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Do you use the reusable bags when you go shopping? If you do...have you made your own or do you use the store brand type? Care to share a picture of any bags you have made & use? We would love to see them.

Also...for anyone who does not use the homemade or store logo type reusable bags....how do you store the plastic shopping bags that accumulate around the house? Who has made a grocery bag type of holder? Care to share a picture of your holder? You know we would love to see it.

I'm kinda boring Len...if we get the bags from the grocery store, we stuff them in one of those bags and then return them to the store recycle bin.

I bought bags from one of the quilt shops to carry my groceries. One is leopard and one is a Kaffe Fassett print. They are very durable and wipe off very easily. That gets discussed here every once in a while...the importance of cleaning the bags.

So, my advice would be for those who want to make them, pre-wash your fabric so you can wash the bags during their life cycle!

sorry I don't have any patterns to share!

I use the cloth ones from the store,regular tote bags I pick up or recycle and I make my own using a great pattern Evelyn posted a couple years okay...love this bag and it is fast and a perfect size.I just used the pattern to tote a wedding gift...sorry I did not take pictures.Its called a Fat Sack by Terry Atkinson

http://terryatkinson.typepad.c...008/11/fat-sack.html

oh I really like that Fat Sack. It looks so neat & tidy as well as practical. Think I may have to try one of those.

Thanks for that link May. The pictures & instructions make it look like an "easy to do" even for me.

My favorite bag for shopping, is the t-shirt bag, saw it on Martha Stewart.

http://www.marthastewart.com/266942/t-shirt-bag

I donate the plastic bags to thrift shops that can always use them.

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My favorite bag for shopping, is the t-shirt bag, saw it on Martha Stewart.

Have you made any of these Kim? Do you use them? Have any pictures to show? I have a sweatshirt that I like the logo on it. Never thought about making a bag out of it. Ummmm....

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I donate the plastic bags to thrift shops that can always use them.

That is an excellent way to recycle & help your local charity shop. I did that when I lived in the city. I reuse the plastic ones now as trash can liners instead of buying kitchen catchers. Perfect size & no cost.

Len - remember when we made totes for Malou to hand out at pantry. I made those Martha Stewart T-shirt totes out of a bunch of Jeff's old shirts. They were easy, but I've never used them.

We also sometimes use the bags when we take the dogs on a walk...if you get my idea! They don't really like to behave with all the deer in our neighborhood, so we don't do it that often, but that's another use for those bags!

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Will Quilt for Chocolate,

Yes Jill, I remember those bags we made for Malou to give to people at the Food Pantry. that was quite awhile ago. Wonder if she ever sees them being reused. Be nice to know that they are still holding up to the wear. One big plus about those Tshirt bags...they would be easy to launder...just toss in with the laundry.

I was hoping we would see some pics of bags that have been made & are being used. My DD uses these type of bags all the time. She believes strongly in going "green" whenever possible.

We re-use the grocery bags for smelly-wet garbage. Love that Fat-Sack tut and the T-shirt bag. I think they would be fun to make & use.

Have you seen the new fabric to make diapers or the laminated fabrics? Wonder how they would work for the bags?

I made a plastic bag holder but don't have a pic. of it. They are really easy to make from a cheap terry dish towel.

May,
You have an amazing memory! I love the Fat Sac pattern. I like heavy decorator cotton, prewashed before cutting it out. Several discount grocers don't offer bags so you must bring your own. Well worth the savings. I made a friend several as gifts to match her new car. Better to be able to wash them than wipe off. I love making them for wedding gifts too.
Evelyn

I saw some somewhere made from t-shirts. It took 2 shirts to make one bag. The reason for 2 shirts was that one fit inside the other togive it more stability...it was a reversible bag.

I have the Fat Sack pattern here on the table. Was planning to make some using lightweight canvas, but got sidetracked.

I do use reusable sacks all the time, though. We collect the plastic bags and take them back to Wally World for recycle.

Evelyn...the reuseable bags that I use are not fabric. I spray them with bleach. So far we have all been healthy here!

http://www.sierraclub.org/sust...n/articles/bags2.asp

Here's an interesting article about plastic bag recycling.

I have very few friends who use fabric bags. Might be a good Christm@s in July gift.

Here is a link to a post on a blog by WildOnionStudio about making bags from tee shirts. Her 10 year old son is doing them. There is a free tutorial to make them. HTH

http://wildonionstudio.wordpre...into-a-shopping-bag/

I use the many free cloth/plastic reusable bags we have received from various sources, for most everywhere we shop. Even DH will use them most places hen he shops on his own!!!!

I hang any bag that had anything wet or damp on the door handle on the pantry to dry out.

I throw the cloth bags in the wash when they get grungy.

Any plastic bags we receive, after they have dried out from being hung on the pantry door, I fold in 4hs and put in a round trash can. When I go to one of the places we donate them to (the library book store, DH's diabetes DR, various thrift stores) I fill one of the bags and take them. If a bag is too torn to use this way, it goes into our recycling bin.

Have received so many free bags that I have never had to make any... Chris

on the same subject, how about produce bags?
If you google DIY produce bags you will get many options. Of course most, if not all are made with mesh folded in half and stitched up sides folded at top to make it so you can use a draw string to close it.

Think the Wild Onion way of making the bags is much easier than the others I have seen... Chris

i made 2 of them and gave them to my daughter, no pictures. i have bags in my car,but totally forget to take them in the store with me. and when i do...i tend to forget them in the house.


ps off topic, my url thing is not working. and neither are the smiley faces

also wanted to add, i keep a baby wipes container in my car, with the bags kept inside them. you never know when you will need one!

here is the t shirt bag..that Martha Stewart made..

here is one i just made. i put a left over block on the front. did nothing much to the fabric, just cut and sewed. i have some store bought ones that i added some quilted squares of cat prints someone sent me. i put them over the words on the bags.

These are a couple I made from horse food sacks. They're plastic-y so you can wash them out easily. They're also very big so easy to overload, lol. Rondiquilts made some gorgeous ones from bird food sacks

Great hearing from everyone on this topic. Loved seeing the pics added showing nice variety of bags. Loved the idea of using an orphan block, especially to cover up store names. Neat idea! Maybe nice to add a zipper & use an orphan block to make a neat pocket for money, debit card, keys or shopping list. Oh the wheels in my head are turning!

Those Purina food bags look sturdy!

I also take my bags & forget & leave them in the car. or leave them in the house, forgetting to put them back in the car but I am going to try to get myself in the habit of using them. My DD uses hers faithfully.

Thanks for sharing those pictures & fabulous links. Anyone care to share their bag holders, purchased or made? Several people I know poke them into the crevice between the wall & their fridge!

When I empty my bags I hang them on the door handle to the garage. That way I have to touch them to go to my car. I store them in the front of the car or I'd forget them. Picture a Honda and that's my bag holder. LOL

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Picture a Honda and that's my bag holder. LOL

Unique indeed! & no sewing required.

I started using tote bags for groceries before it was "green." I got tired of removing the bottom two drawers and fishing plastic bags out of the back of the cabinet...those sucker multiply like rabbits! I've since made a couple of bags from fabrics I've been given that I started to just throw away, then thought...BAGS! All different sizes as I made the fabric size fit the bag.

I've also made one from a bird seed bag (similar to toryam's above.

I still get a few plastic bags at the store. I kept an empty tissue (klennex) box in each bathroom, my sewing room, and under the kitchen counter. You can stuff a lot of bags in one of those!

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Originally posted by EvelynB:
May,
You have an amazing memory! Evelyn

ROFL....Oh I beg to differ with you on that one...but I never forget my bags,that's true....

I recycle the plastic bags. I have a cat and litter box, enough said! I also use them to pack things I need to move to the motorhome. I use them in trash cans in the house. I recycle any left over at the grocery store or Walmart. I have some reuseable bags that I use to store fabric that I'm working on. I use them when shopping at the farmer's market and flea markets or garage sales.

I have 9 cloth bags that I keep in the van and I most of the time only think of them when I am checking out. We reuse our plastic bags also, when I saw that some states are outlawing the plastic bags I asked my husband 'what will those people line their small trash cans with'? The industry is going to have to come up with a paper alternative for all of us who use these plastic bags for other purposes.

Wanda

Oh...ALWAYS...after putting your groceries up at home...IMMEDIATELY put the bags back in your vehicle!!

And if you walk in the store and realize you left the bags in your vehicle, turn around immediately and go back for them. Just a couple/three times of doing that will break you of the habit of forgetting them.

As to what to put in small trash cans when the grocery bags are outlawed...nothing. Just dump as needed into your large trash can and wash your trash can as needed. Or you can buy rolls of the small can liners.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: KeepYouInStitches,

Hint from Heloise today: use a cute reusable bag instead of a gift bag to hold the gift.

I love all these ideas and have used most of them over the years however I NEED plastic bags for particularly smelly garbage. Thank goodness I have some bags and my friends save theirs for me when they are ready to recycle and I reuse them instead of buying "new" plastic bags.

Me again.
I save 'clean' food bags for scraps. Put them in the freezer until trash day.

Produce bags, bread wrappers (I get few of those since I bake most of my own bread), zipper-type bags with shredded cheese, snack mix, freezer or storage bags that I simply rinse and dry. I even use bags that products were wrapped in to be mailed.

I keep an empty box (Ziploc or Glad) in a bottom drawer in my kitchen, fold the "clean" bags and place them in the box.

Yes, same here Thimble Lady. I put the onion peels in a plastic bag & tie it in a knot before I toss into the garbage. I also use them as liners in my waste baskets (perfect size) & the handles are used to easily tie them. Plus they are free. I have a ScoobieDoo bag holder that is always full. It is actually a pyjama bag but I use it to hold my plastic bag stash. Where do you keep yours? Have you made a bag holder? I saw a couple that were made from a tea towel & elastic.

My holder is just a tube with elastic on both ends. Stuff them in the top and pull them out the bottom.

Mine is the same....tube with elastic on both ends with a handle for hanging. Works great, doesnt it? I never just throw a plastic bag away. I NEED them! LOL

If you shop at Sam's Club, they don't pack anything in bags, you have to bring your own! And it only takes one time of forgetting them. I have store-bought totes and homemade totes in the back seat of my car, and I put them in the front seat when I know I'm headed for the store beforehand so I don't forget them.
My quilt club sold the fabric bag holders at their show. They hold a lot of plastic bags I reuse in the trash cans.
Love the horse bags!
One tip on making your own totes, don't make the handle the whole width of the fabric. If you are short, your bags will drag the ground!

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One tip on making your own totes, don't make the handle the whole width of the fabric. If you are short, your bags will drag the ground!

Good point!

we recently got a new grocery store in our area where you have to bring your own bags. I need to get in the habit of bringing my own.

I rec'd a couple of handmade bags at quilt group; I also made some "tote" bags. We try to use them when grocery shopping. I don't have pics now.
What I do w/ the plastic ones: stuff in a gallon glass jar that lives on the counter top. After they have reproduced, I stuff into one bag and take to thrift store. I swear those plastic bags have a lot of s*x, the jar is empty one day and overflowing the next day

There was an article in our local newspaper about an activity of a high school group that was encouraging people to "go green." They said that using one reusable bag saves 1000 plastic ones (don't know if that's true or not but sounds about right to me). So they collected 1000 bags, tied them together to make one long line of plastic. The line was one third of a mile long! Maybe that visual will help me remember to use my reusable bags.

I use several sturdy ones my daughter left behind when she moved overseas. I stuff smaller ones into largest one & keep in trunk of my car. Taken awhile to remember to get them out tho. Usually remembered I have them when I'm at cashier!!!!

Great subject ladies and such fun.
A few years back I remember someone would iron layers of plastic bags and sew them together to make a sturdier bag...so I went a googling and found something called "plarn" pla-stic from bags rn...which can be crocheted or knitted into bags or rugs/ats or place mats and a plethora of things....just went a googling and found this website to tell you how to cut...
I am so sorry for some reason the URL button isn't working for me...

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/...cycled-plastic-yarn/

....then found this next website...SO imaginative....

http://diyfashion.about.com/od...rn-Recycled-Fashion/