done & now I have about 8 bags!!  8 bags from 1/2 yd - - which came out to about $3+!!  Not too shabby!!  I'm going to go back & get some green next!!  When the kids are done with the bags, I turn them inside out & wash them with dish soap & set them out to dry - - super easy!!  It takes a few extra seconds, but oh well!!  ;)  How's that for "goin' green" (or blue in this case)????!!!!  ;)  ;)