How to Make Your Own Stuff Sack

Reusable cloth grocery bags provide an eco-friendly option for toting your purchases home from the store. Many people buy or make these bags with good intentions of using them, but quite often misplace or forget them at home. Make your own stuff sack grocery bags by attaching a stuffing pocket. When the sack is folded it is inserted into the stuffing pocket, creating a small packet that can be conveniently placed in your purse or glove compartment.

Things You'll Need

• 1/2-yard fabric
• Measuring tape
• Scissors
• 1-inch wide bias tape
• Iron
• Straight pins
• Sewing machine

Instructions

1. Cut two, 17-inch squares from the fabric for the sack body and one 5-inch square for the stuffing pocket. Cut two, 14-inch lengths of 1-inch wide bias tape for the sack handles.

2. Lay the stuffing pocket square on your ironing surface with the wrong side up. Fold one edge a 1/2 inch to the wrong side and press. Pin to hold the fold in place, but do not stitch. Lay the pocket wrong side up with the fold on the right-hand edge. Fold the top edge a 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. Fold another 1/4 inch, press and pin. Sew this pinned edge only, to create the top hem of the pocket.

3. Lay a 17-inch fabric square on your work surface with the right side up. Lay the pocket right side up on the bottom right-hand corner of the square. Match the bottom and right-hand edge of the pocket with the raw edge of the corner. Pin both side edges and the bottom edge of the pocket to the square, leaving the hemmed top edge unpinned. Top stitch the pinned edges of the pocket using a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

4. Lay the remaining 17-inch square on your work surface with the wrong side up. This is the back of the sack. Place the 17-inch square with the attached pocket on top with the right side up. Position the pocket in the right-hand bottom corner. Pin the side and bottom edges of the sack together. Sew the pinned edges using a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Trim the stitched seam to 1/8 inch.

5. Turn the sack wrong side out and press. Stitch the side edges and the bottom edge again. This will encase the raw edges, creating a French seam. A French seam will prevent fraying.

6. Fold the open top edge of the sack 1/4 inch to the wrong side and press. Fold another 1/4 inch, press and pin. Sew the pinned edge to create a hem.

7. Fold the length of each handle in half, matching the long edges. Iron and pin. Sew the pinned edges as close to the edge as possible. Lay the sack flat in front of you. Arch one handle above the top of the sack. Center the ends on the top edge of the sack and separate by 6 inches. Pin the ends a 1/2 inch below the edge on the wrong side of the sack. Turn the sack over and pin the remaining handle in the same way. Attach the handles using the sewing machine.

8. Turn the sack right side out. Lay the sack with the stuffing pocket face down on your work surface. The pocket will be on the left. Fold the sack in half from the right-hand edge of the sack to the left-hand edge. Fold the sack in half again from the folded edge to the left-hand edge. Turn the folded sack over with the stuffing pocket face up and on the bottom edge.

9. Fold the top edge down 4 inches. Fold down another 4 inches. Fold the last 4 inches down while inserting it into the stuffing pocket.