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Step up your sustainability with these DIY reusable produce and bulk food bags. These work so much better than plastic bags, there’s less waste, it’s the perfect addition to a sustainable lifestyle.

Whenever people use single-use plastic bags for produce, they’re usually too flimsy to be used again. And they’re often not the best solution for storing fresh produce and bulk items.

Knowing how to sew is a good skill to make your own bags. This also means you can make more bags for a fraction of the price. And, you can make the bags however you want, including the style and fabric.

Included in this guide is how to make DIY reusable produce and bulk food bags. The only differentiating factor between the two is the size and fabric type.

I chose to make my produce bags open both lengthwise and widthwise for easy packing.

Table of Contents

What Fabric to Use

It’s always important to use fabrics that are light, as there’s often no way to take the weight of the bag off at most checkouts.

Using natural fabric to store your vegetables helps them to last longer at home than they would in plastic. This is because natural fabrics absorb and allow extra moisture and air to pass through. Plastic traps air and moisture and can cause fruit or vegetables to go bad faster.

That being said, feel free to use any type of fabric. The main part of being a creator is make something unique to what you want.

Many reusable produce bags are made out of a mesh fabric, and even a stretchy mesh. These make them light and it’s easy to distinguish what’s inside of the bags.

I didn’t want to have a mesh bag, because I was worried it would tear or snag easily. Instead I went with a white cotton voile, it’s soft and pretty easy to see through for the produce bags. For the bulk bags I went with a calico, because it’s a bit thicker.

The best advice for deciding on a fabric is just to feel the fabrics and decide. Keep the price in mind too, it doesn’t need to be expensive.

Pro tip: Always check the discounted fabric section, or the odds and ends pieces for great fabric prices.

How to Make DIY Reusable Produce and Bulk Bags

Materials

Fabric
- Produce Bags: 112 cm width by 70 cm length makes about five bags
- Bulk Bags: 112 cm width by 40 cm length makes about five small bags
Sufficient cord
- Produce Bags: About 2.8 meters for five bags (three upright and two that open width-wise)
- Bulk Bags: About 2 metres for five small bags
Matching thread
Sewing Machine with regular foot
Fabric scissors
Pins
Tape or safety pins (for threading cord through bag)
Iron (optional)

Method

Makes five produce bags 30 cm by 20 cm and/or five bulk bags 20 cm by 15 cm.

Cut the fabric
No matter which fabric you use, start by folding the fabric in half lengthwise. Or so that the fabric is either measuring 35 cm length or 20 cm length for the produce and bulk bags, respectively. Cut the fabric into fifths, so that you have five equal pieces. I made the bottom of the bags round to prevent lint from building up in the corners.
Pin each bag
With the fabric still folded, pin the fabric of each bag together around the edges. This is to make sure the fabric doesn’t shift too much while sewing and so that the fabric isn’t crooked.
Sew the sides of the bag
Sew the two sides of the bag with a 1 cm seam allowance. Remember to only sew the two longest sides if you left the fold uncut. Otherwise sew three sides.
Neaten the raw edges of the seams
After sewing together the sides of the bags, do a zig zag stitch or use an overlocker or serger to finish the edges. This prevents the fabric from fraying.
Press with an iron or sew the top
Still working on the wrong side of the bag, take in the top of the bag. With an iron press the raw edge of the fabric outwards by 1 cm. If you don’t have an iron, I just do the same by sewing. So fold the fabric out (towards the outside of the bag) and sew.
Fold the fabric again and sew
Fold the fabric again by 1 cm, unless your cord is thick, then fold more. Sew a half a centimetre to the edge of the fold towards the inside of the bag.
Cut the fabric and cord
Depending on the size of your bags, cut the cord accordingly so that it goes around the top and there’s extra to tie a knot. Flip your bag right side out. Make a small cut in the fabric fold near the side, where you just sewed on the outside. One cut should be sufficient.
Pull the cord through
Either with a safety pin, or taping the end of the cord, snake it through the top fold of the bag. After pulling the cord completely through, tie a knot with both ends of the cord together. Now your bags should be finished.