How to Create a Lunch Tote

Taking your lunch to work or school can save money and ensure a healthy meal. If you want to be environmentally conscious as well as stylish, forget the store-bought brown paper lunch bags you use once and make a reusable lunch tote. This is an easy craft project for the whole family, and everyone can individualize his tote with fabric pattern, colors and decorative touches. Using outdoor fabric makes it easier to store in the refrigerator without damaging the material and makes cleaning the tote easier.

Things You'll Need

• 1 yard of outdoor fabric
• 1 10-by-10-Inch piece of cardboard
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• 16-Inch strip of trim, leather or ribbon
• Appliques, ribbon, stickers, sequins or other embellishments

Instructions

1. Cut the material into two 11-by-11-inch squares and four 18-by-10-inch rectangles.

2. Put the cardboard in between the two 11-by-11-inch squares and hand or machine sew the squares of fabric together, leaving a 1-inch allowance of fabric on all sides of the cardboard.

3. Hand or machine sew one 18-inch side of each of the four rectangles together. You will end up with a single long piece of fabric.

4. Fold one of the long sides of the fabric down about 1 inch and hand or machine sew a hem.

5. Fold the fabric along the middle 18-inch seam. Make sure the right side of the fabric is on the outside.

6. Sew the two shorter sides of the long piece of fabric to make a rectangular tube.

7. Pin the square piece with cardboard to one end of the tube; the right side of the fabric should be facing outward.

8. Hand sew the square piece onto the rectangular tube.

9. Use ribbon, leather or trim to create handles. Cut the material into two 8-inch strips and sew each piece onto opposite sides of the top of the bag, creating handles.

10. Add appliques, sequins, ribbons, stickers or any other decoration to personalize your tote.