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Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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Posted by phonegirl (My Page) on Fri, Nov 7, 08 at 3:00
GB and anyone else who is interested. Sounds like you have quite the busines making and selling these bags. I love mine. This is the baked potato bag my neice gave me years ago. Guess you can tell it's old and she's from Idaho. Thought you might want to see how they made them in Idaho years ago. I made everyone in the family one years ago for Christmas and now I have friends who would like one. I don't have a serger and now that I've seen how easy they could be to make from you, I need to buy a serger first, right.? HA HA I'm seriously thinking about one but not sure what model to buy. Can you give advise on this? Also would I be able to figure out how to work it? My sewing machine is Bernia and it has been wonderful. I got free sewing lessons with the purchase and have used the dickens out of it. Still love it. I paid $1000 for it 25 years ago and have only taken it in once because it locked up. The gal offered to trade me a new one for it but I said no cuz she was honest enough to tell me to keep it.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| Thanks for sharing the picture of yours. People who use theirs are my best customers. lol I bought my first serger at Wal-Mart about 6 years ago - it was a Singer for under $200. It was a workhorse! The only reason I traded up was I found a fantastic deal on a Juki (Bernita wanna be) for around $5 - it even does ruffles! I treat my machines very well - oiling and dusting them weekly - I even change the needle monthly, but I use my sergers probably 5 days out of seven for hours on end! The hardest part of the machine is learning how to thread it! I bit the bullit and cut the threads when I got it home ands perfected the threading technique. There are so many tutorials out there! I had someone give a few lessons about a year after I had the machine to teach me new techniques, but I think if you are good at reading the manuel, you can do it yourself and there are so many websites and you tube videos to help you too. I would maske sue there is someone locally that can work on your machine if anything goes wrong. It might be worth a trip to talk to them to ask questions on their recommendations as long as it is within reason. I bought mine thru sew and vac online and they were very good to me... |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I want a good buy like you! LOL Thanks for the advise. I'll have to do some looking but we live 60 miles from where I'd be able to get help so that is not going to work for me at this point in my life. Sounds like you use your machine alot and enjoy it. That's Great. I've started painting again and I'm spending any spare time doing that. |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I love the bag, but what do you do with it? Do you actually bake the potato in it? I have never seen one before. Thanks,
Pam |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I made Baked Potato Bags several years ago when I was still following the craft shows. Mine don't look at all like that...but I think that one would be easier to use. How big is it in size? Mine is too small. but usually if I do more than two potatoes at a time I just fold them in the middle of a quilted type place mat...that works the same. I just lay it in the microwave and fold it over to cover the potatoes that are wrapped in moist paper towels. I'd like to try to make some like yours that are actually a bag. I gave one of the ones I made as a gift to a friend...Hers caught on fire. It was made exactly the same as the one I have and I've used it for years now. I wonder if she got grease on hers and didn't wash it before using it again. Any of you have problems like that with yours? patti |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| The place mats are made with polyester - not cotton batting. That's why it caught on fire... Also there are still microwaves that don't have a carrasel (turntable) and they will develope hot spots which will burn things in the microwave - I found this out from a repairman... |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| Ok I have seen the potato bags on here before...What kind of fabric are they made out of? Is it just regular quilted cotton fabric? are they lined with anything? I have looked at GrandmaBonnie's tutorial but couldn't find that info on it anywhere. I can sew(have done it since I was 6) so I think I can handle that part...just need to know what fabric to get to start... |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| The place mats are NOT what caught on fire...it was a potato bag... And I've use the place mats many many times...NO fire for me. patti |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| You need to use 100% cotton batting inside the potato bag. I'm sorry you didn't understand the tut on ther bag - if you have any problems, e-mail me at grandmabonnie@nospamcharter.net. Remove the nospam in my address. I use regular cotton fabric on the oputside. Pattico my bags are 9 3/4" x 11" - enough room for 5 -6 potatoes. |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| Thank you so much Grandma Bonnie...The only thing I didn't understand about the tut was what kind of fabric and batting you needed to use. The rest of it made sense. You did a wonderful job on it. I can't wait to try one. |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| Thank you for the dementions of the bag...I think I'll make myself a new one. patti |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I'm using everything 100% cotton and when I "test" before I give as a gift it catches fire. It only takes about 1.5 minutes to do so. Any suggestions? I've found some really cute "potato" material and it really made up nice but the fire thing is driving me crazy. I'm using Warm & Natural 100% batting (gal at Joann's said that's what she uses), 100% quilting material and 100% cotton thread (per the label). Should I be putting a potato inside to make steam? Help - any suggestions would be wonderful. |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I forgot about posting this on here. So fun to go surfing tonight and see my PB on top. Wish I had more time in my days and I would be here more. GB, BTW I haven't bought a serger and probably won't for quit awhile so I may be back asking more questions again. I have been doing alot of tole painting again so post over on that forum daily. Was is on here that someone painted a globe like a snowman? I just remembered I have a couple that I wanted to try a snowman or something like that. It would only be right to ask whoever if it would be ok with them. Please let me know if you know what I'm talking about. Pam, I hope you got your answer. Yes these bags cook potatoes. If you need more details, please ask. Punk |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I posted an earlier message about these bags catching on fire. I've been using a bag that was given to me for years with no mishaps. So I decided to make some new ones and give as gifts. Well, with the fire issue I'm just a little nervous. I did some checking around and someone said that maybe the sizing needed to be removed from the materials. I washed my burnt bags in cold water and a Woollite and did a low dry. When I did my earlier test, I only put one small potato in the bag - think it wasn't enough in the bag when I cooked on high (I normally put 2 larger potatoes in the bag) so the bag caught fire. After washing the bag, I filled the bag with 3 small potatoes (that's all I had) and I cooked them on high for 6 minutes without any fire mishap. I'm not sure if it was the washing or the full bag. I know that I'll certainly not use the highest setting on my microwave - which is 1000W output - I'm going to use a lower setting to avoid the fire issue. Hope this helps all of you out there. |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| This is so interesting about the bags catching on fire. When I made mine years ago, I didn't know what kind of batting or material I was using and know one has had a problem. I'm sure I probably made at least 2 dozen and gave as gifts to family and friends. How long did you cook your potatoe that caught on fire? I always open the microwave and try to squeeze the potatoe to check for doneness and have never had an issue. Could it be certain types of microwaves and not the materials? Do you wrap your potatoes in paper towels before cooking? My instructions said to place each potato wraped in a paper towel in the bag. My potatoes are always wet from being wased too which could make a difference. Punk |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I forgot that I always wash my potatos before thowing them in the bag.. The new or small potatoes do not require as much time to cook either. I can honesttly say I have made over 1,000 bags with no problems with two exceptions - my neighbor has a 35 year old microwave with no turntable and she has scorched two bags. Won't buy a new microwave and I won't give or sell her another bag. I scorched fabric that I was testing by putting in the microwave with nothing in it. It scorched - I guess it needs something to "cook" in the microwave besides the fabric... I have confidence in my bags - I use mine probably 5 times a week with no problems - I wash mine alot as I use it to cover food when I am reheating items and food does splatter on to it... My thanks to Linda ( pfricksmom1 ) we've been brainstorming ideas as to what might have caused the fires or scorching... |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| Phonegirl, you can just zigzag the edges after you sew the strait seam. You don't need a serger to make them. Sergers just sew the strait seam along with finishing the edge. But if you can find a great deal, they are very nice to have. Maybe you can find one at an auction or estate sale at a good price! Tami |
RE: Idaho Baked Potato Bag
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| I have found when I don't have a clean microwave I get hot spots on my bag. I have not scortched my bag or had one catch on fire but I am a messy, lazy, slopy housekeeper and sometimes my microwave doesn't get the spills cleaned up in it like it should. I then come along and throw in the potato bag with potatoes in it and I have noted hot spots. IMHO it is what is in the microwave before the potato bag is put in that the actual bag itself. |
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