How to Make a Bread Wrapper Tote

Let your bread cool completely before putting it in your bread tote.

After you've baked a fresh loaf of bread, you may want to present it in an equally fresh way. You can make tote bags specifically for bread as a fast and easy way to make impressive gift wrap -- and the project is cost-effective, as well, since you make the bag with a large dish towel and ribbon. While baking a loaf of bread may take over an hour to make, these bread tote bags only take a few minutes.

Things You'll Need

• Dish towel, 27-by-18 1/2 inches
• Fabric scissors
• Thread
• Needle
• Fusible (iron-on) tape
• 1-inch-wide ribbon, 6 feet

Instructions

1. Fold your dish towel in half crosswise and cut to create two 14-by-18.5-inch rectangles. Put aside one of the halves; use it to make another bag in the future.

2. Cut off the folded hem along the edge of the towel to make the bag less cumbersome to work on. It also makes it easier for your recipient to slip a loaf of bread in and out.

3. Fold the fabric in half lengthwise with the wrong-side facing out and sew along the unfinished long and short sides of the bag.

4. To make handles for your bag, cut the ribbon in half to make two 3-foot pieces. Apply 1 1/2 inches of fusible tape to one end of the ribbon and iron the ribbon into place about 2 inches from the side of the bag. Use the manufacturer's directions on the tape to adjust your iron settings properly. Repeat with the other end of the ribbon; do not twist the ribbon. Repeat with the remaining piece of ribbon on the other side of the bag.

5. Reinforce the ribbon by stitching back and forth along the hem line three times.

References

• Saltwater Kids: 5 Minute Bread Bag Tutorial
• DLTK Kids: Sewing a Cotton Tote Bag