Reusable Snack Baggies (Tutorial!)

I've seen reusable snack bags around a lot and I've been wanting to make some for a while now. Last night I finally did! Would you like to make some too? Come along and I'll show you how.

Difficulty level: Mega Easy

Materials:
-oilcloth (I got mine here.)
-thread
-Velcro
-sewing machine
-buttons and hand sewing needle (optional)

Let's get started!

First off, I used the template provided in this great tutorial here. (This tutorial where I got the template from would also be a great alternative for you if you don't have oilcloth on hand. I found the tutorial by searching "reusable snack bags" in the search engine on One Pretty Thing. Thank you!)

So first go and print off your template.

Then cut out your template and tape it together as directed. (I used the snack size since my oilcloth scraps were on the smaller side.)

Lay your template on the back side of your oilcloth and trace around the template with a pencil.

As you can tell from the picture, the piece of oilcloth I was using was shorter than the template called for. I just lined up the top of the template with the top of my oilcloth scrap and made it the length of the scrap. It's just a little snack bag, so it doesn't really matter exactly what size it is, right?

Here's my scrap with the pattern traced onto it.


Cut out your bag shape.


Turn your fabric over so the right side is facing up.


Sew a zigzag stitch across the bottom of your bag. Be sure to back-stitch as you start and finish your stitching.


Be sure to change the stitch setting on your machine back to a regular straight stitch! I forgot to do this a couple of times and had to take out zigzag stitching on my velcro. Oops!

Next, cut a small piece of velcro from both parts of the velcro (the soft side and the scratchy side).


Now, with right sides together, gently fold the top of your bag shape (the part with the curved corners) in half.

Center your velcro on your bag piece. Carefully unfold bag piece with velcro in place. Place a piece of scotch tape over half the velcro to hold it in place while you situate your fabric in your sewing machine.

You can kind of see the tape in this picture. Once you've sewn the first line on your velcro, take off the tape and save it to use again in a minute.

Stitch around the four sides of your velcro and then sew and X through the middle to secure it.

It will look like this on the front.


Now, with wrong sides together, fold your bottom edge up until the bottom corners touch where the top flap just starts to curve in. (I explained that really badly... just look at the picture.)

Finger press along the folded edge.



Place the scratchy piece of velcro on the soft piece of velcro that you've already sewn on.


While holding your bag folded (along the crease you just made), fold the flap down. This will allow you to make sure your velcro pieces match up once the bag is finished.


Holding down the scratchy piece of velcro to the place where it will be sewn on the bag, lift up the flap.


Place your piece of tape over half of the velcro to hold it in place while you start sewing.


Once you've sewn your first line, remove the tape and save to use again in a minute.

Sew the same rectangle and X pattern on this piece of velcro that you sewed on the first one.


Your bag piece should now look like this, with the soft piece of velcro sewn onto the wrong side of the oilcloth on the flap and the scratchy piece of velcro sewn onto the right side of the oilcloth near your bottom edge.

Change the stitch setting on your sewing machine back to a zigzag stitch.


Fold your bag along the crease you already made and tape in place.


Starting at the bottom left corner (folded edge) stitch around the outer edge of your bag (bottom left corner up the left side, around the edge of the flap, and back down the right side, ending at the bottom right corner). Be sure to back-stitch at the beginning and end!

This is what your open baggie will look like from the back.

You're finished!

Now you can load up your baggie with some healthy snacks...

...and hit the road! (Or send your kid off to school.)


Or if you want to get really snazzy you can hand sew a button on top to cover up the stitching for the velcro on your flap.


Just go ahead stitch the button on so it's sturdy. It won't effect the performance of your velcro.

Note: Oilcloth shouldn't be washed in a washing machine. If your baggies get a little dirty or full of crumbs, just wipe them out with a damp or soapy cloth and they should be good to go again.

These four are going to my friend Melissa. Surprise! She has been working on a weight loss goal and has just dropped below 200 pounds! Way to go Melissa! I am so proud of you and so inspired by your commitment to be healthy! (If you'd like to follow Melissa on her weight loss journey, you can visit her blog FAT CHANCE here.) Melissa teaches grade school and takes a lunch with her every day, so hopefully these cute little baggies will make bringing healthy snacks from home more fun and enticing. Wouldn't carrot sticks be so pretty in that little black pouch with the orange button? Or celery sticks in the red pouch? Or apple slices? So fun!


I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial! If anyone makes some I'd love to see pictures!

Have a great day!

Speaking of toys...

I am in love. A lot. Click HERE.

Question

What, in your opinion, is the coolest/best/most worthwhile baby/kid toy and why?

And the winners are...

1. You win the finished tree-topper star!
and
2. You win the tree-topper star kit!

Congratulations winners! Your prizes will be mailed to you soon.
And thanks everybody who entered. It really made my day.
Have a wonderful Saturday!

Last day to enter the Giveaway!

Hey everybody! Just wanted to remind you that today is the last day to enter the giveaway! You all have until midnight tonight (Utah time) to enter
the giveaway for the little star tree-topper or tree-topper kit. Best of luck!

Also, if you're looking for more fun Christmas ideas, here are the links to the other Christmas stuff I've posted so far. If you make any please let me know. I'd love to see pictures! :)

Christmas decorations:
-Christmas countdown (cool paper chain)
-Quilted stocking
-Christmas tree-topper star

Gift ideas:
-toy ball
-reusable t-shirt grocery bags
-alphabet bean bags
-card books, tissue cases (scroll down a little in this post)
-baby/ toddler pants
-refinish some furniture--the easy way
-fabric and felt flowers

Tree-Topper Star How-to and a Giveaway!

A little while ago my sister-in-law Anna made this request of me:

I would like you to figure out some easy yet strikingly beautiful way to make a home-made star for a little Christmas tree.

Ta-da! I don't know about "strikingly beautiful", but I have finally made a tutorial for you, Anna. I hope it satisfies your request. Everybody else is welcome to use this too. The stars made from this tutorial work great on small Christmas trees and would look adorable on a small tree in a child's room. They could also easily be made into ornaments instead. And keep reading to the end of this post because you're going to get a chance to win one of your very own! Woot woot! Let's begin.

EASY! Since this tutorial was made with Anna in mind (and since she doesn't sew much) I will give very basic, detailed instructions. I think even if you have zero sewing experience and this is your very first sewing project ever you will still be successful. Let me know if you have questions about anything though!


These are the materials you're going to need:
-yellow felt
-dark yellow felt
-orange felt
-thick gold sparkly thread
-light yellow thread (all purpose or quilting)
-needle(s) (note: a regular hand sewing needle works great for the regular all purpose or quilting thread, but you are going to want a needle with a larger eye to use with your gold sparkly thread since it is so thick.)
-sewing scissors
-poly-fil (stuffing)
-a pencil or chopstick


Start with your yellow felt.

(I just got the cheap-o craft felt from the fabric store. This project would doubtless be even cuter with wool felt or fun fabric or something.)


Fold your yellow felt in half to cut out a star shape (2 pieces).

The star I used as a template was the star ornament/ tree topper that I made last year. You could just trace around a cookie cutter or find a star shape online to print and use as a pattern. Or you could really mix things up and just cut it out free hand.

My yellow stars measure about 4" across from point to point and about 4 1/2" tall from top point to bottom points.


Cut out your two yellow star pieces.
Cut out one slightly smaller star with your dark yellow felt.
Cut out one orange star slightly smaller than the dark yellow star.


This is what you should have now.


Using your sparkly gold thread, thread your needle, tie a knot on one end of the thread, and sew the orange star to the dark yellow star using a running stitch. Tie a knot, but don't cut your thread.

Using the same thread, sew your dark yellow star to one of your yellow stars using a running stitch.

I used a shorter length running stitch on the orange star and a longer length running stitch on the dark yellow star.


Tie a knot on the back. To do this, make a small stitch on the back of the yellow star so that it won't be seen on the front. When you have a small loop (before you pull the thread all the way through) bring your needle and thread through your small loop. This will allow you to tie a knot flush with your fabric. Do this a couple of times.

Next, make a long stitch starting from your knot and going in between your dark yellow star and your yellow star. Come up a little ways out. Pull thread tight. Cut thread close to where it came out. Now your thread end will stay hidden. Nifty, eh?

This is now what you should have.


Before sewing your yellow stars together, sew a piece of your sparkly gold thread through the back yellow star (the one without anything on it yet) using one single running stitch.

If you make this as an ornament instead of a tree-topper, skip the above step and the next step.


Bunch up the gold sparkly thread and pin it in place so the gold thread doesn't get in your way for the next step.


Place yellow stars one on top of the other with wrong sides together. (In other words, the top yellow star should have the dark yellow and orange stars facing out and the back star with the gold sparkly thread and pin facing out.)


With the yellow stars together use a double strand of light yellow thread to stitch most of the way around the edge of the yellow stars using a blanket stitch. Don't cut your thread yet.


This is about how big your opening will need to be. Stuff with polyfill as desired.


Use a pencil or chopstick to push the poly-fil into the points on the star.

Keep stitching until there is just a tiny hole (opening) left. Stuff the remaining point of your star with poly-fil as desired, using your pencil or chopstick as needed.



Finish sewing your blanket stitch around the edges and tie a knot the same way you did before, so the knot is flush with the fabric. Then, as before, hide your thread ends inside the star. And you're finished!

If you are making this as an ornament instead of a tree-topper, stitch a piece of your gold sparkly thread through the end of one of the points on your star. Tie thread to make a loop. Now you are finished too!


This is what your star should look like on the front.


And this is what it should look like on the back... after you tie a cute little bow that is completely unnecessary.

This is what it looks like on our puny little Christmas tree.

Yes, our tree is sitting on top of our coffee table/ TV stand. That's how small it is. But, hey, Anna did request a star topper for a small Christmas tree.



Here's a view of the back so you can see how the star is tied on.


The big O approves.

And now just because it's the season for giving, you have a chance to win one of your very own!

There will be two (2) winners.

The first winner will receive the lovely finished tree-topper star that I made for this tutorial.


The second winner will receive this kit to make their ow tree-topper star. Or they can make it into an ornament. Whatev.
The kit includes:
-2 yellow star pieces
-1 dark yellow star piece
-one orange star piece
-enough gold sparkly thread for this project
-enough light yellow quilting thread for this project
-enough poly-fil for this project
-a needle (note: this needle works great for the regular thread, but you are going to want a needle with a larger eye to use with your gold sparkly thread.)

To enter:
Leave a comment on this post. The end.
(Please include your e-mail so I have a way to contact you if you win!)

For a second chance to enter:
Become a follower of my blog (or tell me that you already are) and leave a comment telling me so.

This giveaway will close at midnight (Utah time) on Friday, December 11th, 2009.

In other words, this Friday is the last day to enter.

I will then cut up little strips of paper with all the comments on them and have someone (probably Bryan... maybe my niece or nephew) pull two out of a hat.
The first name pulled out will win the finished star.
The second name pulled out will win the kit to make their own.
That is how winners will be chosen.

The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all of you who entered!

Best of luck to you all! And if anyone makes these (or some cool variation of them) I'd love to see pictures!

To Do Today:

-finish sorting through maternity and pre-pregnancy clothes (again)
-change out of the size ten pants that actually, really fit (woo-hoo!), but push up my flabby belly in a not-so-flattering way
-eat breakfast
-change the big O out of her pajamas and into some real clothes
-help Sarah with her little project (if she braves the snow to come down the hill)
-make an easy tree-topper star to use as a demo for my tutorial for Anna
-finally write a tutorial on an easy tree-topper star for Anna
-post the tutorial for the tree-topper star for Anna
-wrangle up some sweet white elephant gifts for a couple of upcoming parties
-think of something for bridal shower gifts (Anyone have any great ideas? I can't even remember the last time I went to a bridal shower and I have two this week.)
-perhaps browse the blog world for some ideas of bridal shower gifts
-check the mail
-eat lunch
-watch this a few more times
-play with the big O (all day)
-feed the big O (all day)
-try and get the big O to take a nap (all day)
-make dinner (or get Bryan to make dinner)
-clean up whatever messes I make during the day
-write down on our little tag thing what service I did for Bryan and for someone else during the day
-read scriptures with Bryan
-read The Living Christ with Bryan (Our bishop has asked everyone in the ward to read this every day this month--so far we're doing good.)
-go to bed

Probably I will do other things today too, like breathe and wash some dishes or put things in the dishwasher or use the restroom or something, but you get the general idea.