How to Make a Reusable Grocery Bag with Better Handles

If you are here because you want to make a grocery bag with better handles, you are in the right place!

If you didn’t come for better grocery bag handles, it turns out you are in the right place too! 

I have previously shared a bag tutorial that is fantastic, but the handles could be better and that’s what today’s tutorial is all about!

These grocery bags are large enough to stuff full of boxes, cans and produce and the longer handles make them shoulder straps which gives the ability to carry the bag when stuffed full.

Making the Grocery Bag

The first part of making the bag follows the original tutorial, so I’ll keep those instructions quick and simple here.

One bag is made from ½ yard of one fabric and ¾ yard of a second and some batting or other interfacing.  The recipient of this grocery bag with better handles loves dark green, so I used a dark green as my outer fabric and a white hearts on gray fabric for my inner fabric and shoulder straps.

Cut two pieces 16½” by 20½” from each of the fabrics, and one piece 9” by 26” of the handles fabric.  If any of your fabrics have a directional print, make sure you are cutting pieces that are 16½” tall by 20½” wide.

With the two inner pieces right sides together, cut two 3” squares out of the bottom corners.  Repeat with the two outer pieces.  Again, if any of your fabrics have a directional fabric, make sure it’s the bottom corners that you are cutting.

Fabric Tags!

Before sewing the bag pieces together, I tucked a little DarcyQuilts quilt tag into the seam. If you are in need for fabric tags, I highly recommend EverEmblem.

Using a ¼” seam, sew the two inner pieces together on both sides.  When sewing the bottom, leave a gap of several inches.  This will be used to turn the bag right side out once all of the pieces are sewn together.

Repeat with the two outer pieces, but this time the bottom can have a single seam without the gap.

To box the corners, match the two seams (from the side and from the bottom of the pieces you just sewed.  Pin in place and sew with a 1/2” seam allowance.

Repeat with the other side, and with both corners of the other piece of the bag.  Turn the outer piece right side out, but leave the inner piece inside out.

Better Handles

The step that gives the grocery bag the better handles is a little bit of batting or interfacing.  I used batting because that’s what I had available, but a medium weight interfacing would work just as well. 

You will need two pieces, 4” by 26”.

Take the 9” by 26” piece of handle fabric and cut it lengthwise, so that you have two pieces 4½” by 26”.   Yes, the fabric is ½” wider than the batting.

Baste the fabric pieces to the batting or interfacing pieces.   There are a variety of ways to do this.   Some interfacing can be attached by ironing.  Batting can be basted with glue, or even with pins.

Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, fabric sides together.  Make a long tube by sewing along the long edge.  The ¼’ seam contains just fabric, none of the batting/interfacing.

Turn the handles right side out and top stitch a couple of seams ¼” or sew from each side.   This holds the batting in place and helps the handles to not twist when the bags are washed.

Putting the Bag Together

Place the outer bag into the inner bag and pin the raw edges of the handles flush with the raw edges of the inner and outer bag pieces. 

When sewing the seam that connects all of the pieces of the bag, the handles and the outer bag will be inside the inner bag.  The only thing you’ll be able to see at this point is the wrong side of the inner bag.

I know, I know.  At this moment, the inner bag is actually the outermost piece.  So confusing!

Using a ¼” seam, sew all the way around, securing the handles in-between the inner and outer pieces of the bag.

Pull the outside of the bag and the handles out through the opening left in the bottom of the inner piece.

Sew shut the opening of the inside of the bag.

Top stitch around the top of the bag, to help secure the seam that is holding all of the pieces together.  Keep the handles out of the way while top stitching.

And it’s just that easy to make a grocery bag with better handles!

And guess what?  It’s not just a grocery bag!  This was a gift for my book buddy so this particular grocery bag with better handles is actually a library book bag, those sturdy handles make it easy to carry far more books that your hands could hold!