5 minute bread bag tutorial

 





While baking bread a few weeks ago, I decided to wrap up a loaf and bring it to a friend who had just returned home from an emergency room visit.  But wouldn't you know, I couldn't find a bag to put it in.  On my next visit to Target, I grabbed a 3-pack of dishtowels that caught my eye.  At first, I considered adding a casing and a drawstring, but when it came down to it, I needed something faster and easier (with two busy boys running around, fast and easy is all that I have time for these days).  Instead, I found a spool of grosgrain ribbon in my stash (from the dollar store) and after five minutes of cutting and sewing I was finished!

Many of you probably don't need a tutorial to figure this one out, but I remember when I was just starting out on my sewing adventure, I loved having a step-by-step guide so I could visualize the whole process.

Oh, and for the bread, I LOVE this book: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  Baking bread theses days is a snap!  And it makes for great gifts too.  With this tutorial, you can make six bags in about 30 minutes (five minutes each - just like the bread).  I like to get my bread going and then hop on the sewing machine and whip out a few bags while I am waiting (and enjoying the wonderful aroma). 

finished bag measurements: 8"X13"





Materials: 
skill level: beginner

• Dish towel (27"X18.5") - each towel makes 2 bags
• 28" ribbon for each bag

step 1: fold the towel in half cross wise and cut...

creating two equal rectangles measuring 18.5" X 14" (two bags)

Step 2: to reduce some bulk, cut off the folded hem along the side...

it should look something like this.

step 3: cut your ribbon to 28" long and fold in half.  Measure 2" from the top of the bag and...

pin the folded side of the ribbon into place between the sides of the bag - I like to leave a little of the ribbon sticking out just to make sure it doesn't slip out while I am sewing

Step 4: sew down the side and across the bottom of the bag...

when you are done it should look like this.

Step 5: (this step is optional) I like to finish the edges so the bread doesn't get little strings all over it.  I used my serger along the unfinished edges, but if you don't have one, just use a zig-zag stitch instead...

then just clip the strings, and turn it right side out... 

Finished! 

place your cooled bread inside and secure with a bow!

Here is the book.  After borrowing it from the library, I immediately purchased a copy for myself.




If you decide to give the bags a try I would love to see them!
UPDATE: Here is an alternative to using ribbon:

click HERE for the instructions!

They make great thank you gifts for teachers!

paper bread bag tutorial

Bread making starter kit

a great book

I was so excited to get this in the mail yesterday.  I read about it on a blog somewhere (I wish I could remember where) and I purchased it from Amazon moments later.  Normally, I am strictly a Library gal, but for some reason I knew I had to own this one.  It is an amazing resource - a must have for anyone in the handmade biz, or curious about getting started!

a wonderful little discovery

 

Today I had a wonderful little discovery - emotional, but wonderful!  While digging though boxes in the closet (all the while cursing my self for hanging on to this stuff for so long), I noticed a little book in the very bottom of one of the boxes.  When I pulled it out I recognized it without having to read the title.  Life's Little Instruction Book: 511 Suggestions, Observations, and Reminders on How to Live a Happy and Rewarding Life, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.   It had belonged to my mom, and as a child I remember reading it over and over and over again.

When I was 17, my mom lost her battle with Leukemia.   I was at an age where I was just trying to find my way, an age when I needed the guidance of my mother, and I guess that need never goes away, because still to this day I find my self yearning for it - her passing left a deep wound in my heart.   So when I noticed that not only was this book a perfect inspiration for a new year, but that it still had the original torn newsprint bookmarks placed there by my mom, I felt tears start to trickle down my face.  Like her way of pointing me in the right direction.   

This wonderful little discovery has provided me with just the guidance and reassurance I needed for the new year.   I now have a little instruction book (that I will keep close and read often) with my mom's bookmarked pages leading the way.  Miss you Mom!

Simple Pleasures

These days it's simple things in life that bring the most joy. Like getting an email reminder from the library to pick up the books waiting for me!