What is better than a 10p plastic bag for life, that can be exchanged for a new one every time it wears out? Answer....a free, very strong bag that is never going to wear out, and it's not plastic.
Can you guess what these were in their previous life? The fabric is similar to the bags I made from a gazebo roof, these are a bit thicker and stronger.
This will give you a clue. It has a wide hem along the top edge, the opening used to be where you pushed the poles in and out. It started life as a long piece of fabric, found in my uncles garage. It used to be a sunlounger, don't know what happened to the poles. After a good scrub on the table outside, I cut it in half, trimmed off the hems on three sides, used the uffcuts to make handles, and bingo, two free shopping bags.
All I had to do was sew up the bottom and one side, make a boxy bottom by nipping in the corners, fold handles into three and sew, and attach them with five rows of machining. The motifs I cut from non fraying material from the Scrapstore and hand stitched the layers together with matching red and yellow thread, with the outer edge being stitched directly onto the bag.
I'm going to keep these for myself, and show them off at every opportunity just to get the message out there. STOP BUYING PLASTIC BAGS. Toodle pip. ilona
I love these . Well done you!
ReplyDeleteIlona how do i send you an email so its private to you and not shown on your blog? Thats if you dont mind? Xx
Hi. My email address is over on the right on the sidebar, title, 'Contact me here'. It is disguised to deter spammers. You need to change the 'dot' for a . and the 'at' for @ You can send me a comment starting with the words 'Not for publication' but I won't be able to reply to that. The choice is yours, and I don't mind.
DeleteThey are gorgeous and will definitely be a bag for life made out of that fabric. You are clever, Illona. x
ReplyDeleteWe keep chickens and I make shopping bags from the feed sacks. The material is like a plastic tarpaulin. And the graphics are great!. Our church sells the bags and as our town will go “ disposable bag free” this summer, we should do okay with sales.
ReplyDeleteJoyce
Good idea using the sacks.
DeleteI agree with you 100% stop buying plastic bags! I am trying very to eliminate all single use plastic. I try hard to buy only loose veg or veg from the market. It costs a bit more but I am happy to pay that to reduce plastic usage.
ReplyDeleteI met a lady on Saturday who was making morsbags. She keeps them in her pocket and gives them to people like you do in the supermarket.
ReplyDeleteArilx
I found a morsbag once on a footpath, it was made of flimsy cotton and wouldn't last very long. You can't fold up my cloth bags and put them in a pocket. They are very strong, double seams and three rows of stitching around the top.
DeleteI try not to buy anything plastic, I have seen first hand some of the damage done to wildlife. Great bags and will be really hardwearing, a great bag for life.
ReplyDeleteMy Ilona bag goes everywhere with me. It's in Tenby at the moment!!!x
ReplyDeleteWell traveled bag. Glad you are finding it useful.
DeleteI have a magazine one a month in the post and I noticed this time it was in a envelope that could be including I go my garden was.
ReplyDeleteI love your bags and will last got a long time.
Hazel c uk
I am working at remembering to take bags with me to the grocery stores. Aldi is the easiest since they don't provide bags and it's either buy one of theirs or bring your own!! LOL We seem to get reusable bags as well in the mail from groups that want you to donate. BTW some grocery stores deduct $.05 from your total for each bag you bring.
ReplyDeleteDon’t forget the prepackaged vegetables...they come in plastic. It is not just the main shopping bag one should think about it is all the plastic that goes into that shopping bag.
DeleteAll great stuff Ilona.I love the fact that it is made out of an old sun lounger!Recycling at its best!I have never bought a plastic bag and was using my own material bags for quite a few years years before they started charging for them.I dont have a bin in my house,I just use my empty cat biscuit bags or newspaper for wrapping the small amount of rubbish we have therefore I dont buy plastic bin liner bags either,xx
ReplyDeleteI make and distribute round my family & friends, small fabric 'plastic' bags, the kind you get at the fruit and veg sections of the supermarket, say if you only want to buy two potatoes or three carrots. I make them from old pillowcases, duvet covers etc (family save them for me). Because the bags are so thin they don't weight anything so don't cost you money on the scales. Also, I don't put closures on, just basically stitch up 3 sides so the cashier can see what they scanning. Then, every so often, the bags just get thrown in the washing machine. Am seriously considering approaching local supermarkets and asking if I can have a stall or stand by the doors and hand the bags out, get other people interested in doing the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic. I shall do the same
DeleteAMEN!! You go girl. Every little bit we can do will help. Love the bags!
ReplyDeleteI have been taking my own bags for just on 30 years long before it was trendy Just yesterday I bought twelve pears singly and the checkout girl had to balance them on the weighing machine it sure slowed her down but she coped Melinda
ReplyDeleteI go to a place called Nada,in Leicester,where you take your own container.It is weighed first and the weight of your container is written on the bottom.....there fore when you put your small or large amount,of what you want to buy,the weight of your container is taken off the price and you only pay for the stuff that you want.A little more expensive,but because the herbs,spices ext are so good you only need to add a tiny amount to your cooking.They sell other stuff too.Too much to mention here!.But the main object is...there are no plastic bags!.They are also a place where you can take your crisp packets...any make...and they are then recycled for garden furniture ect.It is 1 min away from Leicester market,where you can take your own bags for fruit and veg.xx
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