Homemade Reusable Veggie Bags

I have not officially joined the Plastic Free July challenge, though I have been trying to reduce single-use plastic items.
For a while I've been trying to reduce the number of plastic bags I bring home. I wanted to make reusable produce bags, mesh or sheer ones with drawstrings. I didn't want to buy new fabric though. The other day I asked my sister if she had any sheer fabric. She wears sarees to work, and most sarees come with extra material for the jacket. My sister sometimes uses a different material to make the jacket, so she has a stack of leftover sheer fabric. I chose a white one, because it is easier to see through.

 

When I folded the fabric in half, there was enough fabric to cut a rectangular piece of 12 inches by 17 inches. I kept the fold at the bottom so there is no seam. Or you can cut two separate pieces, each 12" x 17", or according to the size you desire.

 

Because I didn't want the edges to fray, I burnt it all around. The fabric is synthetic, so I used a candle and burnt the edge by moving it carefully close to the bottom of the flame touching slightly. The edge gets hot as it's burnt, so keep fingers away as you move the fabric. Burning is quicker than sewing the edges and I didn't have fray stop glue at home.

 

 

Then I folded along the top of the pieces and sewed a hem wide enough to insert a cord.

I placed top hem of both front and back together keeping wrong side of the fabric out and secured with pins.

Staring from just below the sewn hem,  I sewed the sides together.

I didn't have a cord at home, so I made one using an old cotton skirt. It just happened to match the pink flowers on the bag.  I attached a safety pin to one end of the cord and fed it through the top hem.

I tied a knot at both ends of the cord so they don't go back into the hem. If I had large beads I would have used two to secure the ends.

Now the bag is complete. This didn't even take 30 minutes and I cut pieces for two more bags. I am going to use these instead of using produce bags at the store.
However I don't think these are suitable for keeping fruits and vegetables in the fridge because the fabric is synthetic. Chel at Going Grey and Slightly Green wrote about chemical free bags made from hemp which are ideal to keep veggies in the fridge.

I'm so happy that I was able to make produce bags without spending any money. Now there's one less plastic item that comes home with me from the store.