Lunch Bag

There are a few things in life that begin to grate on my nerves after awhile. One is paper bag lunches. They’re just so... boring. They just sit there, all crumply and dull, and then you have to toss them when you’re done. So they’re crumply, dull, and wasteful. Not my favorite.

On a completely different note, another thing that gets to me after awhile is Minnesota winters. They just... don’t... end! Snow is all great and shiny when it first shows up, but after a few weeks of shoveling and snow emergencies, you’re so done with it.

Combine endless snowy days with boring bag lunches, and you’re bound to look for a way to change things up a bit. How about... a reusable fabric lunch bag that’s packed with yummy goodies to get you through the long days of cold weather? I know, how perfect is that?

So, let’s get started!

Take your fabric and fold it in half so it’s in two layers. Cut out a rectangle from each fabric that’s 10 inches by 11 inches, snipping through both layers so you end up with two rectangles of each fabric, like shown.

Trim a piece of cutaway stabilizer to fit your hoop, and hoop up one of your rectangles (one of the outside pieces, not the lining). You’ll want to hoop your fabric so the design is in the middle of the fabric, a little bit up from the bottom. We’re going to lose a lot of height on the fabric once we add the bottom, and we want your little monster to be in the right place.

Stitch away and in no time at all your have yourself an awesomely nummy monster.

Cut away the excess stabilizer, and then pin your two pieces right sides together. Sew a seam around the sides and bottom, leaving the top open. Be sure to backstitch at the ends.

While your bag is still inside out, take the bottom and flatten it out, like shown. Try and get the seams to line up with each other, so it’s perfectly level across.

Take your ruler and measure in two inches from the corners. Mark that line on both sides.

Stick your bag back under the sewing machine and sew a seam down the lines you just marked. Turn your bag right side out and push out the corners. If you like the shape your bag makes, then flip it inside out again and clip off the excess. If you don’t you can always take a seam ripper to it and adjust the width of the bag.

We’re pretty much going to do the exact same thing with the lining. Pin the pieces right sides together, and sew a seam down three sides, leaving the top open.

Fold the bottom flat again, and measure in two inches like you did before. Make your mark and sew the two seams.

Place the lining inside the other bag, pushing all the edges into the corners so it fits nice and snug. To finish the top, fold the two raw edges inside each other, and pin it in place all around your bag.

Take your bag back under your machine and sew a seam all the way around to finish the top and secure the lining and bag to each other.

Finally, to make a neat little closure for your bag, take a sharp scissors and poke a hole just under the top of the bag, in the middle. Poke through both layers of fabric.

Take your grommet and place the front and back pieces over the hole.

Take your hammer and your little grommet shape-y tools (technical term) and pound away to secure the grommet in place.

To finish it, take a small length of ribbon (enough to tie a pretty bow) and fold it in half to find the middle.

Fold the top of your bag shut to see where the grommet meets the back fabric. Mark this spot, and then tape the middle of your ribbon there. Tape to either side so it’s easy to sew in place. Sew a quick seam across your ribbon to hold it in place, and voila! Your bag is done! But wait... it’s not filled with its winter survival goodies yet!

To turn your already awesome reusable lunch bag into a truly awesome winter survival gift, you’ll need the following supplies:

• Graham crackers
• Chocolate
• Hot cocoa mix
• Big marshmallows
• Mini marshmallows
• Ribbon
• Large and small plastic bags

If you’re going to add the printed labels, you’ll also want a scissors and some clear tape.

Let’s assemble these mundane items into a truly adorable little winter kit. First, take a large plastic bag, and pour a few packages of hot cocoa into it, sifting it into one corner. I used about three packages.

Give it a healthy topping of mini-mallows, (one for me, one for the bag... one for me) and gather it at the top.

If you want your little package to look extra special, you can always use the matching stock art to make cute little tags. I made three little cute circle tags and one long tag for the chocolate. If you want to use the tags I used, you can download the PDF pattern. Grab a pair of sharp scissors and carefully cut them out.

I used the tip of a small scissors to punch a hole in the top of the label, and ran one end of the ribbon through it. Tie up your cocoa nice and pretty, and then trim away the excess plastic at the top to make a neat and tidy little bundle. See? How much cuter is that!

For the chocolate, break each little bar in half and layer them on top of each other to make a tasty little cube of chocolate. Put it in the corner of a small plastic bag, and then tape the excess plastic to the back and trim away the extra.

For that added fun effect, cut out the little label for the chocolate and wrap it around, securing it in back with some clear tape.

Wrap up your big marshmallows like you did the cocoa, and make a cube of graham crackers like you did with the chocolate. Take a long piece of ribbon and tie the crackers up like a little present, adding an adorable little tag at the top.

Place all your goodies that help warm even the most jaded of winter hearts into your little fabric lunch sack, and tie it up nice and neat.

The perfect gift to pick up those frozen spirits! An absolutely adorable, reusable lunch bag that’s totally earth-friendly and way cooler looking than that old brown thing...

...that opens up to reveal a spread of oh-so-yummy goodies to warm the heart and fill the tummy with chocolate.

A neat little s’mores set, complete with a few servings of decadent hot chocolate.

Don’t tell me that this sight doesn’t ease the aches of winter a little bit. A gooey warm s’more and rich hot chocolate overflowing with marshmallows....

MMMMMM...

*ahem*

That wasn’t me. That was craft bunny. It would be highly unprofessional of me to eat my props.

*urp*

When you’re done devouring your caloriffic bunch of chocolate, you can then fill your wonderful reusable lunch bag with healthy lunches to make up for all the sweets. It’s a greener way to have lunch, and a much more cheerful way too!