How to make your own reusable produce bags!

Sew, I've been eyeing reusable produce bags online and at stores...but can't seem to find any that are very reasonable.  Sew --  and yes I do think I'm clever using sew for so today (:  -- when I found this mesh laundry bag of mine (that I got free from someone handing them out at college my freshman year) I decided it would be perfect to use as the material for my bags.  (Sorry for the run on sentence.)

I'm planning on using these at the grocery store as well as farmers markets for fresh produce.  If you can think of other ways to use these send me those ideas too, I'm always interested!  :)  You could also easily do this with lightweight fabric that you have on hand, or mesh you can buy at the store.  I did want some that you could see through though, so you may want that as well.  :)

Anyway, here's how I did it, and you can too!   It's sew easy!  ;)

1.  Lay out your bag on a flat surface.

2.  Cut into 4 equal pieces.  (You could measure and be exact...or you could just wing it like I did today.)

3.  Sew up the rectangles so they are bag like shapes with one end open.  (Somehow I ended up with no pics of this step...but I did double stitch the mesh sides that I sewed up to ensure they would be secure!)

And since I cut up a bag, I didn't have to sew all the sides--just an fyi.

4.  Then get some string or yarn to use for the draw string.  Cut a piece that is long enough to go all the way around the bag at the top, and knot it together to make a loop.  Then place it at the top and fold over the mesh/fabric like so and sew it to make a loop for the string.  (Fold the bag inside out and fold over the fabric to sew for the loop, and be careful not to sew the string or else it won't work as a draw string.)

5.  Repeat with the rest of the bags, and the end product should look something like this at the top.  Then cut a small hole in the mesh/fabric and pull the string out where the knot is.  Now you have a functioning closure for your bag!! :)

Here's a better view of the drawstring closure working on one of my bags.  Cute huh?  And functional. :)

Viola!  Here are my four produce bags (with drawstring closures) that I made out of the unused laundry bag I had lying around!  Sure they aren't perfect.  Sure they aren't all uniform.  But, hey!  They didn't cost me a thing, AND I can use them instead of one time use produce bags at the store from now on!!  :)

Hope this made sense and is helpful.  If you have any questions feel free to ask a question or let me know!  :)