How to Make a Lunch Bag

Last Updated: February 6, 2023

Reusable fabric lunch bags can be expensive. However, you can make your own fabric, vinyl-lined lunch bag in the fabric of your choice. You will just need a sewing machine, some fabric, and a few other special items. Make one for yourself, for your child, or for a friend.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Gathering Materials and Cutting Your Fabric

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Gather your materials. Making your own lunch bag is easy, but you will need some special materials to do it. Before you get started, you will need to get:^{[1]
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- Vinyl or oil cloth
- Fabric in the print of your choice
- Accent fabric (a very small piece for adding a pocket)
- Ribbon
- Velcro
- Spray adhesive
- Sewing machine
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Chalk
2
Cut the vinyl and fabric. You will need to have different cuts of the vinyl, printed fabric, and accent fabric. Cut the fabric into the following pieces:^{[2]
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- 2 - 8 ½” by 4” pieces of vinyl.
- 2 - 8 ½” by 4” pieces of printed fabric.
- 1 -25 ½” by 7” piece of vinyl fabric.
- 1 - 25 ½” by 7” piece of printed fabric.
- 1 - 4” by 4” piece of vinyl fabric.
- 1 - 4” by 4” piece of accent fabric.
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3
Cut the ribbon and Velcro. You will also need to cut your ribbon and Velcro into some special pieces to create your reusable lunch bag. Before you get started, you will need:^{[3]
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- 1 – 3 ½” piece of Velcro
- 2 – 7 ½” pieces of ribbon
4
Consider using a leather needle. Vinyl is thicker than normal fabric, so a standard needle may not be strong enough. If you have a heavy duty, then you may want to use it for this project.^{[4]
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- If you do not have a leather needle, then you can try using a heavy duty needle or test stitch a small piece of the vinyl with your other fabric to see how your machine handles it.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Lining the Bag and Attaching the Pocket

1
Connect the matching vinyl and fabric pieces with spray adhesive. The vinyl is what makes your lunch bag waterproof and it needs to be on the entire inside of the bag. To line the inside of the lunch bag with vinyl, you will first need to match up your like-size pieces of vinyl and fabric. Then, spray the wrong sides of the vinyl with spray adhesive and press the wrong sides of the fabric onto these pieces.^{[5]
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- Start by spraying the adhesive onto the wrong side of one of the vinyl pieces.
- Then, carefully line up the wrong side of the fabric with the side of the vinyl piece you just sprayed.
- Make sure that the edges are even and then smooth out the fabric with your hands.
- Trim any excess fabric from the edges.
- Repeat this for all of the matching vinyl and fabric pieces that you cut out.
2
Mark the fabric for the pocket. The pocket will need to be placed on the fabric side of the vinyl and fabric combo piece that you just created. Measure from the short end of the piece and use your chalk to mark the fabric at 7 ½” from the end. Then, measure again from the side of the fabric and mark at 1 1/8” from the edge.^{[6]
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- The areas you have marked will help you to place the pocket when you are ready.
- The 7 ½” mark will indicate the top of the pocket and the 1 1/8” mark will indicate the side of the pocket.
3
Stitch along the edge of the pocket piece. You should have a 4” by 4” vinyl piece and a 4” by 4” accent fabric piece that you connected with spray adhesive. Take this combo piece to your sewing machine. Then, sew along the outer edges of these two pieces.^{[7]
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- Stitch these two pieces close to the edge, about 1/8” away from the edges.
4
Attach the pocket to the bag. Next, place the pocket on the location you marked. Make sure that the vinyl side of the pocket piece is facing the fabric part of the bag piece. Then, sew along three of the edges to create the pocket.^{[8]
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- Make sure to leave one edge open. Do not sew around all four edges.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Attaching the Velcro and Handle

1
Mark the vinyl and fabric for the Velcro. Before you sew the Velcro onto the vinyl and fabric sides of your vinyl and fabric combo piece, pull the strip apart. Then, take a moment to mark the vinyl and fabric with the chalk. This will help to ensure that the Velcro is centered and placed in the correct locations.^{[9]
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- Mark the vinyl about 3/4 of an inch from the short edge. Make this mark so that it is above the opening of the pocket on the opposite side.
- Then, mark the fabric about 3 ½” from the other edge on the side below the bottom of the pocket.
2
Sew on the Velcro. Next, you can sew the Velcro onto the locations you have marked. Double check to make sure that you have placed the Velcro where you marked your fabric and vinyl. When you are ready to sew, sue your sewing machine to stitch along the edges of the Velcro.^{[10]
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- Go around the Velcro a couple of times to ensure that the Velcro pieces are secured.
- Velcro is available in sew-on and adhesive backed types.^{[11]
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3
Make the handle. The handle will just be made from the two pieces of ribbon that you cut. To make the handle, line up the two pieces of ribbon and then use your sewing machine to sew the edges together. Sew a line down the center of the ribbon pieces as well to make the handle extra durable.^{[12]
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- Make sure that the two pieces of ribbon are lined up evenly before you start sewing.
- You might want to go around the edges twice to ensure that the stitches are secure.
4
Attach the handle. Next, you can attach your handle to the bag. The handle will need to go on the fabric side of the vinyl and fabric combo piece. Place the handle a few inches above the pocket, but below the Velcro that is attached to the vinyl side.^{[13]
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- Push the edges of the ribbon in so that the ribbon creates a handle shape.
- Then, sew along the ends of the handle, but not in the center. Go over the ends of the handle multiple times to ensure a sturdy handle.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Attaching the Sides

1
Stitch along the edges of the vinyl and fabric pieces. To finish the bag, you will just need to connect the side pieces to the main bag. Sew one edge at a time, starting with one of the 8 ½” edges.^{[14]
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- Line up one of the side pieces with your large bag piece. Start by sewing a side piece to the side of your bag that does not have the Velcro on it.
- Line up the top edges and sides and make sure that the vinyl sides are facing each other.
- Then, sew along the side edge where the two pieces meet. Do not sew along the top (short) edge.
2
Bend up the larger piece. Next, you will need to sew the short edge of your 8 ½” by 4” piece to the side of the large piece. To do this, bend the large piece and line it up with the short edge of the 8 ½” by 4” piece. Then, sew along this edge.^{[15]
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- Make sure that the vinyl sides are still facing together as you sew and line up the edges evenly.
- You will have to manipulate the fabric and hold these pieces together tightly as you sew them.
3
Sew along the edges. To complete one side of the bag, you will need to bend the large piece up again and match it up with the remaining long side of the 8 ½” piece. Sew these pieces together.^{[16]
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- The vinyl sides should be facing each other and the edges should be even.
- Hold the fabric tightly as you sew to prevent the pieces from slipping.
4
Repeat for both sides. To complete your bag, you will need to sew the second side piece onto the other side of the bag in the same fashion. Repeat the same sewing pattern of sewing along the side, short end, and remaining long edge of the side piece.^{[17]
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- Remember to make sure that the vinyl sides are facing each other.
5
Use your lunch bag. After you finish sewing the second side piece into place, your lunch bag will be ready to use! You can fill it with lunch items for yourself or for your child.