Sewing Project - ReUsable Shopping Bag

I've had several discussions with my sister about making reusable shopping bags now that single use plastic ones are not being handed out.  I have 5-7 grocery bags that I have used for years.  Those are the large boxed corner ones.  The original ones I bought are very good quality has have had to be sewn back together several times.

The more recent reusable bags are not made of such durable fabric and some of those have had significant reinforcements to keep them in service.

I decided to search the web for some DIY reusable shopping bags.  An organization she is volunteering with is considering give out reusable bags instead of the blue recycle bags they have used in the past.  With that goal in mind I thought I would give my hand to a bag and see how it went.  

I had purchased a really good quality microfiber sheet - double a while back which did not get used the way I planned so it was still sitting in the "to be used" fabric pile.  I thought that would work well for this project. 

There are many video tutorials on you tube so I check out quite a few until I found one that made sense to me.

This is the video I chose to follow: DIY Eco Shopping Bag is based on a plastic shopping bag. As you can see I used a Walmart bag as a very basic pattern.

We were hoping to be able to add a pouch to store the bag when not in use.  This bag as too substantial to act like a rip stop nylon one. 

I added the band on the front where I can fold the top up and tuck it in then fold the handles then another fold and tuck this layer on top of the previous one.  Pretty bulky to really store.  It is a gorgeous bag and will hold a lot and last a long time. I was grateful to have this thin striped cotton to lessen the weight.

I think the next ones I make with be a single layer with bias tape on the handles.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

The weather has been so good!  My aunt and I took a long walk in the white spruce forest on Saturday.

In the center of woods people have set up bird feeders so when we could not yet see the clearing the chickadees and nuthatches were welcoming us.  Unfortunately, we did not have food with us but I did have a chickadee sit on my hand for few seconds. Amazing.  I have seen many pictures but had not experienced it.

Woodpeckers were around as well.

When we walked the river trail we found Canada Geese on Big Lake.  There was very little open water on the lake and the river was frozen but they had found the bit.  I really don't know why they are hanging in here.

It's been a couple of weeks since I dropped 13 quilts off for charity.  

These quilts are headed to fire departments and ambulances where victims of emergency situations are given a quilt to keep them warm and to provide comfort.  They get to keep the quilts.

They were all made by my sister as I have not sewn a quilts since I got since last fall.   I am glad to have passed those anniversary with no further issues and improvement in several areas of my health.  God is good.

I am so grateful for those who distribute these to organizations who made a difference every day as first responders.

We are decorating cotton bags as a fundraiser for the gallery.  I think it is a fabulous idea.

I picked mine up the other day and gave some thought how I might decorate it.

I decided to add 3 stripes of fabric wrapped around the top edge of the bag.  I chose 3 different colors of green fabric.  The strips were cut to about 35 inches long by 2.5 inches wide.  I sewed and turned it inside out.  Then I started on the left hand side and ran it across the front, then across the back then back to the front again.  I left a tab on the front which was not sewn down.  I sewed an orange button on the end of the tab to hold it down and add an accent.  As you can see in the first photo I staggered the ends so the buttons where offset.

Despite not blogging I have continued to read.  

I finished this book a while ago. Between You and Me by Susan Wiggs.  It takes place in an Amish community.  I found it interesting to learn more about the life style and beliefs.

Caught between two worlds, Caleb Stoltz is bound by a deathbed promise to raise his orphaned niece and nephew in Middle Grove, where life revolves around family, farm, faith—and long-held suspicions about outsiders. When disaster strikes, Caleb is thrust into an urban environment of high-tech medicine and the relentless rush of modern life.

Dr. Reese Powell is poised to join the medical dynasty of her wealthy, successful parents. Bold, assertive, and quick-thinking, she lives for the addictive rush of saving lives. When a shocking accident brings...   I really enjoyed this book.  I look forward to another book by this author I picked up the other day.

This is my first of Sue Grafton's books featuring Kinsey Millhone the detective.  W is for Wasted.  Not sure I get the title.

Private investigator Kinsey Millhone finds shocking connections between two seemingly unrelated deaths in this #1 New York Times bestselling mystery in the Alphabet series.

This was okay.  The detective seems to have a moral compass and leans toward doing the right thing.  Love life is a bit come and go.

The twist was very good.

I have another novel in this series.  I will decide if another story with Kinsey will add her to my reading list.

Another card for my Dad who is still in hospital   We were all called down on Sunday October 31 thinking he would not survive the next few days.

There were many of us seeing Dad, feeding him his meals, spending the night with him in hospital, helping Mom with anything she needed.  He pulled through the crisis but has a long ways to go.

A move for each of them is in their future so the cleaning process has started.  We went through that when they moved from the house to the apartment and now downsizing needs to happen again.

I was there for 3 days and spent most of my time with Mom.  She is doing well despite the circumstances.  She sees Dad every day for lunch.

We shall see what the future holds. He will celebrate his 92 birthday in early December, God willing.

Sewing Project - Bags for Frames

I made bags to carry my framed photography when I go to a show. 

I found the idea posted by Roger Hicks - tips for putting on a photo show.

The frames are expensive and I cannot risk damaging them during transport.
The frames are 12x12 inches so I had chose this cotton left over from this apron I had made earlier.  There was enough to make two bags for the 4 frames I have.

I placed the fold at the bottom.  Sewed my side seams then turned it right side out and sewed the edges again.  This stiffens the sides.


The way the bags are designed so there is a central separator which allows you to put 2 frames in each bag - one on each side of the separator.  I decided to use pieces of an old heavy cotton bedspread as the separator which provide some cushion to the fronts of the frames.

I added twill tape handles white on one and red on the other.  The connections are well reinforced.

The frames hold 8x8 photos which are at the printers so I headed off to pick those up and make my decision about which are going into the show.

Mosaic Monday - My Every Day Fabric Bag

I carry a small fabric bag when I am out and about. I'm still old school, so I use a pen and paper rather an electronic device so the bag holds a coil bound book. I make notes in the book for my errands, details about items I'm on the hung for, and anything I need on that particular day.  I always carry a small measuring tape (inset in the large photo).
I have been using a black reusable bag turned inside out to hide the logo.  I had resewn the seams on this one several times over the last couple years.
With my latest surge of sewing I decided to make myself a prettier bag.  I spent about 2 weeks thinking about this project.  I started by recording the measurements of the old one and made some adjustments to the design to make it work better. Adding a pocket for my measuring tape was one of those adjustments and I wanted better attached handles.
I chose a heavy navy fabric saved from an old pair of pants. I lined it with a wonderful yellow fabric and you can see that I created X at the top of the bag where the handles are attached, this will not come apart. I chose a fabric with sunflowers on red background fabric for my pocket.  I placed it between the handles. I added a small velcro closure on the pocket to ensure I don't lose my tape measure.
Learnings: I needed to make the pocket taller than wide because I need to finish the top and bottom edges.  Some of my seams are not as straight as they should be.  The navy fabric is a bit heavy for the project. 
The bag completely covers the book and you can just see the pen nib sticking out.  I did cut a piece of heavy plastic to keep the bottom square.  It took me over 3 hours to make. Some of the seams are not as straight as they should be but overall I am happy with it. I look forward to using this bag for years to come.

Sharing at Mosaic Monday #26 hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.