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Great bags, Beattie! Using a felled seam is perfect. Like Tintinabulation, I’m going to spend some time looking through my scraps.
I (The Fancypants Pod) went for the March challenge of a bag a day but I’m sad to say I fell short by 6 bags. I did, however, manage to find homes for 14 of the 25 bags that were made. For me, the challenge is finding the time to cut and press the fabric but I’m working on it!
When I first read this thread, I sussed out what the green token experiment was about but decided I’d best look it up to fully understand the details (anyone else not familiar with it? http://www.waitrose.com/content/waitrose/en/home/inspiration/community_matters.html ). What a marvelous program! My favorite part? That one group doesn’t win the whole kitty but splits according to votes. Way to go Harborough Hitbag Pod!
I’m happy to say that the state I live in, Illinois, banned them in June.
http://time.com/2916132/microbeads-microplastic-cosmetics-illinois-ban/
Hopefully more people & places will institute a ban.Cheers for this couple! I haven’t tried piecing a bag yet (read this as: I have a bag of pieces that are waiting for me and I’m trying to ignore it) but in time…
What a coincidence, Offcuts, I’m a Handsome Family fan!
Sazzie, it works out well for me as I seem to have trouble giving away free things. Since when do people not like free things? I’m going to make some handouts to encourage the apartment renters to take the bags home with them and spread the word, then I’ll just replenish the apartment supply. Win win!
Ah, I haven’t used any slippery fabrics yet but I will keep that in mind!
Offcuts, I had a bit of a slow down in my sewing the past two weeks but I should be getting back to a one bag per day average. One of my bag receipients has been so happy with the bags she has that she asked if I’d sew bags for her (she’d provide all of the fabric and thread needed) to give to her friends and family. Naturally, I said yes! Another receipient told me that her bag has become her “go to” shopping bag because it’s so easily folded and compact. Now, a bit of backstory… I live in the suburbs of Chicago and this second lady lives in Chicago. She also owns a small apartment building which rents to people coming to Chicago for extended periods of time that would find hotels cost prohibitive but aren’t in town long enough to get a regular year-long lease on an apartment. Chicago is also in the process of making a decision about requiring businesses of a certain size to stop using plastic bags. I’d told her that I’d be happy to provide several bags for each apartment and she thought that was wonderful. She has said she’ll be on the lookout for fabrics for me, as a thank you. So I’m very happy that I have homes for bags before they’re even made. Apologies for the rambling and thanks for asking!
My Singer came with several foot attachments and a walking foot was one of them. I’d never used one but I’ve since decided it’s indispensable for getting a straight even line of stitches on heavier fabrics or multiple layers.
Thank you all for your advice! Yesterday, I took 4 bags in with me when I went to see her and as I’d suspected she did offer me money again but we agreed the thread was a fine payment and she decided on 2 bags. I gave her two handouts and asked her to read them once she got home. She mentioned she’d been waiting for me since she’d gotten to work so she must have been excited as I’d made it clear that I’d show up at the end of her shift. I also asked her to spread the word, so I’ll make sure to take some extra bags with me when I go again.
Butterfly, I had a similar situation when I was doing the handout at the beginning of the month. Someone said, “You’re giving these away? You could be selling them!” I gave her a handout to read and after reading it she said, “But, really, you should sell these.” I just bit my tongue and asked her if she’d like one or not. She took 2.Thank you for the advice, Offcuts! I had shown her the bag label and told her about the website but she told me she doesn’t use computers (she’s in her mid 70s, I’d guess, and must never have learned) and she doesn’t sew (I’d said there was a great set of instructions she could follow to make her own if she didn’t feel right accepting a free bag). I must have told her 3 times that I could not accept money, that I was making the bags for the purpose of giving them to folks who would use them instead of plastic. I will try your suggestion about raising awareness when I drop the bags with her (I hope I can get her to accept more than one), that is a great idea!
