Recycling........

Making headway here on holiday gifts - phew. I panicked the other day when I realized how few shipping days were left until  Christmas and the fact that I had a few sewing projects I hadn't even started yet. Yesterday I worked at breakneck speed, got the sewing projects started and finished, gifts to be shipped wrapped, boxes packed and all off to be shipped today......not to mention packing up 9 orders from my etsy shops that needed to go out too. Unfortunately during my crazy hectic day I forgot to take pictures of a few of the handmade items to show later - oh well......

Today I was working on more gifts - the embroidery machine was smokin'. I have to stay near since there are many thread color changes so I work on other projects in the sewing room while the machine is going.  Here's part of what I worked on this afternoon - gift bags recycled from Trader Joe's grocery bags. Yes, I know, I shouldn't even have these since we all should be using reusable grocery bags but there are those times when I'm halfway thru shopping and realize I've left my bags in the car........and I park my car out in tim-buck-tu hoping no one will park next to me and nick up the sides of it. In a years time there are only 9 of these so I didn't do too bad.

I did not come up with this idea - a tiny little home decor shop in Bandon, Patina, makes these to use for shopping bags when you purchase from them - yes, I've got a few of their bags.  First I cut the bottom off the bag, then cut up each side to get two flat pieces. I did run an iron over them just to make them easier to sew.

Then put them wrong sides together and sew a 1/4" seam along the bottom - it's tough to see in this picture but it's there.

Of course, I forgot to take a picture of one step where I folded the bottom up a few inches  so it creates a pleat - sorry for that.  So, after you do that sew a 1/4" seam up each side.

Here's what it looks like standing upright, it stands up nicely with that pleated bottom.

And here is looking down into the bag.

Now they're ready to decorate, although I probably won't bother just because I'm running out of time, I'll just hang a tag and wrap the gifts in some pretty country holiday tissue I have that will look perfect with the brown paper bags. But if I were to decorate I'd probably stencil some holly or something like that on them.......or maybe make a sponge stamp of some holly leaves.......