Today I have done a tutorial for my tea towel bread bags, after a couple of requests following my post last week. They seem to be working very well at keeping my homemade bread fresh (for as long as it lasts) and only take a few minutes to make. I used a pack of tea towels from Ikea but any loose weave cotton fabric should work just as well.
Take your tea towel and fold it in half along the long side, right sides together.
Stitch along the short side, turn at the corner and then continue along the long side (I have illustrated this in the photos with the big red stitches and arrows).
I stitched as close as I could to the existing hem. If you are using a machine you could use the hem as a guide for the side of your foot.
Once you have completed this on your first tea towel, repeat the instructions to this point on your second one. I liked the look of having different designs inside and out but it would work just as well with two solids or the same pattern - just use whatever tea towels are cheapest!
Once both your tea towels are stitched into a bag shape, turn one the right way out and slip the other (inside out one) inside it. Match up your side seams but have your stitched joins on opposite sides to each other. This will stop it being too bulky on one side.
Now over-stitch around the top of your bag, as close to the edge as you can ( I stitched into the existing hem) joining your two bags together around the opening.
Your bag is now complete and ready to be used for storage - for bread or any other produce you might need to store - root veg, rice .....
I hope these instructions are clear, please email me if you notice anything that doesn't make sense. I would love to hear from you if you give it a try and I would also love to hear any other ideas about what the bags could be used for - Have fun!
