A new pattern for shopping bags
 

I have made a lot of shopping bags in recent times. and I have always used the same batch of print strips with some black accents for handles and borders and bottoms and insides. I decided to try some solids in a myriad of colors with brown accents, for the borders, insides, and bottom and handles. I have settled on using a twill for the insides as it provides a stiffness and wear resistance. The handles and bottom are Brown Canvas Duck for wear resistance. These bags have been very well received, by the people who have gotten them as gifts, and I always get comments at the grocery stores, that we use them at, for shopping. I found that if they are made out of heavier materiel, they stand up to the heavy loads that are sometimes encountered in usage. All of the elements are double sided and quilted with Warm and Natural cotton batting. The handles are stiff enough and comfortable enough, to carry heavy loads. In the past I have seen people struggling with single thickness purchased bags, and that is never an issue with these bags. The addition of a different color scheme is a welcome change from the repetition of using the same pattern fabric, and now I can alternate with these and other patterns that I am putting together, so I don't go running off into the wilderness screaming, trying to get away for repetitive pattern sewing.

John

That's a beautiful bag and would be a joy to use!

Very nice! Sure looks like it can do a great job of handling the groceries.

wow, nice shopping bag

Very nice bags. Looks like good craftsmanship

Just lovely !

Nice bag!!!

uhm John...did i read that you give them as gifts???? can i be your new best friend??

I really really like it!

Great bag. Would love to make one myself.

They would not only be strong but a joy to use

Fabulous bag!!! Thanks for sharing.....I'll make a few :)

Terrific bag! Well done!

I do give them as gifts. I gave 7 of the print version of these bags to the ladies at our local library, as a thank you for all the wonderful work they do, for the patrons. Then there are all the relatives. We are heading out to California this fall and all of my relatives out there will be the proud recipients. There will be a few given to some friends, here and there. People ask if I would sell one. I tell them it takes me one full day to turn one out. What would they pay me for a days labor plus materiel. For some strange reason the conversation never moves beyond that point. I donate them for charity auctions, and such, but that is the extent of it. I just love making them. The three dimensional nature of them being quilted, is really fun for me. Much more so than a bed quilt. There is so much more going on in making the three dimensional nature of these things, as opposed to the bed quilt. I have all of the bed quilts I can ever use so I had to come up with some other item and these seem to fill the bill. It is just my bag, so to speak.

JOhn

John

Looks like that will hold up well! Great job!

Great looking bag. I, too, like the heavier bags. They do wear better. I like your design.

Very nice,ever so much better than the typical reusable bags. I like your use of twill for the handles, great idea. I'll bet you get tons of compliments when you use them, what a excellent conversation starter.

Nicely done. I imagine these bags would be conversation starters at the grocery, lots of compliments.

Really great bag, super job!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great bags! If there's a Lowe's or Home Depot near you, check out the drop cloths. They hold up great and are an economical substitute for the the duck cloth. They have some that are plastic backed, but don't get those, the plastic tends to peel off...

Boy, John, you are so right about those bags that the grocery stores sell. I have repaired some of them several times and my husband always complains about them not staying open when he is trying to fill them. You've got a good idea going there about using the twill for stiffness. I have some upholstery fabric that was given to me and I think that would work well too. I also saw on-line the idea of making bags from dog food and bird seed bags. Very inexpensive to make. They are pretty sturdy and can be attractive if you make sure you keep the photo of the dog or birds in the center of the bag. However, I would think that maybe they aren't as pliable??? I am going to try one with our birdseed bag. Hope it works. Your bags are very attractive.

I can see myself using that lovely bag!

A cashier at Trader Joe's who was checking us out one time showed me how to fill any bag without struggling. If you roll down the top of the bag on the outside like a pair of socks it stiffens the bag and allows the filling up of the bottom half of the bag without the sides collapsing in on the contents. When you have the bottom full you can unroll the top half of the bag, and fill the rest up. He did comment that my bags didn't need that treatment as they were stiff enough to fill without struggle, but I thought that was a clever approach to fill the bags at a grocery store. If you do your own bagging at the check out line, give it a try if you bring some soft bags and you will be surprised at the ease.

John

WithHelpful Hints
fromTrader Joe's

Great tote!

I really like the looks of this bag and looks like it would work real well.

Well done!

Looks great! Nice job! :)