inside: Sew some DIY toy storage bags with mesh vinyl. These boys are perfect for organizing kids toys and easy storage solutions. Simple to sew and perfect for toys, puzzles and games.
Does your house have lots of new toys from Christmas? I always try to get rid of a bunch of things before the holidays, but we always seem to end up with some unorganized clutter to clean up and organize. I’ve been using these mesh vinyl toy storage bags for years and I recently found fabric to sew them myself. Today I’m going to show you how easy it is to sew these DIY toy storage bags with vinyl.
DIY Toy Storage Bag
When we lived in Hong Kong you could by mesh vinyl bags like these in all sizes at the local stationary store. They were a staple for school kids there. I started storing our puzzles and games in them when the kids were small.
Since moving back to the US, I’ve been on the lookout for mesh vinyl fabric to sew my own. I haven’t been able to find any until last fall, when I was sewing pencil cases for school and tracked down a source for this kind of fabric. It was kind of pricey, but I was able to sew a bunch of toy bags and a couple of pencils cases from one half yard, so I think was actually not so bad. I’ll give you the link to the fabric below.
How to organize kids toys
The tutorial for sewing these bags is below, but first let me show you all the ways I’ve used these clear vinyl storage bags. I love the mesh vinyl as it’s much easier to work with and stronger too.
Puzzles and games are perfect for storing and organizing in these mesh bags. Some of our larger puzzles I have bags I can’t zip, but they slide right in and the pieces stay all in place. I can place them on the side and everything stays put. I also love storing our wooden puzzles and small games. I’ve replaced broken game boxes with these mesh storage bags many times in the past several years.
Have a pile of small toys? Sort and place them in bags, you can see what’s on the inside and stack and sort your toys as needed.
Other toy storage ideas:
How to make toy storage bags
Have I convinced you yet? These are the perfect toy storage bags and you need them in your house.
Supplies:
- Mesh Vinyl
- Clear vinyl { a bit cheaper and easier to find}
- Zippers
Grab a few zippers and mesh or vinyl. I would recommend making several in one sewing session as it will go fast once you get it going. You can create these bags in any size for your needs. Remember, small toys, puzzles and games store perfectly in these storage bags.
Cut the vinyl so it folds at the bottom and the top is as wide as your zipper.
Sew the zipper to one side of the top with the right sides together.
Then, flip the zipper over and top-stitch. Fold up the other edge of the bag and sew to the other side of the zipper.
Top-stitch the other side of the zipper as well. With right sides together, sew the sides of the bag. Make sure to back-stitch at the top and bottom to secure.
If you do need to cut the zipper make sure to zig zag over the teeth to create a zipper stop.
Trim the extra seam allowance on the sides to reduce the bulk. Turn right side out and fill with the toys that need a home.
I really love that you can see through these bags, but yet it isn’t clear… What would you store in a mesh bag?
Rebekah says
These bags are brilliant! What kind of needle and which stitch works best for the vinyl? Thanks.
Emily says
I’ve used both a straight stitch and a zig-zag