How to Make a Snack Bag & Silhouette in Action!

We love our snack bags! It's awesome not to see all those plastic bags get trashed but most importantly (ha) we get to look at a pretty little scrap of fabric while we nosh. These are really fun to make because it's an easy scrap-busting project and the embellishment options are endless! I was inspired to try out the new interfacing from Silhouette to create an applique for one bag. Don't forget to enter to win! I made a sweet ribbon bow for the other.


Learn how to make a snack bag and see the Silhouette in fabric-cutting action...

Before you get started on this project you will need to get some polyurethane coated nylon pack cloth which seems to be the best food-safe liner for these bags according to this informative discussion on ETSY. But holy shipping cost on that site! Does anyone have a good source for this material? I made these with natural canvas and un-coated rip-stop nylon which worked pretty well but doesn't hold in freshness as well as some other snack bags I have bought from handmade sellers. I also have some snack bags from Munchkin that are nice. You will also need velcro and pretty fabric scraps.

First for the Applique:

1. I selected scraps for my bag and the applique. 2 - 8" squares of the Ukulele fabric, 2 - 8" squares of my lining and a 4.5" scrap of my applique fabric.


2. I made a "C" in the font "Giddy-Up" at about 4" high using the Silhouette software.


3. I ironed the interfacing to the back of the scrap as directed, trimmed the edges and peeled off the backing.


4. I positioned my scrap on the adhesive cutting mat.


5. Then I cut my applique (or more accurately, watched in amazement as the Silhouette cut it for me.) I should have done a set cut on my fabric first, as the first round didn't cut through the fabric. I changed the setting for a deeper cut and it worked great! I only had to cut threads with my x-acto blade in 3-4 small spots. I wonder if it would make sense to keep a separate Silhouette blade for cutting fabric? I know how paper can dull a blade.


6. Here's the applique. Pretty cool, right? I'm no applique expert but it seems like this shape would be difficult and annoying to cut by hand.


7. Peel the applique off of the mat and position on your background fabric.


8. Iron in place.



9. Optional: Iron a scrap of stabilizer to the back of the fabric, behind your applique. It just helps your design lay flat through washing etc. Applique-ers, do you usually do this before or after you sew your applique? I've seen it both ways.


10. Use a tight zig-zap all the way around the edge of your applique. Pull any lose threads through the back of your piece.


11. Now take a square of your fabric and a square of your lining and place them right-side-facing. If you are using poly-coated nylon, the coating is the back side of your fabric. Sew along the top edge with 1/4" seam. Note: all my photos show pins. Best not to poke holes in you poly coated lining (duh.) This project is easy enough to do without pins! Repeat with other square of fabric & lining.


12. Open piece so you see the front of the fabric and sew one side of Velcro to the very edge of the lining. Repeat with other side.


13. Fold so wrong-sides are facing in and iron top seam if needed.

14. Line up 2 pieces so fronts of outer fabric are facing and trim three raw sides square and even.


15. Sew all the way around the three (non-Velcro) sides with a narrow seam. 1/8"-1/4"

It will look like this.


16. Now turn your piece right-side-out and iron if necessary.

17. Sew around the three non-Velcro sides again, encasing your inner seam. Be sure to do a bunch of back and forth stitches at the start and finish as this top edge will get alot of wear and tear. You may even want to go back and re-enforce it with a tight zig-zag. This top-stitching would be a fun place to use a decorative stitch.


And you're finished! If you love the Ukulele fabric used on this project, you're in luck because we are giving away a fat-quarter of it for the best comment this week!


Now for the second bag. For this style (the reverse of the above instructions) I would recommend using only thin materials like cotton with nylon lining. I used canvas here and it was a bit bulky, I wish I had sewn this one as described above.


1. This size is nice for a little snack. I cut all pieces 6"x6"



2. For the embellishment, Loop ribbon as shown, cut off tail, and position on top of second length of ribbon.


3. Sew bow to center of 6" ribbon. back-n-forth to secure.


4. hand stitch button to center of bow. Add a dab of glue to back to secure lose threads.


5. Sew ribbon to front of fabric, approx 1" from top. top and bottom



Follow steps 11-14 as described above, except in step 14, trim with fabric front facing out.

6. Rather than sewing "inside" first as described in the first tutorial, start with lining facing and sew around 3 sides.

Like this...


7. Turn inside-out, iron if needed, and sew around 3 sides again, encasing the seam. Be sure to front-n-back stitch a few times at start and finish as these edges get lots of "pulling"


8. Turn inside out and you're done!

Fit for the queen!