Grocery Sacks

For a couple of summers, I tried making and selling grocery sacks at the farmer's market. In that time, I sold one, gave one to a nice gal who gave me a bunch of veggies and sold 18 to family members. So, I generally don't make grocery sacks anymore. The problem is that there are too many cool sacks already on the market, and after paying for the supplies, I can't price them high enough to make up for my time. No one wants to pay $8-15 for a grocery sack.

I really do love using them though. Because they are made from twill or 2 layers of cotton, they are very sturdy and very washable. I used colored twill tape for the handles, so they are also very sturdy and make it easy to carry a bunch at a time. They are deceptively huge. I used a half yard of fabric on each, so they open up to approximately 40" circumference. My biggest problem is that when I take them to the store, the baggers will fill the full enough that I have a hard time lifting them. The bags can handle it, but I can't. I tested the bags when I first made them, and I could carry a 35 lb bag of cat litter in them without a problem. I didn't bother testing further because who carries more than 35 lbs in a grocery sack?

I based my design on the typical plastic bag-  folded on the sides and gathered on the bottom. This allowed me to use the salvage edge for the side seam. Then I used a french seam on the bottom (that would have mad a good "F" word too). A French seam involves sewing once with the bad sides together, turning the fabric, trimming, and then sewing the normal way with the good sides together. By doing this, the seam is totally encapsulated and basically can't ravel. I turned the top down by 1 inch, using a rolled hem, so there are absolutely no edges that can ravel. I was really proud of my design, and I get lots of people at the store telling me "you should sell those!" I just smile and nod and say, "Yes, I should."