Ruffle it Up: The Ultimate Grocery Bag Tutorial

A dear friend had a birthday recently, and I made her a set of grocery bags. But I couldn't help myself, so I went ahead and add a ribbon drawstring, pockets, and make them fold up so she can carry them around easily. But they turned out the be pretty easy and I hope she gets lots of use out of them. I'll have to make a set for myself as well...

What You'll Need

(this is enough to make a set of 4 grocery bags):

1 1/2 Yards each of two coordinating fabrics
2 fat quarters, or 1/2 yard of third coordinating fabric
4 buttons, I used 1”
Coordinating 3/8” ribbon
Contrasting Thread

You’ll also need a cutting board, rotary cutter, clear ruler, scissors, a quilting pencil, an embroidery needle, a hand needle and of course your sewing machine.

Cut Your Fabric

Cut the following pieces from each of your 2 main fabrics:

2 pieces 10” x 38” (outside large)

2 pieces 6” x 38” (outside small)

2 pieces 10” x 6” (large pocket)

2 pieces 6” x 6” (small pocket)

Tip: If you are using 44” fabric, fold selvage to selvage, so that your fabric is 22” tall. Cut two pieces 10” wide and 2 pieces 6” wide. At this point you should have pieces that are 10” x 44” and 6” x 44”. Then trim 6” off of each piece and you will have all the correct pieces without wasting any fabric. If that’s confusing any way will work as long as you end up with the above dimensions.

Remember, I’m cutting enough to make four bags. Each bag will have one of each of the different sizes; a 10" x 38" piece and a 6" x 38" piece of the other fabric. Each should also have a 10" x 6" pocket of one color and a 6"x6" inch pocket of the other. Here's all the fabric laid out into each of the four bags which they'll belong to, see how each bag has two pieces of each fabric?

Cutting handles

Now we’ll use the two fat quarters to make handles. All four bags will have the same fabric for the handles. Fold your fat quarter in half the hamburger way so that it measures 18” x 11”.

Cut 4” strips, you will get 4 from each fat quarter with some fabric left over. Each strip will measure 4” x 22”.

From the leftover fabric cut four pieces (one for each bag) a small strip that is 1 1/2” x 4”.

You should have 8 long strips (2 handles for each bag), and 4 small rectangles.

You’re done with all the cutting! Phew. Now let’s set aside the materials for 3 of the bags, and from here on out I’ll focus on one bag. You can repeat the steps for the other bags or do them all at the same time, but I’ll show the steps for one bag so that it doesn’t get confusing.

Here are all the pieces you’ll need for one bag:

Now for putting it all together

Place the two long outer pieces face to face, pin and sew along the edge, leaving 1 inch open at one end, and finish the seam. I don’t own a serger so I just use a zig zag stich inside the seam allowance on the raw edges.

On the inch at the end we left, make a small 1/8" cut 1 inch from the end. Fold back each side to open it up, and sew them down. This will be for the hole we leave for the drawstring so we don’t want the edges to be raw.

On each short end of your long outer rectangle, iron down 1/4”, and sew.

Add the Pockets

On each pocket, fold over 1/4” at the top (the long end of the rectangle piece) and sew it down.

Fold in 1/4” along the other three sides, press.

Pin the pockets to each side of large rectangle, make sure each pocket is facing toward the end of the bag. Place in the middle of the bag 4” from the end of the rectangle.

Sew each pocket down on three sides, leaving the top open. You have pockets!

Create handles out of your contrasting long strips. On each short end, iron 1/2”.

Iron your fabric in half lengthwise, the open it up so you can see the crease.

Iron one side in half to the center crease. Repeat with the other side.

Fold in half lengthwise and iron.

Sew along all four lengths of the the handle. Repeat with the other long strip.

Follow the same steps above used for the handles for the smaller rectangle of the same fabric. Set aside.

Fold your large rectangle in half, right sides facing. Sew along each side and finish the seam.

Fold 1” down toward the inside of the bag, all around the top of your bag. Pin and sew, leaving room to later string the ribbon through. Be careful not to sew the two sides of the opening together.

Cut a piece of ribbon to 50” and pass it through you embroidery needle. Tie a little knot so that it doesn’t slide back through the needle. Remember that little hole we left open in the top hem earlier? Feed the ribbon through the top hem and back through the other side.

Tie a little bow. Now you can tighten the top of the bag if you need to to keep things from falling out.

Now let’s box and flatten the bottom of the bag. Using a ruler, mark a 2.5” x 2.5” square on each bottom corner of your bag with a quilting pencil, from the seam line on the side, and the bottom of the bag.

Cut out the squares (don’t worry!)

Pull the bag apart so that the side and bottom seams are in the center, and square becomes a straight line.

Pin and sew across the line, finish the edge. Repeat on the other corner.

Add the handles. Measure 3” from each edge on the top of your bag, below the drawstring space and mark. Sew the end of the handle down using an square and an X. Attach the other end on the other side using the same process. Repeat with the second handle.

Place the button loop along the center, inside the bag and sew it down at the same line that you sewed previously, so that it loops toward the top of the bag.

Turn the bag over so that the button loop is laying down toward the table. Fold the bottom up so that you can see it. Press the bottom.

Find the center of the bottom of the bag, on the same side that you put the button loop. Measure 3 1/2" straight up and make a mark with a quilting pencil. Attach the button at this spot.