Barbara Douglas- Stone Cottage Designs http://www.stonecottagequilts.com 

Supplies:

5/8 yard-3/4 yard fabric

Thread

Sewing machine

General sewing tools

This is a great way to use up those “what was I thinking” fabric pieces under a yard.

  1.      Cut one 22” x 36” Bag Panel ( Width may vary from 18”-22”)

   Cut two 3” x 20” Handle Straps.

2.      Using the two 3” x 20” handle straps, fold in half lengthwise. Pin, and stitch along all raw edges, leaving an opening in the long edge. Turn handles right side out using the opening. Press handles flat. Top stitch around all edges.

3.      Using the bag panel, fold the end toward the back ½”, press. Fold the folded ends again ½”, press.  Pin and stitch along the inside folded edge. These two ends create the top edge of the bag.   

4.      On these finished ends mark for handle placement. Along each 22” edge measure in 6” from both raw edges, pin-mark. 

5.      Pin handle ends to the front side of bag at pin-marks.  Match the handle ends to the top edge of the folded edge. Be careful not to twist handle.  Repeat with second handle. 

6.      Stitch across the handle ends along the top stitch line of the bag panel. 

7.      Fold up the handle strips. Pin in place. Secure the handles with a crisscross stitching. 

8.      When handles are in place. Fold the bag panel in half with wrong sides together matching the side edges and the top finished edges.  Pin sides in place. Stitch the side seams using a scant 1/8” seam.  Turn the bag wrong side out. Press seams.  

 9.       With right sides together, using a 3/8” seam, sew over the pressed seams creating a French seam for added safety.  The French seam makes a nice finished seam.  (All seams may be stitched on the wrong side using a ¼” seam and a safety zig-zag stitch or serger.)  Repeat with the second side seam.  Press the bottom fold of the bag to use as a guide in step 10

10.  At the bottom corners, match the finished side seams to the “pressed” bottom-fold, creating a triangle of the corner. Measure in 4” from the point of the triangle.  Using the ruler draw a line across the point as a stitching line.  Pin in place.  

11.   Stitch along this drawn line.  Sew a second stitching line ¼” from the first, in toward the point.  Cut off the point just beyond the second stitching line. Reinforce this cut edge with a zig zag stitch along the raw edge over the second line of stitching. 

12.  Turn the bag inside out and press.  Your bag is ready to fill with groceries.

For  a PDF verson Go Green Grocery Bag