How to Make Easy One Hour Reusable Grocery Bags with Shoulder Straps

My city has outlawed the use of disposable plastic grocery bags. And they charge for paper bags. Keeping a stash of reusable bags in the car has become a necessity. I’ll be honest, half the time I forget them in the backseat while I go in to shop. Or, I forget them in the house after unloading the groceries. Either way, I rarely have them when I need them.
The solution, have dozens.

And, the holidays are coming. If you are anything like me, you want to Make. All. The. Gifts.

It seems like a great idea every year, but it never quite pans out. Not everyone likes the same kinds of hand made things that I do. I’m actually completely opposed to knick knacks of all kinds. No one needs a new quilt every Christmas and birthday. Well, I might. But I’ve got a small house, so even for a quilt lover, that’s not practical.
I can’t make ALL the gifts. For one thing, I don’t have infinite amounts of free time. That’s what is so awesome about these Easy Reusable Grocery Bags.

As I wrote this tutorial for you, I made two bags in 75 minutes. That included stopping at every step to take photos so that you can make them too. Skipping the photography step would have made these even faster. Also, my sewing machine decided today was the day to break the thread every few minutes. I even broke a needle. Clearly, I was not sewing as efficiently as I could, and I still got two done in just over an hour.
I feel like I can confidently call these the Easy One Hour Reusable Grocery Bags. And that’s for a pair. Even faster if you only plan to make one.
Have I sold you yet on why you need to make these (or six) bags for yourself or your family and friends?
Okay, I’ll keep selling.
They have shoulder straps!

Have you ever noticed how the cashier will load your reusable bags up much fuller and heavier than disposable plastic bags? I mean, they are much sturdier, so it makes sense to fill them fuller. As someone who tries to get all the bags in from the car in one load, no matter how many, I do appreciate having fuller bags and less bags to carry. BUT. It’s hard to carry heavy grocery bags. I feel like the muscles are going to pop right out of my forearms.
Enter, shoulder straps. I can carry as many of these bags as I need to, in one trip, and still have my hands free for car keys, stopping by the mail box, coffee. You know, all the things.
Now I can call them the Easy One Hour Grocery Bags with Shoulder Straps!
These bags are amazing. They’re versatile and practical. Make a dozen!!! (You’ll want to keep those for yourself and then you can make more as gifts.)

Easy One Hour Grocery Bags with Shoulder Straps

Supplies for a pair
1¼ Yards of Two (2) Coordinating Fabrics
Supplies for a single bag
2/3 yard of one fabric
½ yard of a coordinating fabric
or
5 fat quarters (2 matching pairs, the 5th can be the same fabric as one of the pairs, or a coordinating 3rd print)

All directions are for two bags, double or triple or quadruple as needed.
You do not need to pre-wash fabric, but it won’t hurt if you do.

Iron fabric, and fold selvages together, with right sides of fabric together.
If you are comfortable cutting two fabrics at the same time (through 4 layers of fabric) you can, but no more than two at a time. Line up the fabrics along the fold line.
Trim edges to straight.

Cut two strips 3 inches wide from each fabric. Trim to 3 inches by 26 inches. These are the shoulder straps.

If using fat quarters, you will need to piece the shoulder straps by sewing 2 3-inch strips together and them trimming to 26 inches. Repeat for two straps per bag.

Cut two strips 18 inches wide.

Trim both the folded edge and the selvage edge to square. Your pieces should be 18 inches tall by 20-22 inches wide, depending on the original width of fabric. This measurement is not important, you just want all 8 pieces (4 from each fabric) to be exactly the same.

Sew all 4 shoulder strap pieces into a tube, along the long, right sides together.

Turn the shoulder straps right side out. I think the easiest way to do this to attached a safety pin at one end, and push it all the way through the tube.

Iron flat, and top stitch both edges along the length of the shoulder strap. Your shoulders straps are done! Set them aside to attach to the bag later.

Pin together the bottom and both sides of each pair of bag fabric. If making two bags, you should have 4 pairs.
Using a ½ inch seam, sew three sides of each pair, leaving the top side unsewn, and leaving a 4 inch gap unsewn on the bottom side of the pair that will be in the inside of the bag.

I use double needles to make the unsewn section, it helps me remember to stop and start in the right places. This unsewn gap will be used later to turn the bag right side out.

Cut a 3 inch square out of each bottom corner of all pairs.

Match the seam, pin and sew the corner. This makes boxy corners for the bag.

Leave inside fabric inside out, turn the outside fabric right side out.

Pin the shoulder straps, edge to edge, 5 inches from each edge. Take care to ensure the straps are not twisted, but lay flat. Sew a ¼ inch seam to baste the straps to the bag.

Put the outside part of the bag, inside of the lining fabric, along the edge the fabrics are right sides together.

Match the seams, pin every few inches. Take care that the shoulder straps are not caught up but hanging loose between the bag and the lining.  I’m sorry I didn’t get photos of the next few steps.

Sew ½ inch from the edge, all the way around the opening.
Use the unsewn “hole” in the bottom of the lining to pull the entire bag through.
Sew the “hole” shut. Stuff the lining into the outer bag.
Iron the top edge of the bag, and top stitch all the way around to keep the lining in.

The bag is reversible and finished!