15 Awesomely Homemade Adult Lunch Bags
Updated on July 18, 2019
One our way to work recently, we found a tear in the simple plastic bag we usually throw our packed lunch into and realized that some of our snacks had fallen out! We decided right then and there that it was time to re-strategize how we get our food to work. Sure, we could just buy a lunch bag at a store, but why not make one ourselves since sewing is one of our favourite things in the world? We’ve been keeping our eyes peeled for great adult lunch bag tutorials ever since.
1. How to sew an insulated lunch bag
We’re huge fans of the idea of sewing an insulated lunch bag because lining it with some type of insulation helps keep your cold items cool and your warmer items warm! E-How shows you how to do it using a contrasting colour or pattern of fabric on the outside for character. It even shows you how to make a matching miniature lined snack bag that closes with a flap!
2. Velcro flap lunch bag
Did we really catch your attention when we started talking about DIY bags that close with a simple flap because you find them the easiest to both make and use? In that case, we have s feeling you’ll get a real kick out of the way Ginia18 made this wonderfully patterned version that flaps closed and fastens in place with Velcro. This pattern would look great in any colour, if you ask us.
3. Drawstring style lunch tote
Perhaps you’re looking for something that will simultaneously hold your food inside the bag a little more steadfastly than you’ve seen so far but that will also look quite stylish and be easy to use? In that case, we think you’ll get a real kick out of the way Craft Passion made this drawstring style lunch tote that’s a little more challenging on your sewing skills but not too hard in the end.
4. Easy lightweight zippered lunch bag
Perhaps the lunches you take with you are quite small and you really just need a simple sac to put things in that’s easy to carry and close and light to carry? Well, we’re not sure you’ll have to look much further than this light zippered lunch bag outlined step by step on Dream A Little Bigger! Their pattern is shockingly simple to do and very well laid out.
5. DIY vinyl fold-over bag
Perhaps your biggest concern in making your own lunch bag is that the inside of the bag be easy to clean? If you’ve ever had something burst on you while you were carrying it, then we’re positive you know why precisely that’s a useful feature! We love the way this tutorial from A Lemon Squeezy Home made a simple folding top lunch bag that features vinyl on the inside for easy wiping in the event of disaster.
6. Strong handled lunch bag
Perhaps you’re the kind of person who tends to overload just about every bag you carry and you find your straps are always breaking or ripping off? Then we think you might get along a little bette with the way The Long Thread built this particular lunch bag to have thicket, stronger straps than the average one you might see in stores, just to make it a little extra sturdy.
7. Old fashioned cloth lunch sack
If you’re going to put in the time and effort it takes to make yourself a lunch bag from scratch, would you much rather make something old fashioned that looks a bit like the bags you’ve seen in old pictures of schools? Well, just because you’re making something classic doesn’t mean it can’t be covered in fun patterns! We love the way Silo & Sage made these simple cloth bags that fold and snap shut.
8. DIY chubby lunch tote
Perhaps you’ve actually bee trying to avoid the kind of bag that is wide at the bottom and tapers towards the top because you like to take things in little containers and you find they don’t fit very well in those? In that case, we think you simply must take a look at how Sew Can She made these boxier lunch bags that have a more square shape, making them fit things a little better? We also just plain love the way that the pattern describes these totes as “chubby”.
9. Easy folded button lunch bags
Perhaps you really do like the folded kind of bag we’ve been talking about but you’re just not sure you like any of the fastening options you’ve seen so far because you think snaps and Velcro all have a tendency to come undone? In that case, we have a feeling you might get along very well indeed with this alternative from A Lemon Squeezy Home that closes with a button instead.
10. Wide insulated lunch tote
Are you actually still scrolling through our list thinking about how much you loved the idea of making an insulated lunch bag, but you’re just not sure the design we showed you before will fit all the food you typically like to take? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a closer look at how Me Sew Crazy made this larger insulated lunch tote instead!
11. Old fashioned hand painted canvas and strap lunch bag
Just in case you’re still enamoured with the idea of making an old fashioned bag but you haven’t found the clasp idea that quite works best for you, here’s another alternative and this time it’s a little extra fun and creative! We simply adore the way Paper n’ Stitch made this canvas folding bag that closes with a strap and then hand painted it however they please.
12. DIY drawstring lunch pouch
We know we already talked about a drawstring option, but that version of things was inside a tote bag with its own handles. What if you’d actually just prefer to stop at the drawstring idea? In that case, we think you simply must take a look at the way Dans le Lakehouse made this lovely bag that can be a little finicky at the top if you’re never tried the technique before, but isn’t overly difficult in the long run.
13. Top handled lunch box
Maybe we really caught your attention when we started talking about box or square shaped lunch bags because you really do find that those fit your item the best but the way the handle and zipper were attached to the previous idea just didn’t appeal to you? In that case, we feel like you might get along very well indeed with this style of bag from Owl Be Sewing that has the same bag but opens upwards like a tool box instead of zipping down the middle.
14. Simple cotton lined vinyl lunch bag
Have you actually been thinking so much about how necessary making yourself an easily cleaned lunch bag is that you’ve been considering just creating the whole darn thing out of vinyl instead of just the inside? Then you just might be the perfect person to take a look at this tutorial from Patchwork Posse! That’s precisely what they show you how to do.
15. DIY applique lunch bag
If you’ve ever done simple sewing with felt then we’re so we don’t even need to start telling you how simple and fun it can be to use. That’s why this adorable applique lunch bag caught our eye so well! Besides being made from a great material and in a nice, unique shape, we love the way this tutorial from A Little Craft in Your Day also teaches you how to sew on little patched together appliques in different shapes. We like their cactus a whole lot, but we’re sure you could make shapes of your own too once you’ve got a little practice under your belt!
Do you know a fellow avid crafter and DIY enthusiast who adores making their own things rather than buying them from the store, right down to the simplest things they use every day? Share this post with them so they have all kinds of guidance and inspiration to make themselves a new lunch bag for work!