Toolbox
- plastic shopping bags
- scissors and paper trimmer
- parchment paper
- iron and ironing board
- fabric
- thread
- sewing machine
- sew-on Velcro
- straight pins
As brilliant an invention as disposable zip-top baggies are, they are potentially very wasteful as well. How many of them do you think we’ve thrown away this year just from lunch sandwiches alone? Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it! Instead, I want to show you how to make a reusable sandwich wrap that not only replaces zip-top bags, but it even recycles some of those pesky plastic shopping bags. And if being “green” by recycling and reusing isn’t reason enough to make these, how about this — we’re going to make them crazy cute with personalized sayings!
The first step is to make some sheets of fused plastic. Fusing plastic is an easy idea — you basically layer some plastic shopping bags together, put the stack between pieces of parchment paper, and iron them together so that they meld into one thicker sheet. However, in practice, I’ve found that it’s quite a variable operation. The temperature of your iron and the thickness of your bags make a huge difference, and the key to this technique is to PRACTICE on scraps first. You’ve got to keep the iron moving, but too slow or too fast and it won’t work. Too hot or too cool and it won’t work. My iron seemed to work best on the Wool setting, but yours may be different. While you can use any type you want, I’ve found that thicker ones (like Target) work better than thinner ones (like Walmart). I can’t emphasize this enough… you’ve got to PRACTICE to get a feel for it before you can get good results. Once you’ve got your iron and your bags figured out, making bigger sheets of fused plastic will be much easier.
Okay, have you practiced enough to be confident with the process? Ready to do this for real now? If so, go ahead and cut the bottoms and handles off of some plastic shopping bags. Cut away any parts of the bag that are printed and make a stack of 3 or 4 layers that are at least 16″ x 16″.
Now sandwich the layers between two large pieces of parchment paper.
Here’s where things are gonna get fun. Take a look at that stack of bag scraps you cut away. In particular, the printed parts of the bags. Odds are you’ve got a Walmart bag in there with the famous “Save money. Live better.” saying on it. It just so happens that those are exactly the letters you need to spell “I love you”. Well, okay, you’ve got to turn the “n” upside down to make a “u”, but it still works! Go ahead and cut the letters out with scissors.
Arrange your letters in the middle of your fused plastic sheet. You can try to line them up perfectly, but I personally like them a little crooked. It’s cuter that way. Then take one more large sheet of plastic bag and lay it carefully on top.
Put the parchment paper back on top and run the iron over the entire piece again, just for a few seconds, to fuse the new top layer down. This will hold the letters in place, and you should be able to see them easily through the top layer. I had fun with my messages, and besides “i love you”, I also wrote “eat” and “yummy”. You can use letters from whatever bags you like to spell whatever message you want. So many possibilities!
Food Safety Warning: There is some debate over whether or not plastic grocery bags are food-safe for wrapping around sandwiches. If you are concerned about the possible dangers from the plastic bags, we recommend that you cut open a gallon-size, clear, plastic food storage bag (like a Ziploc) and fuse that over top of the final layer of grocery bag. This will ensure a food-safe surface for your sandwich. We have experimented with this process and it works very well, but just be sure to only iron for a few seconds.
Now it’s time to do some sewing. Plastic is boring, so we need to jazz these up with pretty fabrics! With your plastic totally fused and your crazy cute messages in place, use a paper trimmer to cut the sheet of plastic down to a 12″ x 12″ square. Then cut a piece of fabric to 14″ x 14″. (Go ahead and grab some sew-on Velcro and coordinating thread, too.) Place the fabric face down on the table and place the plastic face up in the center.
The pinning process that comes next is a little hard to explain, so I’m going to take my time and use lots of pictures. Hopefully you get the idea.
You should have one inch of fabric sticking out on each side of the plastic. Starting with one side, fold the fabric in on itself, so that the end comes just up to the edge of the plastic.
Now fold that fold over again, so that the cut edge of fabric is hidden away, and the fabric comes down over the plastic by a half an inch. Pin it in place a few times along the side.
The corner is a bit tricky. Grab the end of the part you just folded twice, and fold it in, forming a triangle.
Now make the same fold you did when starting the first side — bring the edge of the fabric up to the edge of the plastic.
Then make the second fold from before, this time bringing the fabric over the plastic, covering it by a half an inch. You should have a nice mitered corner!
Pin it in place, then continue like this around the other sides, until your piece is all pinned and ready to sew.
Use your sewing machine to sew the fabric down where pinned, as close to the inside edge as possible. Go all the way around the piece, securing the fabric and plastic together on all edges.
Now grab the hook/rough side of your sew-on Velcro and cut a 1″ piece and a 2″ piece. Then grab the loop/fuzzy side and cut a 1″ and a 2″ piece of that. You should have four individual pieces altogether. (I got lucky and found sew-on Velcro in lots of different colors at my local Hobby Lobby store. How awesome!)
With your sandwich wrap plastic-side-up on the table in a diamond shape, put the 2″ piece of loop/fuzzy Velcro at the top corner (12 o’clock) and pin it in place. Put the 2″ piece of hook/rough Velcro on the right corner (3 o’clock) and pin it in place. Then flip the bottom corner (6 o’clock) up and put the 1″ piece of hook/rough on the fabric side and pin it in place. Finally, flip the left corner (9 o’clock) up and put the 1″ piece of loop/fuzzy Velcro on the fabric side and pin it in place.
You got that? Let’s go over it again to be sure. If you don’t get this right, the wrap won’t work! The 2″ pieces are on the plastic side, and the 1″ pieces are on the fabric side. Opposite corners have opposite rough or fuzzy pieces so that they will connect. Go ahead and try it out with the pieces pinned in place and make sure they match up before continuing. I would hate for you to have to take them apart and re-sew!
Okay, are we good? Good. Now secure the Velcro in place with the sewing machine by sewing around the edges of it in a rectangle.
Hey look. You’re done!
To use the wrap, just place your sandwich in the center, and fold it up as follows: Fold the left corner in. Fold the right corner in, pulling tight, and secure with the Velcro. Fold the bottom corner up. Fold the top corner down, tightly, and secure with the Velcro. Ta-da!
These wraps even make a great placemat for your lunch when you open them.
But my favorite part is the words printed inside. What brightens up a day better than a special message from the loved one who packed your lunch?
I made a bunch of these in different colors, so that I’ve got enough for a week’s worth of lunches. These wrappers can be wiped clean and re-used, or you can toss them in the washing machine. Just do NOT put them in the dryer, or they might melt!
They’re so cute and easy that I’m totally hooked and want to make more. Jo has already asked me to make some for her, and I know my niece will want some. Hey, I just realized I can spell “emily” with the letters on the bag, so I’ll be able to make her some personalized ones with her name!
What a great gift idea a bunch of these would be for… gosh, just about anybody!
53 comments so far:
fantastico, bonito, ingenioso y útil.
voy hacer varios.
Gracias por compartirlo.
I love this idea. My only question is washing instructions. Do you just wipe them out? Have you tossed them into the washer?
Thanks Bris!
Amanda, I’m not sure if they will survive the washer or not. My plan is to just wipe them clean, but I’ll throw one in the washer today and let you know how it does
Curious, from a food safety standpoint, do you think the plastic is safe to put food on top of? I’ve been wanting to make something like this for a while but haven’t figured out the safest method. Was thinking about beeswax coating fabric as an alterntaive too.
are they safe ?
Hi Dana J. I figure that if the plastic bags are safe enough to put groceries in at the store, they’re safe enough to touch your food
I don’t think it stands to reason that just because something is safe to put groceries in that it will be food safe!!
Chemicals can leach out of many plastics and non-food-safe plastics often have coatings or inks on them that make them unsafe to touch food!
When groceries are in the bag its the packaging that the bag touches…produce that touches the bags will be washed before eating.
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/ftsep04.htm
Seriously Cool!!! Love it!
Thanks everyone for your concern about the safety of using grocery bags as sandwich wrappers. While we feel it is safe, there appears to be some public debate over the possible harm from having your food touch the plastic. If you are concerned about this, please try our new solution that I’ve just added to the post above, which is to use a layer of clear, plastic, food storage bag as the final top layer of your fused wrapper. This will seal it and protect your sandwich from the grocery bags.
Good news, Amanda. I washed one of my wraps in the washing machine and it came out great! Just be sure to line dry them, though. I think they would melt in the dryer
This is a great idea, love it.
This is fantastic. I haven’t had the sewing machine out for ages but I’m definitely inspired by this.
Thanks so much for kindly sharing all your brilliant ideas.
These are TERRIFIC! I love this project and will have to get some plastic bags (sadly, the stash of plastic bags is nonexistent since I switched to reusable bags). As a food safety professional, if the wraps are washed first then they will be fine for food use. Not any different than washing a new plastic container prior to use, IMHO.
FANFLIPPINTASTIC IDEA HERE! Thank you!!!
♥Dig♥
Awesome Idea!
As soon as my sewing machine is out of storage, I will be whipping up a lot for family!
Thank you!
What afanastic sustainable, easy, useful, and cute idea!!!!
You guys rock!!!
BTW I am having a fabulous Le Creuset cookware GIVEAWAY worth $66.95!!!
For details see:
http://birdcrafts.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-celebration-and-le-creuset.html
And good luck!!
Found this via flickr…I love it and think if you use freezer bags I think it would be fine, if people dont like it, dont make it! Simple.
Thanks for sharing.
Leah, so glad you found us through Flikr! Welcome to our site!
what a waste of energy. the fumes alone are reason enough not to try this. what happens if you use a cooler .your sandwhich gets wet .
Love this idea! I waste a ton of ziplocs on snacks for the lunch. I’m making a bunch of these up.
THANK YOU so much for sharing this.
Jim, you are right. If you use a cooler with ice that will melt then your sandwich will get wet. Best to stick with a Ziploc bag in that case.
you know you often find projects on the internet that are really great, but quite often repetitive… this idea is so creative! thanks so much for sharing!
Seriously, I’ve seen the fused bag thing before, and the sandwich wrap idea too (which I thought was brilliant but couldn’t afford the steep price tag on the products), but something about your tutorial and the way you’ve explained it and photographed it so clearly, just makes it seem so doable, so much more so than any other sandwich wrap tute I’ve ever seen (even those in published books)! Seeing this, I feel like I just have to do this, and though I will refrain right now (it’s past 9:30 pm and like 40 degrees outside, don’t think I’ll be opening any windows tonight), I hope to have a stack of these before the weekend is over. Thanks so much, for making this something I can’t possibly not try. :0)
This is so cute! I linked on my Treasures for Tots Facebook Fan page!
http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Treasures-for-Tots/189979926301?ref=ts
Come link your cute tute at my party: Thursday’s Treasures!!
http://treasuresfortots.blogspot.com/2010/02/thursdays-treasures-week-8.html
beca, thanks for the compliment, and you’re welcome!
Michelle, we really appreciate your lovely comments. Our goal is to make our tutorials exactly how you’ve described them, so we are tickled pink to have made such an impression on you. We would love to see the wraps you create, so please send us a photo or upload one to our Flickr group. Have a wonderful, crafty weekend!
Angie, thanks for the link, and we’ve added one to your tute page as well! We’ve become fans of your Facebook page and hope you’ll do the same for ours!
Wow – this is inspirational!
With three kids I go through an awful lot – and I do try to wash and reuse them but it doesn’t always happen. I’m making this a family project for next week end! Thank you so much for sharing such a great idea and keeping it simple
Crafty, we would love to see pictures of the ones you make if you would share them in our Flikr group.
Thanks for the great tutorial! I have some concerns about the safety of using any plastic inside. Most plastic bags (even those considered “food safe” like Ziploc) contain PVC which is highly toxic. I thought about using ripstop nylon but I heard it is coated with Teflon– not exactly ideal to be touching food. Anyone have any other alternatives? Not crazy about my kids carrying around glass jars with snacks.
These look really cute when they are finished!
I have made these from PUL before… we actually used ours yesterday for a trip to the zoo. Love them! I wanted to comment though becuase I think your idea of putting the words under the sandwich is pure genius! What a great little note.
Blessings,
Val
Val, thanks for your comment. I really love the messages too
I have been practicing all weekend with really poor results, I’m so sad about that but will keep trying! I tried the wool setting but my bags shrank up when they fused. I didn’t see a mention of shrinkage in your tute so I was wondering if you (being the expert on these) had a lot of shrinkage when you fused your plastic? Thanks for a fantastic site and great ideas!
<3 Kelli
Hi Kelli. It took me a lot of practice before I got it right, so keep trying. If your plastic is shrinking, then the iron is too hot. Try a lower setting. I noticed that the thinner bags shrink more and require a lower setting than the thicker ones did. Let us know how it goes!
I love this idea. I’m working on beginning sewing classes for young moms and this would be a really great class. Now I have to make some myself.
Thanks, I’ll make sure to have everyone check out your website!
Hi Bunny! This is a great project for a beginning sewer. Have you seen our Sewing 101 video series? You might like to share it with your students.
I also love the messages underneath, and thank you for adding the suggestion to use cut apart ziploc on top! I came over from Treasures for Tots, and I linked to this on my weekly roundup, the post is under my name. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic! My daughter and I are planning to try this out over Spring Break! What a great idea!!
What a fun idea. I think I will make one or 2, it is a rainy day and I have the materials. I expect that my boys will laugh at me for being so frilly with such a fancy sandwich cover – but I like it when they laugh.
aww, these are so cute =3 I must try these…
Great idea! I made some of these for my grandson from fabric scraps left over from his baby quilt and shirts with matching snack pouches also with Velcro closings. They are so cute! I found that the food storage bags may melt at a lower temperature than the grocery bags so recommend experimenting. I thought there was a difference between brands as well.
I had trouble with getting the cut out letters to stay where I wanted them because of static electricity, so I found another way to decorate the inside. You can write on the fused bags with permanent markers, then fuse one more layer on top or your food storage baggie to seal it. Won’t interfer with the fusing. And with supervision you could let the kids decorate their wrappers if you have the little ones around.
Elizabeth, I love the idea of just writing on the bags with marker. I never thought of that! Thanks for sharing your idea, and we’re so glad you had fun making these wraps for your grandson
Also good for cereal bags… Something I learned from another blog.
I heart this you may just be my favorite ever
Antoinette, that’s a great idea to use cereal bags!
Justine, aww, thanks so much
Not sure if it was mentioned or not but you can use the plastic from cereal box inserts for your wraps. I’ve been saving the plastic from my cereal boxes and plan to make some reusable food wraps. As these are food grade plastic, there should be no health concerns if people want to use this type of recycled plastic.
Hi RecycleCindy. We love the cereal bag idea and think it’s a fantastic way to recycle. Thanks for making sure we knew about it!
i’m now gonna save the world!!…. with my sandwich bag
I LOVE these!! My only question is: will they really keep your sandwich fresh until lunch? No dry corners? SERIOUSLY?!!! I can’t wait to try them!!
Hi Audra. The wraps should keep the bread fresh as long as you wrap the sandwich pretty tightly. Give it a try and let us know how it goes
I have been practicing with my fusing to get this right before I start making them. I stumbled across this the other day and was wanting to use fused plastic to make reusable sandwhich bags for a while. I just never knew if they were food safe to use. I am realy big into upcycling and making reusable items. I have tons of cute fabric laying around I am going to use for these. I have found in my practicing that using a double layer of the ziplocks make it stronger and you don’t have to worry about holes from melting at too high a heat. I am also trying to find a way to make snack bags using the fused plastic for chips and other stuff.
Victoria, we love the way you think. Let us know what you end up creating!
Does anyone know if unused trash bags are food safe to use for these? I am also wanting to start a small buisness making upcycled and reusable items. I will let you all know how it goes.
Ohmygawd that’s ADORABLE!!!!!