Sewing With What We Have On Hand

The last couple of days, I have been sewing between doing other projects. I hemmed a few pairs of jeans from my daughter who is a little taller than me but wears tall heels. I also made some bulk food bags from t-shirts I haven't worn for years & wouldn't be missed. (I still have tons more to wear for working around the farm). Here is a pic of the t-shirts I used. Every one with a memory of something fun we did. This is a project that saves that memory from going in a rag bag.
Here is what I did. This shirt is the stretchy jersey-type material. Just cut off the top of the shirt, turn inside out & sew a bottom hem.

To make the draw string top, simply fold over a 1/2 to one inch hem (depending on the size of the tie material) and sew leaving a small opening for fishing the tie through. Here is how to use a safety pin to guide the shoe string through. I had some old shoe strings on hand but you can use ribbon, string or sew your own tie. You can also make your hem for the tie minus the opening & using very sharp scissors or thread cutter, cut a slit in the hem area at the front of the bag & fish the tie through. That way the tie will be centered & on the outside of the bag like this...Here are a few of the bags I finished. Old buttons were sewn on the ends of the ties to keep the tie from getting lost in the hem. You could also tie big knots too if you don't have any buttons to use. Oh, and the scrap fabric left over, can be used as rags with your non-toxic cleaners. No waste.

There is a great food co-op in Wisconsin by the farm that has a lot of bulk food. I just couldn't stand the thought of using plastic bags to buy the bulk items any more. These will be easy to throw in the wash & re-use again & again. The smaller one I made for the raw nuts we bring for lunch everyday at work. They are a staple in our vegetarian diet. I am also planning on making some bags lined with nylon-type material from a couple of old windbreakers we have laying around. Who knew that saving old clothes would pay off in such a good way.