Plastic Bag Holder Tutorial

Being as I have just recently began sewing, I don't have much in the way of a stash. However, I have found a love for buying fat quarters when they are on sale simply because they are only a dollar. I had yet to ever actually use one until today! As I was cleaning I found I have a million plastic grocery bags floating around my house. Being that I am the queen of procrastinating and putting off cleaning, I decided I should make a home for them! Well here i what I made!

Here is what you will need to reproduce this bag:

1 fat quarter

16 inches ribbon

2 pieces of elastic - 11 inches and 6 inches

Step 1: Make your casing on the top and bottom. Do this by folding down 1/4 inch and ironing flat. Then fold over 1/2 inch, iron and pen. 

Step 2: On the top, you will pin on your ribbon. I did mine 1 inch from the ends, however you can do them wherever you want. I see now I would have liked them to be further apart. So I would do them about 4 inches apart from each other when I make this again. Sew the along the edge of your fold to create the casing for the elastic. I used a 1/8 seam allowance.

Step 3: Put a safety pin onto your elastic and pull through the casing. Use the 11 inch elastic on the top and the 6 inch piece on the bottom. Pin at each end.

Step 4: Sew the elastic down at the edge of the bag on all four corners. Also sew the ribbon on top so it will not hang away from the bag. I went 3 times over each one to secure the seam.

Step 5: Pin the long sides right sides together and sew (I used a 3/8 seam allowance) making sure to go over the elastic a couple times. You could do a french seam to enclose your edges. I didn't because I put my ribbon too close to the ends.

Step 6: Turn inside out, stuff, hang, and enjoy!!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Most people put theirs in a closet, but because it matches my kitchen decor I figure it looks great in my nook beside the refrigerator!

Thanks for listening!

 * I'm linking up!