How to Make a Grocery Bag Holder

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How to Make a Grocery Bag Holder Featured Image
DIY Grocery bag holder video and photo tutorial

Here’s a super quick and easy sewing project that will take you 10-15 minutes once you know how to do it. Seriously! I’ll be showing you how to sew a grocery bag holder using a tea towel. So that means no finishing off raw edges, as it’s already done for you. Definitely a great sewing project for beginners!

These grocery bag holders would make perfect little gifts to sew up, as everyone could do with one of these.

This post may contain affiliate links and I truly thank you if you choose to make a purchase through one of my links

Grocery Bag Holder

I’ve popped the YouTube video at the end of the instructions if you would like to watch that video instead!

What You’ll Need to Make a Grocery Bag Holder

What You'll Need to make a grocery bag holder

Materials:

  • Tea towel (old or new)
  • 25”(50cm) Ribbon
  • 11” (23cm) Elastic
  • Sewing machine thread

Tools:

  • Sewing machine
  • General scissors
  • Lighter or flame of some sort
  • Safety pin

You can also purchase the $1 USD THANK YOU Edition of the PDF to say thanks for creating the tutorial. I greatly appreciate all of your purchases and support. 

How to Make a Grocery Bag Holder

Step 1

Start by laying out the tea towel with the wrong side facing up.

Fold over the short ends of the tea towel to make a ‘channel’ for the ribbon and elastic to be threaded through.  Sew along the folded over end to secure.

Ensure the ‘channels’ are wide enough to fit the ribbon and elastic even after you have stitched the ends down. (I used pins on one end and clips on the other just to show that you can use either one!)

01 Fold shorts ends over and sew

Step 2

Place the long sides of the tea towel together with the wrong side of the tea towel on the outside.

Sew the long sides together. Make sure you do not sew over the ends that were folded over and sewn in the previous step.

02 put long ends together and sew

Step 3

Turn your grocery bag holder right side out.

03 Turn bag right side out

Step 4

Melt the ends of the ribbon with a lighter or flame of some sort to stop the ends from fraying.

04 use lighter to melt ribbon ends

Step 5

Attach a safety pin (or bodkin) to the end of the ribbon and thread the ribbon through one of the ‘channels’ created in step 1.

Tie the ends together.

05 thread ribbon through channel

Step 6

Attach a safety pin (or bodkin) to the end of the elastic and thread the elastic through the other ‘channel’ created in step 1.

Ensure the hole at the bottom is big enough to pull the grocery bags through and then tie a knot in the elastic or sew the ends together.

Tuck the knot into the ‘channel’ to hide it away.

06 thread through elastic

I hope you’ve enjoyed this easy sewing project! I definitely enjoy making them and I’ve even made some to sell in my local Arts and Crafts shop.

I’d love to see you photos if you make one of these!

Watch the Step by Step Video Instructions

or watch it on YouTube

Until next time, happy sewing!

Domenica

How to Make a Grocery Bag Holder Pinterest
Skills

Posted on

30 April, 2016

13 Comments

  1. Denise/DIY Crush

    Great tutorial!! I love bag holders and use them a lot.

    Reply
    • Domenica Tootell

      Thanks! Glad you like it and thanks for stopping by ?

      Reply
  2. Pam @Threading My Way

    I try not to use plastic bags, but there’s always a few floating about that need storage. I’ve featured your fab tutorial today, Domenica.

    Reply
    • Domenica Tootell

      Thanks, Pam! Greatly appreciated ?. Plastic shopping bags are banned here in the supermarkets in SA, but I still end up with some. These plastic bag holders have still proved to be very helpful in my house.

      Reply
      • Pam @Threading My Way

        Wish NSW would follow suit. I’ve just spent a week in SA and was suitably impressed with the lack of plastic bags.

        Reply
  3. Barbara Quinn

    This is a quick item that EVERYONE needs in their home. From newly weds to old timers. I like to sew to keep myself out of trouble. These are nice to have 2 or 3 of!

    Reply
    • Domenica Tootell

      Yes they are! Thanks for dropping by ?

      Reply
  4. Jess

    What are the dimensions of the tea towel you used? I need to make one since I don’t have a tea towel
    Thanks so much! Great tutorial 🙂

    Reply
    • Domenica Tootell

      The dimensions of the tea towel I used was approx 18 1/2″ (47cm) x 29″ (73cm). I’ll add that to the tutorial incase others would like to know. Thanks!

      Reply
  5. Vejaya

    Great idea, thank you. You solved my problem of storage and easy retrieval of shopping bags.

    Reply
    • Domenica Tootell

      Great! Glad I could help!

      Reply
  6. Kathie

    I am going to make this today. Where can I post a pic?

    Reply
    • Domenica Tootell

      Hi Kathie. You can post it to the Easy Sewing for Beginners Facebook page if you like or you can PM it to me there too.

      Reply

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