How to Make a Reusable Microwave Popcorn Bag (with Video Tutorial)

If you are tired of using an air popper or a pot on the stove to make freshly popped popcorn, then you will love this reusable fabric popcorn bag. Just add popcorn kernels to the bag and in a few minutes you will have hot, fresh popcorn without any additives or artificial flavorings.

This DIY Reusable Fabric Popcorn Bag is incredibly easy to make and a perfect beginner sewing project! It also makes a great gift!

A bag of popcorn tipped over on a wooden table, with popcorn spilling out onto the surface.

This is a PERFECT sewing project to sell at craft fairs! You can make them quickly with a good markup for profit. Here’s an example:

Each bag uses ⅓ yard fabric
Buy 1 yard of fabric for around $5 (when on sale at Hobby Lobby or Michaels)
Each bag costs about $1.75 to make and about 10 minutes of time
Sell for $5-$8 at craft fairs
Make a profit of $3.25-$6.25 for each one

DIY Reusable Fabric Popcorn Bag

The YouTube video tutorial is found at the end of the instructions.

Free instruction labels to download are found at the bottom of the instructions.

Supplies

⅓ yard of 100% cotton fabric* (from which you will cut two 12″ X 22″ panels)
100% cotton thread*
Sewing Clips or Pins
Turning Tool (optional)
Iron (optional)

*It is very important to use only 100% cotton fabric and thread! Cotton can be put inside the microwave, but polyester fabric or thread could melt at high temperatures. Our DIY Rice Heating Pad also uses cotton thread, too.

A hand holds a yellow spool of thread labeled "100% Cotton, Egypt" with a barcode and product details printed on the end.

Instructions

Step 1

Prewash your fabric. This is to remove chemical finishes that can be on the fabric (which you don’t want to get on your food), and to pre-shrink the fabric, because you will probably be washing this bag often.

Cut two 12″ X 22″ (30 ½ X 56 cm) rectangles.

A piece of light pink fabric with a multicolored plaid pattern is laid out on a cutting mat with a visible grid.

Helpful Tip: If your fabric is 44″ wide, you can easily cut these rectangles from ⅓ yard by simply cutting along the fold (if your fabric came right off the bolt). If your fabric is smaller (such as 40″ or 42″ wide), don’t worry! You can cut smaller rectangles and while your bag won’t be as big, it will still work perfectly!

Step 2

Place the rectangles right sides together. You can clip or pin the sides together if you prefer.

A hand lifts the corner of pink plaid fabric on a cutting mat with measurement lines visible in the background.

Sew around all four sides, leaving at least a 4 inch (10 cm) gap on one long edge to turn the fabric inside out later.

Be sure to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching.

I used a 3/8″ seam allowance, but you can just as easily use a ¼″ or ½″ seam allowance, too.

Step 3

Clip the corners on each of the edges, cutting diagonally across the corner close to the stitching but not cutting the stitching. This will allow your corners to turn out more easily.

A close-up of a piece of pink and yellow plaid fabric showing a line of hand stitching along the edge, with a grid cutting mat in the background.

Turn the fabric inside out and push out the corners, using your finger or a turning tool.

Press the fabric with a hot iron to remove wrinkles and make nice crisp corners and edges.

A hand holds the edge of a pink, yellow, and orange plaid fabric, revealing a small, discreetly sewn pocket against a black grid background.

Fold under the opening edges so that they match the rest of the seams and press flat.

Step 4

Sew the opening closed using a 1/8″ topstitch.

Step 5

Fold over one of the short edges by 2″ (5 cm).

A hand folds a piece of yellow, pink, and orange plaid fabric next to a transparent quilting ruler marked with measurements, all on a black grid cutting mat.

Take the opposite short edge and fold it up an over the top 2″ fold. Clip or pin the sides together.

A hand lifts a folded piece of pink and yellow plaid fabric on a black grid cutting mat with a clear ruler nearby.

A rectangular piece of pink plaid fabric is held at the edges with colorful clips, placed on a black grid cutting mat.

Sew a straight line along each of the long edges, being sure to backstitch at the beginning and end. Do NOT sew the short edge with the folded top.

Step 6

Now you will box the corners for the bag.

Push the bottom corner of the bag together to create a triangle in the fabric. Press open the seam with your fingers.

You may need to put your hand inside the bag to more easily separate the fabric layers and push them out. I show how to box the corners in my YouTube video.

A hand holds a piece of colorful plaid fabric folded into a pointed shape, with a black cutting mat featuring a white grid in the background.

Measure down from the point of the triangle about 1″ (2.5 cm). You will sew a straight line across the triangle at that point.

A piece of folded plaid fabric is positioned under a clear acrylic ruler on a black cutting mat with a white grid.

You can draw a line if you prefer, but I just estimate the line placement while stitching.

A hand holds a clear ruler against a folded piece of plaid fabric on a gridded cutting mat, measuring the seam.

Repeat this on the other corner, too.

A pink and yellow plaid fabric face mask is placed on a black gridded cutting mat.

Step 7

Flip the bag inside out. Push out the corners with your finger or a turning tool.

A hand holds a piece of fabric with a red, yellow, and green plaid pattern, folded precisely on a cutting mat.

Flip the 2″ flap over to the other side of your bag to create the top closure.

Watch me make this fabric popcorn bag in my YouTube video below:

If you want to make these as a gift, I suggest adding a bag of popcorn kernels with this reusable fabric bag, along with one of our free instruction labels, too.