It’s back-to-school time! Instead of a season’s worth of plastic bags and disposable extras, why not put together a cute reusable lunch sack, a matching sandwich wrap, and a few smart picks for thermoses and silverware? I made mine from an old pair of jeans, which meant minimal sewing and no fabric to buy. In fact, the whole project is simple enough that you might be tempted to let the kids make their own lunch sets!
I’m happy to have Amy here as my guest today. She’s sharing a great way to pack your kids’ lunch using reusable items you can make yourself.
DIY Reusable Lunch Set for School
Supplies:
- An old pair of jeans (a wide leg gives you the roomiest sack)
- Cotton fabric or a small cloth napkin for the sandwich wrap
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
- Scissors
- Straight pins
- Measuring tape or ruler
- Iron
- Sew-on Velcro
- Optional: extra fabric scraps for pockets or a silverware loop
- Stainless steel thermos or sippy cup
- Bamboo utensils
Instructions:
- Cut off a good length of the pant leg. I always think regular lunch sacks are too short to roll down and make a good place to hold, so mine is quite long. Turn it inside out and stitch the bottom end closed. Mine was hand sewn as I made it while at a cabin, but I’ll probably reinforce the seams with a machine so it’s sturdier.
2. To finish the bottom you’ll turn the bag right side out again and fold in the corners to make two triangles. Then sew those down flat. Think of those sturdy L.L. Bean bags.
3. Next hem the top of the bag (unless you’re lucky enough to find an old pair of jeans with hems still intact!). If you’re so inclined you could add some pockets inside or out and even sew a strip of cloth along the inside with a few loops to keep silverware in place.
4. This sandwich holder is little more than a cloth napkin with Velcro tabs to keep it wrapped tight. You could even use a small cloth napkin and skip the sewing. I simply hemmed the sides of a piece of cotton cloth, eyeballing it for size (you might want to lay a slice of bread on it to get an idea; don’t forget to factor in the hems!).
5. On the top left side you’ll tack down two pieces of the “grippy” side of the Velcro. On the right underside you’ll tack down two squares of the fuzzy side of the Velcro. Test it out before you sew them on permanently though so you get them in the right spot. The sandwich cover can be used as a napkin or laid down on the grass for a little picnic. Throw them in the wash just like you would cloth napkins. I’d make half a dozen or more so you always have clean ones.
That’s it, you’re ready for lunch!
We like stainless steel thermoses and sippy cups. They don’t give your water that plasticky taste or leach yucky chemicals into the drinks. Kleen Kanteen is a good one to try or Sigg if you want to get fancier. And if you’re packing things that require forks or spoons consider using bamboo utensils; it’s cute, inexpensive, biodegradable (throw it in your compost pile!) and renewable (it grows really quickly!). You can often find them at Whole Foods or Eco Bags. Now just add some healthy snacks and a shady spot under a tree and you’re ready to go!
The sandwich wrap doubles as a napkin or a spot to sit for a little picnic on the grass. Toss it in the wash just like your cloth napkins. Amy suggests making half a dozen or more so you always have clean ones on hand. Now just add some healthy snacks and a shady spot under a tree and you’re ready to go!
Thanks, Amy! These look easy and fun to make, and they help the environment while saving us money.
Originally posted: 8/18/09
Very Helpful and Informative post.
Very useful post, thanks for that.
Wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing.
This is so cute! I think I’ll make myself one of these. :) It’d turn heads at work. Lol. I think I’d make my lunch bag patchwork. I have different colors of jeans and that would be really cute. Finally found a use for the jeans I have that have broken zippers. I suppose you could line them too but that may make them kind of bulky. I don’t know. I’ll try it and see. I also think a button on the sandwich holder would hold it shut just as well as Velcro.
Thanks for the tutorial – I wound up making two of these (2 jeans legs!) for presents this just-past year – one for my brother for Christmas, undecorated, and one for my sister-in-law with a decorated initial & a PUL- covered cardboard bottom. They both loved them! So thanks again!
I like the folding cover/napkin idea; adds Class to a lunch bag. At some point in packing lunches for my kids, I nearly turned into my Grandmother, who washed and re-used plastic bags. I’m a little lazier; I save bread bags, cereal bags, etc. (Bread bags, I fold and tuck into the freezer, and No, not so much that they are falling out every time the freezer door opens). I put sandwiches in these bags, giving at least a second use. Especially good for Field Trips, when the teacher wants a Sack Lunch packaging that is Disposable.
This is such an excellent idea. I have extra scraps of material that I never knew what to do with! Your instructions made it easy too.
Awesone tutorial!
Reusable lunch bags are another great idea!!
I love the idea of using cloth instead of plastic baggies… and reusing clothes!
Great idea! I just pulled a pair of jeans out of my daughter’s closet that are too small for her. I could see my kids having fun personalizing them.
Many thanks! This is exactly what I needed to find.
We unschool and o a lot of outings, so I’m all into reusable food carriers. I’ll be linking from my blog as well :)
Very cool and I love how easily washable it is. Thanks so much for sharing. I’ll be linking. Off to check out Amy’s blog!
Reusable and adorable! Great ideas Amy…green moms everywhere need to see this!
Hope you don’t mind…I shared your ideas on Celebrations.com’s blog Life of the Party. Check it out! http://celebrations.com/lifeoftheparty/?p=1190
This is a great tutorial!!!! Think of all the waste we generate with our sack lunches and plastic baggies, and how using reusable items can reduce that.
I posted a link to your tutorial at Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-reusable-lunch-set/2009/08/18/
–Anne
That is too cute!!! I mean, seriously. Can you get any cuter?
And I love that it’s so earth-friendly!
Oh, and yes, it can of course be used without the plastic bag. Don’t store things long term, like in the fridge, because they will eventually dry out. But to wrap something up for a school lunch or picnic it’s perfect, better actually than plastic, because things don’t get so soggy since they can breathe more. You will probably get mayo or PB&J on the cloth, but just toss it in the wash like a cloth napkin!
Oh, that was just a sandwich that was lying around at the cabin. My husband’s grandma had put it in a bag for Sam (our 16mo. old) to take to the beach, but he didn’t eat it. I was just using it to size the fabric. I guess that is sort of a misleading picture! Later when we drove home to SLC we did pack some snacks using the new lunch set, minus the plastic bag:)
^^ oops I meant the middle photo of the sandwich bag, not the top photo
In the first photo it looks like you are using a plastic bag on the sandwich, inside the cotton cover? Why is this better than just using the plastic bag? Or can the cotton cover be used without the plastic bag?
Wonderful idea! Thank you!!!
Fabulous! I love these ideas.
Thank you so much for sharing these. They will make lovely gifts as well.
I love this idea! We might just have to make these.