Do you like to bake? Do you like to share your treats with others? How do you usually carry your cakes or pies to a potluck dinner party?

You don’t want the dish to tilt in the bag you are using and then you arrive at your friend's house with a messy pie or cake. The good news is you can sew a carrier that will keep your cakes and pies right-side up. I will guide you through the steps in this hands-on tutorial.

This DIY fabric pie or cake carrier was on my wishlist for a while. I find it a little nostalgic and romantic, to bake a cake or pie then take it to a friend in a grandma style bag. The joy of giving leads to a healthier and happier life! And… Mother's Day is coming up. This easy sewing project makes an original mother’s day DIY gift. Maybe you can surprise your mom with a cake and a pretty handmade cake holder?

• • can be used to carry around sweet or salty pies, homemade cakes, plates, casseroles, salad bowls or even small pizzas boxes
  • has a large base and two large comfortable handles. Your dish will stay up straight when you carry it around
  • is roomy enough so the top of the bag will not stick to the top of the pie
  • can hold a dish up to 10 ½ inch (28 cm) in diameter but it adapts to smaller sizes as well
  • is reusable and thus very economical and eco-friendly

I’m very happy with my bag and can share this free tutorial without a pattern with you today. Is this something you would make? I don’t see these bags in stores a lot. You can find them on Etsy (if you want one now and don’t have the time to make one yourself), but I’m sure you can do it. It doesn’t take much time to sew this bag and it’s a lot of fun!

Let the sun come out! I’m ready to bake and have a big picnic with my friends!

To make the pie carrier, you need to gather the following supplies:

• • 1 piece of cotton fabric for the outside : 21 x 21 inch
  • 1 piece of cotton fabric for the lining: 21 x 21 inch
  • 1 piece of batting: 21.5 x 21.5 inch, I used cotton quilt batting. Use any thickness you like. If your batting is thin, you can add 2 layers of batting too.
  • 2 strips of cotton fabric for the handles: one of 4 x 14 inch and one of 5 x 21 inch

As for the tools, I used my sewing machine (+ needle & thread), a temporary fabric marker, scissors, rotary cutter and mat, clips and pins, and a tube turner.

As the fabric pieces are relatively small, you probably don’t need to run to the fabric store - unless you were looking for an excuse to plan a little trip to your favorite fabric walhalla :-). You probably have some left-overs or bigger fabric scraps in your closet that you can make this fast sewing project from. I just love zero-waste sewing projects!

Grab your ruler and a fabric marker and start measuring, drawing and cutting the following pattern pieces:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Outer part : cotton, 21 x 21 inch
               2. Lining: cotton, 21 x 21 inch
               3. Batting : 21.5 x 21.5 inch
               4. Straps for the handles

• • • • • • • 2 pieces of 4 x 7 inch
              
            • 1 long piece of 5 x 21 inch
              

In total you now have 6 pieces of fabric. In the photo you see what you need to have before you can start sewing.

Sew the batting piece to the wrong side of one of the fabric pieces. I sewed it on the lining fabric because topstitching still scares me a bit. If it is not pretty enough, it ruins my project. The batting is cut a little bigger than the fabric pieces. It works easier and you can cut away the excess batting after attaching them.

I first drew some sewing help lines (explained later) with a temporary fabric marker on the right side of the fabric piece.

Place the lining on top of the batting, wrong side facing. Pin the fabric to the batting, before you start sewing on the marks, through both layers.

I added some diagonal stitching lines but you can choose any shape you like, as long as the batting will be nicely attached to the fabric. Be sure to use matching thread because these lines will be visible! I’m not a quilter as you might have noticed but I like the result!

Cut off excess batting now.

You can also attach the batting to the outer fabric. (If you want to add 2 layers of batting, you can add a piece to both fabric pieces.)

Start with the two small fabric strips. Double fold them lengthwise, right sides facing. Iron the crease. Sew the right sides together on the edge, leaving the top and bottom open. Turn the strip inside out. This is easy. With a longer strip, this can be harder. That’s why we recently added the Tube Turner Set to our store.

Now grab the long strip. Double fold lengthwise, right sides facing. Sew the long side closed and also close one of the short edges by sewing it closed. Turn the tube right side out, using a tube turner, if you have one.

Optional: If you want this handle to be softer and stronger, you can also add batting or some fusible interfacing. You can of course also use a store bought bag strap.

Position the small straps on the outside of the lining in opposite corners. You have to make a little loop. Check out the images or the video to make sure you are positioning them the right way. The raw edges of the straps and the lining are matching. Make sure the same side of the strip is facing the right side of the lining. Each strip end is 1.5 inches from the corner. Clip or pin the edges onto the lining and sew them together very close to the edge. You don’t want this stitching to be showing so use a smaller seam allowance than the one in step 5.

Now grab the outer fabric piece. Put it on the lining piece right sides facing. Be careful to keep the handle you just attached between the two pieces of fabric. Clip the 2 pieces together. You need a turning hole so mark where you will stop sewing. I would leave an opening of about 3 inches. Sew all around with a slightly bigger seam allowance than the one you used in step 4. And don’t sew from start to finish! Forgetting to leave a turning hole in the heat of sewing is a classic. It happened to me so many times… and it still does :-)

Before you turn the project right sides out through the turning hole, trim off the corners and thread ends. Turn. Iron and tuck in the edges of the turning hole. Close it with some pins.

Topstitch on the edge (1/8th of an inch) all around on the right side to close the turning hole and reinforce the fixation of the two small handles. This also serves as a decorative edge.

Position the long strap diagonally, from one corner to the other, on the lining. These are the corners that don’t have the small straps attached to them. Position short edges of the strap about 2 inches from each corner of the lining. The strap isn’t lying flat. That’s how it is. It will pull the corners up a bit.

On one side you have a raw edge. You can either tuck the raw edge in the tube and press or just fold it inward on the lining and sew on it.

To attach the handle firmly, sew a rectangular shape with a cross in the middle. For the top thread, use a thread color that matches the strap. For the bobbin thread, use a thread color that matches the outer fabric because it will show on the outside.

Your carrier is ready! To close the carrier you just need to pull the big handle through the 2 small handles as shown in the images below. There is also a YouTube video that goes with this tutorial.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. We want you to have fun and make beautiful things! If we can make your sewing experience more fun or easier in any way, just let us know!

And share your passion with us in the MadamSew Facebook All About Sewing Group or on Instagram!

An
an@madamsew.com

Click here to download the PDF of this tutorial of the fabric pie carrier