Updated
These DIY produce bags worked up a lot faster than I expected! They take about 15 minutes to whip up, so they are a fantastic last minute gift idea!
I’m continuing to make small changes in our lifestyle in order to reduce our waste output. The amount of garbage one little family can make is fairly alarming! So these reusable produce bags are a step in the right direction. The zero waste movement tugs on my heart strings and I’m always looking for ways to improve. And if I can turn those improvements into a DIY project, so much the better!
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I found the cute bee printed ribbon at my local sewing store, it was a great find! I thought it was really appropriate too, you know ‘save the bees, don’t fill their wildflower fields with plastic’. That’s how the saying goes, right?! Haha
I found this ribbon on Amazon, it’s similar to my bees. But you’ll likely find an appropriate ribbon at your local craft store.
Here’s what you need for this project:
Bee Ribbon, Cotton, 3/4 yard per produce bag, at least 3/4″ wide
Satin Ribbon, 1 yard per bag, 1/4″-3/8″ wide
White Cotton Voile Fabric, 1 yard will make 4 bags
I found some cotton voile at my local fabric store, it was about $12/meter, which is pretty inexpensive for 4 produce bags!
I used voile because it is super lightweight and you can mostly see through it. So it won’t add much weight to your produce and the cashier will still be able to read the stickers through the bag. 🙂
These DIY produce bags are seriously one of the quickest projects I’ve done. It’s really nice to start and finish a sewing project in one sitting! I actually gave these as Christmas gifts last year.
Zero Waste DIY Produce Bags
Measure and cut a 28″ x 16.5″ piece of voile. Fold it in half so it is 14″ wide and round off the open bottom corner. I just eye-balled this, it doesn’t have to be perfect. These zero waste produce bags are for functionality, not to win a beauty contest.
Sew a 1/4″ seam down the side and bottom of the bag.
Flip the bag inside out and press the seam flat.
Now you’re going to create a french seam by sewing 3/8″-1/2″ around, trapping the raw edge inside the seam.
With a french seam, your raw edges won’t unravel in the wash and you didn’t even need to drag out your serger! This seam will now remain on the outside of the bag.
Next, press down the top edge about 1/2″. (Again with the eye-balling. I never measure anything, lol)
Fold the end of your bee ribbon back on itself about 1/2″ and stitch it as close to the top edge of the bag as possible. When you get close to the end/beginning, cut your ribbon leaving an extra 1/2″, fold it under and stitch it down. So the ribbon ends will butt up against each other.
Then stitch down the bottom of the ribbon all the way around the bag too.
(Ignore the vertical stitch lines in the pic below, it was an unnecessary step.)
The bee ribbon now contains the raw edge of the voile.
Use a small safety pin to feed through a length of satin ribbon. Tie the ends together in a knot and now you can use it as a drawstring for your super simple DIY produce bags!
15 minutes, start to finish and totally gift-able. And cute too!
Looking for more zero waste projects? Check out this DIY Toothbrush Travel Wrap, so you don’t need to use plastic to transport your toiletries. And this Quilted Coffee Mug Cozy, so you don’t need to accept paper sleeves when you go for your daily coffee fix! Or this t-shirt upcycle into a cozy reversible cowl!
What are some ways you’ve tried to reduce the amount of plastic that enters your home? Tell me in the comments, I need some new ideas!
I love these!! I only got two bags that size from a yard though. I must have done something wrong. I’m using the rest to make some smaller bags for garlic, radishes, etc. Thank you!
Thank you for this 🙂 I could not figure out how to do this without overlock.
Do you have to round the bag or can it be done square edges?
You can leave the square edges but it will make it harder to do french seams.
These are great! I was wondering what fabric to use so the bags wouldn’t be too heavy. Great idea!
Do you find that the Cotton voile is durable enough to withstand shopping or would you go for something slightly heavier to increase durability?
The problem with something heavier is that it will increase the cost of the produce since they don’t take it out of the bag to weigh it at checkout. So it’s really up to you if you’d rather use a heavier fabric! I also chose the voile so that the upc codes on the produce stickers could be read through the bags. Thanks for reading!
I love how cute these are with the bees at the top! And it’s great that you can see through them, so you know what produce is in what bag. Excellent tutorial!
Thanks Elana! I was thrilled when I spotted the bee ribbon at the craft store, it’s so sweet!
I love that bee ribbon and the entire project! I’ve been thinking of getting or making some reusable produce bags soon because reducing our plastic use/waste output is a major family goal for 2019!
It’s a great goal! Every little bit helps when it comes to reducing our waste output. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂