My Own Recycled Shopping Bag

Now that my craft room is almost done, and at least usable, i'm able to do things other than of my home projects. One of my first assignments was to make my very own shopping bag that can fit into my purse - like the ones that are getting around everywhere. I just love the idea of squishing a bag into a pouch, and it doesn't weigh a thing - cloth bags are just a bit too heavy and awkward to carry all the time.

I looked at a few models as well as patterns on-line but decided to go with my own design, since i wanted to reuse a broken umbrella. I loved the pattern on the umbrella so much (who can resist polka dots), i kept the umbrella even though it broke a year ago. I knew it would come to good use some day. And, since the material is so similar to the bags for sale, i knew this would be the perfect project. I really liked this pattern, but realized i couldn't really use it on the umbrella material i had. If you would like to make a shopping bag from cloth, it's a great pattern, though!

So, after removing the material from the umbrella itself, it looked like this:
After a bit of sizing, i made a simple pattern of a rectangle with 2 straps (loosely based on the above Burda's template), and then just sewed the pieces together, adding a bottom corner seam. I had just enough for the bag itself, and since the umbrella was made up of a bunch of triangle pieces, i had to be careful how i sewed the bag, in order to not break the original seams. I also didn't have enough for the pouch, so i used lining from an old skirt, and sewed rick rack to it for the closure.

I now have a cute shopping bag that can fit into any of my 'everyday purses,' so i'll never need to use another plastic bag again!

What I Wouldn't Do for Mother Earth!

We had our major fundraising event today at work, and my office decided to host a "4 R's" Fair - where we asked people to bring in old books, CDs and 'knick knack items' for an auction, as well as hosting a craft fair. I don't know how or why i agreed to it - my workload is already demanding enough, but i offered to make some lunch bags and my 'Posie Pins.' We also sold cloth bags for grocery shopping and old patterns - and i of course had to leave with some of thoses!
We purposefully picked the theme '4 R's' - reduce, reuse, recycle and reconstruct - as it's something that some of us at work make a point of committing to. We may all do it in our own unique way, but i am of the belief that a little can go a long way.

In light of October 15's Blog Action Day, i also wanted to use this time to share with you what i do to take care of Mother Earth to say thanks to her. I also was invigorated by Creative Kismet's post and it inspired me to share as well:

1) I don't own a car and i purposefully have chosen not to - i bike when i can, take public transit and also have signed up with Autoshare (it's going great, by the way!). Here's a fun photo of us on our drive out to the country to go to the Pumpkin Patch last weekend:
2) I use cloth shopping bags as much as possible and also try hard to just fill my purse with things instead of getting a plastic bag if i (unfortunately) forgot to carry a cloth bag that day.
3) I use the Green Bin that's offered through the city - and can't wait to own a house so that i can do even more composting
4) I try to buy from Farmer's Markets, and Ontario specific foods as much as possible, as well as commit to following an organic diet that also is fair trade based (especially my chocolate!). Another good idea is to buy thrifted things and take unwanted used items to donation centres instead of taking them to the dump.
5) As a vegan, one of my core beliefs is that the meat industry is especially bad at exploiting the land, as well as being based in a structure that uses a hiearachy of class (food for thought: what we may take for granted here others in the Global South barely get access to).
6) I reduce (use old magazines for collage work and then eventually recycle them), reuse (i.e. plastic bags and bins when i buy things in them, envelopes), recycle (tin cans, beer bottles, paper, etc), and reconstruct (old tees into new things)
7) I am trying to use glass containers as much as possible for my food - Mason jars are great for lunches at work and i especially use glass bottles for water (just thinking about plastic in my food these days grosses me out!)
8) I use natural products as much as possible - namely cleaning supplies like dish or laundry soap, as well as make-up lines
9) I use vintage cloth hankies instead of paper tissues and love carrying them around each day - a bit of class and colour doesn't hurt! Cutting down on disposable things like cutlery and paper napkins too can really help!
10) Flick off!

And for all of you readers, please read on if you want to win a prize!
Of course, as my apartment will prove, i'm also a lover of 'knick knacks', though i think they're the bain of J's existence. So, at the fair today, i couldn't resist the chance to buy at least 1 thing! I walked away with this adorable and handy dish - and i think it's also a great way to take care of the environment. What's the catch? The first person who can correctly identify it's original purpose gets a Posie Pin as a prize!

Just put your guess in the comments page and i'll contact you if you win...