I've been hunting for reusable bags to use for veggies at the Farmer's Market. I found a few on Etsy but what I wanted to find was a pattern to make some. Alas, I'm not a great seamstress and the thought of trying to sew with a "holey" (netting) fabric made me cringe.
Well, here's the Eureka moment! Thanks to The Frugal Country Mom I no longer have to contemplate this and I already HAVE some of these bags including my old dip bag (for dishes) from Girl Scouts. {smacks forhead for NOT thinking of this already}. LOL
But, if you'd like to make some bags, check out this site GreenBagLady. Now I can sew straight lines, so I'm going to whip up a few bags today using her patterns. What a cool site!
All of this started with a comment by Marianne on Down To Earth. So, thanks again for the awesome bunny trail to follow. Another thing crossed off my to do list (find bag pattern.)
As soon as I whip a bag up, I'll post a photo of it. :)
Well, here's the Eureka moment! Thanks to The Frugal Country Mom I no longer have to contemplate this and I already HAVE some of these bags including my old dip bag (for dishes) from Girl Scouts. {smacks forhead for NOT thinking of this already}. LOL
But, if you'd like to make some bags, check out this site GreenBagLady. Now I can sew straight lines, so I'm going to whip up a few bags today using her patterns. What a cool site!
All of this started with a comment by Marianne on Down To Earth. So, thanks again for the awesome bunny trail to follow. Another thing crossed off my to do list (find bag pattern.)
As soon as I whip a bag up, I'll post a photo of it. :)
UPDATED: Ok, now you see the bag I made! It was pretty simple even for someone who hasn't sewn in ages. I do have an issue with my sewing machine - it won't "keep" a zig zag stitch. It'll go for a few inches, then drop back to straight stitch then go back into zigzag mode.
I inherited the Singer from my husband's grandmother. She sewed all her families clothes on it! The first thing I made was a Log Cabin quilt for my husband as a wedding gift. Honestly, had I known what I was getting myself into, I doubt I would've tackled that as my first real project! LOL But, it turned out great as did all the other quilts I made on it. I may try to find someone that has a serger to do the handles for me - that's my only concern that the zigzag will frey and the handles will come apart.
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Another great idea for bags for light things that you want a stretchy bag: Get a girls (or womens) camisole and stitch the bottom closed. It has ready made handles (the straps) and is great for fresh greens at the market. No holes in it but, hey, it's quick, easy and washable. They even come in fun colors!
Have a fun time stitching bags!
Judy
Excellent idea! I bought all mine (I know, shame on me), but want to make my own creative versions as those wear out.
I love reusable bags! Using those little zippered bags for produce is a great idea.
I seem to have a million of those reusable kind that you get with stuff printed on them. Some were giveaways from our favorite stores in AZ and some are from my hubby's work and some are just promotions from other fun things, like ball games. But since I have so many of those, even though I think they're sort of unattractive, I don't have an excuse to make myself any really cute ones instead.
I'd really like to use this tutorial sometime: http://blog.creativekismet.com/2007/10/27/pillowcase-tote-tutorial/ and make myself some cuter ones from rummage sale or thrift store pillowcases.
I do have a few I made using a regular grocery bag as a pattern but those seem much too small, especially compared with how much those canvas-y type kind can hold. They do have funny pictures that I drew on them, like the a sea lion holding up a sign that says "I otter thank you for using a cloth bag". But they only get used if the rest end up in the house instead of the truck, because they're our last choice due to the size.
So if you make some, make sure that you make them a really useful size, not so small that they won't hold a few boxes of cereal or some such.
A sewing machine is on my wish list. I know I could make the world a better place if I had one! It feels like some sort of superpower I don't have yet. lol.
Happy Earth Day!
http://hotbellymama.blogspot.com/
Can't wait to see your creations. The best part is not advertising for some store! And the choices for fabrics........endless. Love the links.
Judy ~ Well there's a cool idea!! I did see a few bags people have made out of old polo shirts that looked pretty impressive too.
Christy ~ No shame in buying!! I seriously looked for a while on Etsy for the fruit/veggie bags but I'll be making some of those too. The store bags are just too big/bulky and forget about trying to weight them! They'd add more than I'd want to pay for.
Bethany - Thanks for another great link! I love that you personalized your bags - the Sea Lion phrase is too cute.
HotBellyMama ~ Happy Earth Day to you too! Yes, a sewing machine is super handy. I just wish I had a serger - they seem to be more versatile.
Sue - Ah, fabrics! I HEART fabric! I don't have much stash left, but when I saw this scrap I knew it would become my first bag. I have a few quilt tops that never got quilted and I think I'll be re-purposing them into bags.
Very cool, thanks for sharing. I'll have to keep this in mind down the line. I probably won't get back in to sewing much until fall. I got a little frustrated tried to shorten some of hubby's jeans so the sewing machine and I are not getting along right now. Good luck figuring out the trouble with yours! :)
I came. I saw. I created.
Thanks for the link to the Green Bag Lady. I had an old, floral curtain panel made of a nice broadcloth and cut it up for my very own market bag. Love it! So simple, a child really could do it!
I love this idea - not being a pattern follower this looks simple enough for me.
Hullo! I was just perusing over your blog and I thought I'd drop you a comment. First, grats on your bag,it's really cute! Second, sounds like your zigzag stitch problem is easily fixed! My machine was doing the same thing and I told my friend about it (old pro!) and it turned out my tension rod wasn't high enough, so it would drop the stitch. You can look up how to adjust a tension rod online, for me it was as easy as turning a knob. (previously referred to as the mystery knob because I had no idea what it did!). Happy sewing! --Julie
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