Anyone use fabric sandwich wrappers or bread bags?

[Spirit Deer]

I've been contemplating giving fabric bread bags and/or sandwich wrappers a try for a while now. I did some further research tonight and found a couple patterns I liked, so I got those ready. I thought I'd ask if anyone has used these and how they've worked out before I jumped in with both feet.

My plan is to use a shirtweight cotton blend for the outside, decorative part, and ripstop nylon for the lining. I'm not wild about the idea of using plastic-lined cotton as some of the sites I looked at suggested. I also want something I can just toss in the washer and dryer.

So does anyone use these? Any tips or advice?

[bustedparts]

I use these in my daughter's lunch for her daily pb&j sandwich. I bought them from a local decor store since I am not talented in the sewing department. it has a plastic ziploc bag type plastic on the inside and closes with a piece of velcro. sandwich stays in place and since it has the plastic lining the bag tends to protect the sandwich from getting smashed. as far as washing, I just wash it in the sink whenever I hand wash dishes and hang it up to dry. it does take a while to dry so I bought her 2 so she will have one to use while I wash the other. hope that helps

[mauimagic]

One of my coteachers uses one for her sandwich lunches daily - she loves it. Go for it and post some pictures too please!!

[momof2boys2005]

I've been eyeing these products myself but yeah there seems to be too many mixed reviews about the plastic and food safety. Because of all that I became discouraged and decided to just stick with various sizes of actual Tupperware brand containers or Laptop Lunches containers (DS#2 has their Alien lunch box system)...all food safe and dishwasher safe...easy.

Too bad PUL is still being questioned because it would be such and easy product to work with as a DIY project for the Wrap-N-Mat style (my fav) type bags!

[momof2boys2005]

Ok so two products that are food safe are beeswax cloth and polyurethane coated nylon...both are proving impossible for me to find! I've come across beeswax cloth tutorials but I admit I was hoping to just find something that I could cut and sew and voila! making my own beeswax cloth might be a bti too much of a challenge for me LOLOLOLOLOL!

"SAFE: Home made oil cloth, or beeswax cloth, are useful for this purpose. Modern “oil cloth” is really just a nasty vinyl product. You can find instructions online for the oil cloth as well as the beeswax. I am partial toward the beeswax cloth for all the healthy things associated with it, and I love the smell of beeswax!

SAFE: Plain cotton material is available. Here, know where your fabric is coming from and what hazards to look for. There have been many issues of late with foreign made fabric being printed with high levels of metal. Buy only the best fabrics, from reputable shops. Some prefer only the organic cotton, inside and out. That is considered safe, however, you lose the waterproof capabilities of other materials. That means your sandwich may leak onto what is around the bag, or your bread may get dried out. It is a safe choice however.

SAFE: Polyurethane coated nylon is water, stain-, mildew-, abrasion- and rot- resistant.
We know that to be internationally marketed these products had to be carefully tested and we see they are both using the polyurethane coated nylon material. This material meets the demands of the consumer: water-, stain-, mildew-, abrasion-. rot-resistant, free of heavy metals and phthalates, PBBs, and PBDEs. It is also widely available to crafters .


Snack Taxis (formerly Happy Sacks) recently featured on Oprah: SnackTAXIs are lined with a waterproof material that consists of nylon with a polyurethane coating. After talking to many manufacturers of this product, we understand that this type of coated nylon is free of heavy metals and phthalates. The tests revealed that the nylon is free of heavy metals (including lead), phthalates, PBBs, and PBDEs.

WallabyBags They're laminated on the inside with polyurethane, which is food safe and widely used in the food industry from food manufacturing and packaging to food storage. They are water proof, so they're perfect for keeping your sandwich fresh, as well as packing messier take-alongs like fruit….they are machine washable and dry-able.

GO GREEN POUCHES : The sandwich size pouch will neatly fit your large sandwich, bagel or wrap. Dimensions 7.5"W x 6.0"H Material 100% cotton, lining 100% nylon."

4girlsdesigns.com

[Spirit Deer]

I have approximately 200 yards of ripstop nylon, so that's my first choice to try. We'll see what happens.

I've read pillow ticking works, too.

The idea is to get something tightly woven enough that it helps keep things more or less airtight. I'm thinking the ripstop would work well for that. It'll wash and dry well, too.

I'll be starting this project as soon as I dig out some likely-looking fabric for the outside. I'm using a pattern I found online with consists of a fourteen-inch circle, and also a modified version of this bag. I'm lazy, so I made the pattern all one piece instead of three, which should speed thing up.

I'm hoping these work out. I hate that bread bags are never the right size for my needs and ditto the cheapo plastic sandwich bags. It'll be nice if this works so I can make custom sizes for the breads I make routinely and the sandwiches and buns my husband takes to work.

[Spirit Deer]

I made a couple sandwich wraps this afternoon, so the experiment is on now. I have a slice of bread wrapped in one, where it'll remain for a few days to see if it turns into a crispy critter or not. Should be interesting.


I hope it works for several reasons.

It was a fun and easy project that didn't take long, so if it works I'll make a few more. And some bread bags, too.

Click the picture for the first in the series of pics I took during the project. Click NEXT to the right of the main picture to see the next shot in the series.

[momof2boys2005]

FANTASTIC JOB!!!!! Looking forward to your updates!!!!

Oh and thanks for posting pics!!!! but for some reason I could only open the one picture.

[Spirit Deer]

Interesting I can't delete a post. What's up with that????

[Spirit Deer]

For some reason, Webshots isn't doing what it's supposed to, so let's try this.

Click here to view full album.

[Spirit Deer]

Well, the current experiment has ended. For now.

I put a slice of bread in the new fabric wrapper and set it on top of a loaf of bread that's in a plastic bag sitting on my kitchen counter. This morning I was because the only portion of the bread not hard as concrete was the part that sat on the plastic bread bag.

However, I remain undaunted. I really like this concept so now I'm going to make another bread wrap with plastic between the inner liner and the outer fabric. I'm just contemplating what type of plastic to use, because I really would like to be able to machine wash and dry these once they're made. I may try a new experiment using a food-safe gallon-size or larger freezer bag for the interlining. Then I could just toss it in the washer and dryer to see what happens.

Another idea is to use heavier ripstop nylon on the outside, plastic in between, and the light ripstop I used on the first two wrappers inside. That would make the wrap easy to wash by hand although it wouldn't look as cool as fabric with a print.

I've seen ideas online about using things like cereal bags and chip bags for the linings, without the nylon lining. Those ideas have some merit, too and would be very workable if I gave up the idea of machine washing and drying these.

[momof2boys2005]

LOL that is kind of funny! Too bad I was hoping you'd hit it right on with the first go! Anyhoo, keep us posted! Oh and what you're not into making your own beeswax cloth liek I posted???? Hahahaha! Although my search for the poly coated nylon is still on because I hear that keeps everything moist and contained as well as easy to work with and clean!

[Spirit Deer]

I wouldn't mind making beeswax cloth but I don't think it would stand up to the washer and dryer.

However, I think I may have hit upon the perfect solution. It occurs to me Food Saver bags are made to be used with heat such as in microwaves and boiling water, so shouldn't have any problem with being put into the dryer or being washed in hot water. I also happen to have a bunch of them that don't hold air anymore, but would be fine for protecting a sandwich. They're heavy enough to be durable and yet they're soft enough to fold nicely and they're food safe. So that'll be my next experiment. I'm fairly sure it'll work out great.

After that, it'll be experiments with designs. This all started not because we're all that concerned about plastic sandwich bags because we don't really use that many, but because nothing works very well for carrying stuff like buns in a lunch. Sandwich bags are too small for two, and none of our numerous glass or plastic containers work very well either. I hate using quart sized bags for stuff like that.

I also hate that I can't fit a batch of buns into a bread bag. The bread bag annoyances are what started this entire idea for me, so I hope I can come up with a good solution.

Just a thought, but if you have a Food Saver or access to the bags, why not make up a sandwich wrap or two to use in the meantime while you look for the fabric you really want? It wouldn't cost you much and you could see how you like them. Maybe you'd like them well enough you wouldn't need the other fabric, who knows? Or you might find out you don't really like them, which is worth knowing before you spend a lot.

[Spirit Deer]

P.S. Where in Ontario are you? We're only a few miles from southwest Ontario, near Quetico.

[momof2boys2005]

I do have a food saver and bags!!!!!!! Thanks for the idea!!!!

Oh and I'm Eastern Ontario> Ottawa!