Cloth bags by TerreMum.etsy.com

Sending my daughter off to school with a packed lunch was going to get really expensive. Even though we reuse resealable plastic bags at home, it’s not really feasible to expect my 5 year old to remember to bring home her ziplocks when the lunch monitor is throwing all the trash away.

I imagine this happens to a lot of people who bring a lunch along, even occasionally, that you don’t want to haul around a plastic sandwich bag after the sandwich has been eaten from it. Enter, the reusable sandwich wrap. It’s perfect for bringing along, as well as a more attractive way to wrap up your BLT. And making it is simple. So simple, I would call this project a novice sewing project. You just need to know how to thread your machine, and change the stitch to zigzag.

The supplies I used are about 3 inches of hook and loop tape, oilcloth fabric (in this case I used polyurethane laminated cotton), scissors and a sewing machine.

Cut out your oil cloth, or other fabric you’ve chosen for your wrap. If you use oilcloth you don’t have to finish the edge, but if you chose quilting cotton or something similar you will have to hem the edges to prevent fraying. The shape you are cutting is best described as a slightly flattened octagon.

For a standard sandwich size the sides should all measure about 4 inches. If you measure from side to side the longest way the whole piece should be about 11 inches.

You will then attach the velcro to the wrap so that you can close it up. I applied the velcro tabs so that the shiny side of the fabric faced out, since I didn’t want the polyurethane all over my food. The hook side of the tape faces out from the shiny side, centered along the flattened side of the fabric.

On the machine, zig zag stitch around the velcro tab. You should go around twice so that you don’t accidentally pull out the stitches when you open the velcro.

Do the same with the hook side of the tape, situating it across the fabric from the loop side. The hooks should be facing the dull side of the fabric so that when folded over they make a connection.

Then you get to wrap it up like this (I used a folded up piece of quilting fabric to substitute for a sandwich):

To wash it, I recommend a quick hand wash in warm soapy water. Hang it up to dry, which takes almost no time at all. I wash them at night with the evening dishes and they are ready to go in the morning. Happy lunches!