The appearance of COVID-19 has changed every aspect of our lives, that goes without saying. For some, this includes what we've been sewing. This shopping bag is an example of this type of project.
I want to move away from the thick plastic re-useable bags that are in my car to all homemade washable fabric bags that I can throw in the laundry immediately after grocery shopping. Especially after reading that the COVID-19 virus can live on plastic surfaces. That bit of news jump-started this project.
I have in the past made some bags for grocery shopping. Some of these were gifted, I think that I only have one left. And there is the bag that I made from out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 8705 which I still have and use. I just want to sew some fabric bags to add to these two.
Out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 4851, a Nancy Zieman design, was adapted for this project. It's not lined nor interfaced and I left off all the pockets and inserts. I really like how deep and wide the bottom is, it will hold larger items if needed. The straps on the first one were shortened through placement and the plan moved to shortened them even more moving forward.
The prototype with the longest straps (second from the left) is perfect for carrying the shopping bag over one shoulder. The others are better for hand carrying. For these lengths I added about another six inches to the pattern piece, stitched, turned over, pressed and then cut in half before slip stitching the ends closed. They were then top-stitched in place.
The fabrics are a canvas weight that I have found in the home décor department at Fabricland. They are strong, durable and washable. Just what I need. The fabrics was pretreated with a tumble in the wash, followed by the dryer before hitting the cutting table.
And in the news, this story appears questioning whether washable and re-usable bags are better than plastic. The next great debate?
Fabric: 5 metres
Pattern: OOP McCall's 4851
Additional Tools & Supplies: Cutting table, bar stool, pins, scissors, pin cushion, sewing machine, serger, thread clippers, threads iron, ironing board, ankle brace, heat pad, lots of breaks and coffee.
I want to move away from the thick plastic re-useable bags that are in my car to all homemade washable fabric bags that I can throw in the laundry immediately after grocery shopping. Especially after reading that the COVID-19 virus can live on plastic surfaces. That bit of news jump-started this project.
I have in the past made some bags for grocery shopping. Some of these were gifted, I think that I only have one left. And there is the bag that I made from out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 8705 which I still have and use. I just want to sew some fabric bags to add to these two.
Out-of-print (OOP) McCall's 4851, a Nancy Zieman design, was adapted for this project. It's not lined nor interfaced and I left off all the pockets and inserts. I really like how deep and wide the bottom is, it will hold larger items if needed. The straps on the first one were shortened through placement and the plan moved to shortened them even more moving forward.
The prototype with the longest straps (second from the left) is perfect for carrying the shopping bag over one shoulder. The others are better for hand carrying. For these lengths I added about another six inches to the pattern piece, stitched, turned over, pressed and then cut in half before slip stitching the ends closed. They were then top-stitched in place.
The fabrics are a canvas weight that I have found in the home décor department at Fabricland. They are strong, durable and washable. Just what I need. The fabrics was pretreated with a tumble in the wash, followed by the dryer before hitting the cutting table.
And in the news, this story appears questioning whether washable and re-usable bags are better than plastic. The next great debate?
The Stats
Fabric: 5 metres
Pattern: OOP McCall's 4851
Additional Tools & Supplies: Cutting table, bar stool, pins, scissors, pin cushion, sewing machine, serger, thread clippers, threads iron, ironing board, ankle brace, heat pad, lots of breaks and coffee.
Stay Safe and Happy Sewing!
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