Here’s a quick eco-friendly weekend project, just in time for back-to-school! These reusable sandwich wraps/placemats are made from cereal box liner bags and a little fabric. Mark made fun of me for saving these cereal bags, but I just knew I could find a way to reuse them. I made these sandwich wraps using some of this fabric from the thrift store. To save time, I found the easiest way to make these is to use a serger.
[Important Update: A kind reader has informed me that most cereal bags are sprayed with BHT. To avoid any BHT issues, be sure to re-use cereal bags from an organic cereal only! Thank you, Alicia!!]
Emily said these are like opening a new present every time she has lunch! I made two of these in just a few minutes. I would have made more, but Mark needs to eat more Cheerios.
Open your cereal box liner bag so it lays flat. Using this as your pattern, pin it to some cotton fabric and cut around the fabric.
Use a serger to make four seams (one on each side) through both the cereal bag and the fabric. Be careful to cut the glued edge off of the cereal bag, since you don’t want that showing up on your pretty sandwich wrap!
Place a couple of slices of bread in the middle of your wrap (cereal bag side up) and use that as a guide for applying your velcro. I used self-adhesive velcro, although sew-on velcro would probably work better.
Now, flip the wrap over then apply velcro to the other sides as shown.
It should look like this!
Open it up…..
…and enjoy lunch on your placemat!
Emily said these are like opening a new present every time she has lunch! I made two of these in just a few minutes. I would have made more, but Mark needs to eat more Cheerios. Since we are on the topic of eco-friendly things, I also wanted to mention that the winner of the EcoStore USA Giveaway is Petula from It’s a Woman’s World!! Congratulations, Petula!
Also, be sure to check out EcoStore USA’s BOGO sale going on now until August 31st. They always have free shipping on orders of $25 or more.
Dear Valerie,
I wanted to inform you that there are no more Cheerios in the pantry.
Love,
Hungry Mark
Great Idea!!! Love it!
Hello, was gone all week…can't wait to catch up on all your great projects! I really like this idea a lot…but don't have a serger on my machine. Any suggestions?
@ Mama King — You could use your sewing machine, just be sure to fold the hem twice so there are no raw edges on the fabric. They are quite fun (and addicting) to make!
Dear Hungry Mark,
Did you check behind the canisters of oatmeal?
Love,
Valerie
I love it when your husband comments. He is hysterical! He needs to be a regular participant for my entertainment!
Oh yeah, and this is a very clever project! Super cute.
That is clever! TFS
Oh, you are good.
I never thought to save the cereal bags.
I have to try making these for the kids.
I save the cereal bags too, but I just use them for when I need to crush cracker crumbs – dump your crackers in the cereal bag, smash 'em with a rolling pin, and dump your crumbs into your bowl. It's great because you don't make a mess this way and you are reusing something that would have just gone in the trash!
That is a great idea!!
I saw something like this on the internet and thought about how to make them. This is a very creative way to do it!
I dont have a serger so I usually do a wide zig zag instead and it holds up great for my wipes and napkins.
What a great idea! And you have a great little helper there!
I just signed up for your sewing class! And I follow your blog now too…I'm so excited to learn!
Cute idea. I'm always looking for easy, inexpensive ideas to make mealtime a little more exciting.
So do you think I can through these in the washer? Or do you just wipe them off?
I love this idea. I really wish I knew where I could take sew lessons around here, I would be sewing up a storm … If I knew HOW lol!
great idea, thanks for the tutorial! i love that theres no wasting!
please let me know if after a few uses it still looks as good? do you just wipe it clean with a cloth and water?
I love it. Plus, i think this is something I can actually accomplish on the sewing machine.
Thanks for the great idea.
Oh, and don't forget to get the hubby some more cheerios. He sounds desperate.lol
I've been thinking about buying some of these — potentially. I like your idea much better. Thanks!
Great idea!
I second Ally's suggestion of a wide zig zag for people who want to make one of these but don't have sergers.
@ Ally — Great idea to use a zig zag stitch instead of the serger. I'm sure that would work quite well!
@ Ruby — I plan to throw these in the washer on a cold gentle cycle and line dry them. I'll let you know how they hold up!
@ one pink fish — Ha ha!! I got him some more Cheerios from Big Lots this afternoon. Boy, was he happy!!
@Valerie
I looked behind the containers of oatmeal. There was a box of crackers and then more containers of oatmeal. Why do we have so much oatmeal?
Thanks for getting Cheerios. You're the best wife I've ever had!
Love,
Full (of Cheerios) Mark
@Xazmin — I'm so happy you'll be joining the sewing workshop! It's going to be a lot of fun! Thanks so much for stopping by!
@ Cara — That is such a good use for those bags too. I'll definitely be saving them from now on. I know someone else who uses them to wrap meat for the freezer… brilliant!
Are you kidding me? This is brilliant. Too bad I have no idea how to use a serger!
I wish you lived near me so I could give you some of the entire shelf full of cheerios my husband brought home for some bizarre reason.
I love the sandwich wrap. I want to make some of these before the school year starts.
This is the greatest and cutest thing ever. I'm so going to try to make these.
I save cereal bags too. They are brilliant for saving homemade bread and rolls — it stops them from going stale. I also use them for washed greens. I wrap the lettuce/spinach in paper towels before placing them in the refrigerator. Stays fresh and it is much cheaper than those Ziploc veggie bags!
I love it! I would never in a million years save those liners, can't believe what you turned them into. Very clever!
Yea, congratulations to me. LOL… I am so excited, pleased and thankful.
That sandwich wrap placemat is the best I've seen.
That's a great way to save money and be eco-friendly. How freaking cool!
I love it ! I will make a few as soon as those cereal boxes will be empty. Thanks !
Cecile
fantastic idea! I am going to try to make these this week.
These are so neat!
One caveat, though– I don't know if you care, but mainstream cereal companies (like Cheerios and just about every other big name, non-organic variety) spray these bags with the preservative BHT. There is some evidence that BHT may be carcinogenic and it's linked to behavior/attention problems in some children. Cereal bags are coated with it to preserve the food without having to list it in the ingredients, but they are required by law to state that the bag has been treated with it. Here's more info on it with a lot of links: http://chemistry.about.com/library/weekly/aa082101a.htm. I have seen advice online not to reuse cereal bags if they've been treated with BHT.
I avoid all the mainstream cereal companies because I don't want my kids eating that stuff. I found a frugal, healthy alternative in our local store's all-natural brand. It's just as affordable and is all natural with no BHT or other chemicals added to the food or packaging and we haven't noticed any sacrifice of taste or how long it keeps. With 4 kids, cereal doesn't last long around here anyway. 🙂
Sorry for the annoying downer post! Just wanted to share that in case people weren't aware of it. I know many people probably could care less! You have a wonderful blog and I love your ideas.
~Alicia
@ Alicia — I would have never known about the BHT issue, and find it so disappointing that companies are not required to list it as in ingredient. Boo!! I'm so grateful that you brought this to my attention, and I updated the post right away! Thank you so much!
Why have I not come across your brilliant blog (and funny, funny husband!) before today? I feel gypped, but am excited to browse through your archives. You've got great ideas, so glad I found you!
great post, thanks. I reuse my cereal bags to wrap freezer meat, hmmm not sure if they are sprayed, interesting thought … sometimes it feels like nothing is right and safe. love the idea and will share it with others. thanks again.
I've been meaning to make one of these forever – I even had directions bookmarked and a cereal bag cut out! Thanks for the tip about BHT!
i am soooooo excited to make me some of these. i have 4 kids and the plastic bag issue really adds up. i am also planning on trying to make a bag type of these for chips and snacks. another idea – you can buy hankerchiefs for $1 at walmart for the material. they have such fun designs now. thank you again for this cute and effect idea!
What a GREAT idea. I save cereal bags all the time. I use them to place between slices of leftover pizza in the fridge or freezer, to separate hamburger patties before I freeze them, and for many other little uses. Why buy waxed paper?
Clever idea. I've been sending my son to school with 2 cloth napkins – 1 for hands/face and 1 to use as placement. Your idea would get me even more use out of the cloth napkins. Thanks for sharing!
I'm wondering if you've tried a gentle wash with them yet as you described and if they held up.
@ Liv and Colin — Since I made two, I've been washing one by hand and one in the washer in the gentle cycle with cold water. The one that goes through the washer is holding up okay, although sometimes the velcro gets stuck on other clothing. Now, I'll be hand-washing them both when I wash pots and pans, it's very easy to wash them off then. And line dry. So far, so good!
Awesome idea! I just made one and posted about it. Thanks!
Thanks for the great idea! I just made one myself and posted about it on my blog.
i think i will make some of these for my children for school and embroidery them for decoration. (maybe the teachers would like one) great idea!!
What a great idea! It would make a great teachers gift!!
Hmmmm…….. My kids don’t eat cereal, so that won’t work, but I bet oilcloth would do the same thing.