Quilting for Peace Grocery Bag Sew Off

Well lately I have been a busy little elf trying to finish off a few projects before Christmas. Unfortunately, I can't post about some of them yet or the surprise will be gone, but I promise I will as soon as they are opened.

In the meantime, I decided to join a challenge. Over at SewMamaSew, they are having a challenge to make fabric grocery bags. They are using the patterns from two ladies, The Green Bag Lady and Morsbags each are making a dent in the use of plastic bags at the grocery store. I am very picky recycler. We have baskets on every level of the house for reycyling and it is my daughter's job to empty them and fill our blue bin once a week. As a family of 5 we usually only have one bag of garbage a week. I think that is pretty good. In the non frozen months we also compost, during winter the lid is frozen shut.

Anyway, the challenge was to make as many of the fabric bags by Dec 22 and be entered to win prizes from Fiskars. So I did, inbetween all my other projects I have made a total of 14 bags so far. I used fabric that I had in a bag to be given away as it wasn't quilting material. Glad I didn't give it away because I have used most of it up making these bags. I used them already at the store, but need to make at least on more for a big shop. Making them in a neutral fabric means by husband won't be embrassed with floral bags. These floral ones are for a friend.

The single bag I tried to make in a divided bag for wine or pop bottles, at my husbands request. Lets just call that one a sample and a work in progress, I have a few kinks to iron out.

So if you have any time left, whip one of these bags up, they really are easy. Morsbags says "for every one fabric bag made it will eliminate 80 plasic bags". Or maybe it will be a New Year's promise to help our beautiful world.