Do you ever feel bad about how many ziploc bags you throw away? These homemade snack bags are the perfect solution. They’re also the perfect example of my saying “if I can do it, you can do it”. So easy to make. If you have a sewing machine, you can make your own homemade snack bags!
I first made these as party favors for my little girl’s second birthday party. While I try to stay away from candy as favors, it was a garden themed party and we had put gummy worms and such in cute watering cans and flower pots. Instead of doing cellophane bags for the kids to take the candy home in, I made these reusable snack bags.
They were so easy, I ended up making a bunch more. Now I use them instead of zip top bags. We put everything in them from snacks and bandaids, to hair accessories and socks… anything little (or big if you want to make them bigger).
I did a lot of research on what material would be safest to use… oil cloth, vinyl, food-safe fabric, etc. At first it seemed like there were a lot of options out there. But the more I dove into it, the more I realized you really do want to be careful what you use if food will actually be touching it. I finally landed on this amazing Etsy shop, “Laminates”. She has a TON of cute food-safe laminated cotton patterns.
Most of the fabrics are laminated on the front, which is fine. I’ve used them before and they work. But I personally got in the habit of using the “Laminated Cotton on Back” remnants. If you put something sticky in the bag, like a PB&J sandwich, it seems to wipe off a little easier. If you were feeling super fancy, she sells food safe vinyl that you could make your own laminated cotton. I’m not that fancy.
*Update: This particular shop doesn’t have any “Laminated on Back” anymore, but in her shop if you search for “food safe” a ton of cute options come up, check them out here.
I tried oil cloth, too. It was ok, but quite thick and bulky to work with. Whatever you go with, I found a great trick was to rub chap stick on the foot of the sewing machine so that it doesn’t stick to the laminated fabric.
DIY Homemade Snack Bag
What You Need
Assembly
You are basically sewing a square leaving one side open.
1. Trace two lengths of the zip-top bag on the back side of the material.
2. Cut the rectangle out, then pin each side of the Velcro on the top and bottom, looping the ribbon and pinning it in the middle underneath the Velcro.
3. Sew the velcro down making a rectangle around the edges.
4. Now fold it in half, still inside out, and pin the sides together.
5. Sew each side “about” an 1/8 inch in. I am NOT precise about this. Then flip it right side in, and Voila! A quick easy homemade reusable snack bag.
I like to make myself a little assembly line and do a bunch at once.
For bonus points, if you want to be fancy, you can sew buttons on as well.
And there you have it. An easy way to be a little more green.
You may also like these DIY projects:
DIY Fabric Circle Nursery Wall Decor
DIY Hanging Wooden Jewelry Box
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