Messenger Lunch Box Tutorial

With back to school coming (ack!!!) I thought it might be fun to give you a new lunch box option to sew for the kiddos (or grandkids) this year. I gave you one last year, but this is a different version-more of a messenger bag style-that’s perfect for kids of all ages. It’s pretty easy to make too and fits lots of lunch!

That’s a fun boy version (that my boys love!) and here’s a cute girl version:

And…to make these even more fun, how about adding in fun new Star Wars or Frozen Glad Food Storage containers.The 14 piece multipack is available only at Walmart or on Walmart.com. And hey-grab your fabric at Walmart while you’re there! My boys are drooling over this:

How fun are those containers?! Love the Star Wars theme! And they come in a set of 14 pieces (only available at Walmart) with several sizes that work great for packing lunch!

See the sets here:

Star Wars Multipack

Frozen Multipack

And let’s make this lunch box!

Messenger Bag Style Lunch Box Tutorial:

Supplies Needed:

2 half yards of coordinating fabrics
1/2 yard of fusible fleece interfacing
Velcro (optional)

Cutting Guide:

Cut 1 piece from each fabric that is 9 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches long. Round out the bottom corners. This is your front piece.
Cut 1 piece from each fabric that is 9 1/2 inches wide by 14 1/2 inches long. Round out the top AND bottom corners. This is your back piece.
Cut 1 piece from each fabric that is 3 inches by 25 inches. This will be your middle piece.
Cut 1 piece from your main fabric that is 18 inches by 5 inches to be your strap.
Cut 1 piece of fusible fleece for each of the above pieces so that you have 4 pieces from fusible fleece.

Instructions:

Start by ironing your fusible fleece to the back of your outer fabric pieces.

Start with your strap piece now. Fold it in half so that right sides are together. Sew up the long side.

Then turn right side out, center the seam in the back and press flat. Set aside for later.

Grab your front piece and your middle piece. Starting at one of the top corners of your front piece, pin the middle piece in place with right sides facing all the way around:

Sew that in place. Then do the same with the back piece and the remaining edge of the middle piece. I usually start pinning on this one from the bottom center though so that I can make sure everything comes out evenly.

Sew around that.

Now do the same thing with your inner pieces.

Turn your inner pieces right side out and stuff it down into the outer pieces matching up the sides:

While doing this you are going to insert your strap as well. Place it between the two layers of fabric so that the top side (without the seam) faces your outer fabric and the end sticks out and then the other strap end comes out the other side as well. Make sure it isn’t twisted inside the bag.

Now you are going to sew all the way around the bag opening and flap. You will start on the top of the flap, working on the back of the bag and sew all the way around the flap, across the front of your bag and up the other side of the flap leaving an opening on the top of the flap to turn it.

Here’s a video showing the process. This is the same process for about 5-6 tutorials on my site, so I’m showing it with the mini messenger bag in the video but it works the same for all of these different tutorials.

Once that is sewn, clip the corners here and on the other side:

Then turn it right side out, press it flat, press the opening at the top closed, and top stitch all the way around what you just sewed This will also close the opening.