Back to being a bag lady

Late in October (I think!) I bought a bundle of Christmas fabric from the Embroiderers' Guild trading table. I wasn't sure what I'd do with it, but it was a bargain and bound to come in handy. Once I got it home and needing to find space to store it,  I was less sure. 

A week before Christmas, when I got to organise my Christmas presents, I realised I could do with a few more gift bags. For a couple of decades now I have been making fabric bags in lieu of paper wrapping. It gives me pleasure in the making and the bags are recycled numerous times.

I decided to use the Christmas fabric to make the bags I needed. That done, and my presents organised, I decided to use up all the Christmas fabric on bags. 

I figured if I didn't do it now the fabric would sit there for at least another year so I grabbed the scissors and cut the whole lot into bags. There was probably around 5 metres in various pieces, all crisp and new, so easily cut.

Most of my bags have been made with recycled fabric, sari scraps, kimono pieces, dressmaking left-overs, occasionally old clothing. I cut them as the piece dictates and zoom them up on my machine into drawstring bags in the easiest possible way, stitching on the inside. Having so much crisp new fabric presented opportunities - and challenges - for a more careful finish, something dressmaker and quilting friends had long suggested.

I took up the challenge and got out my iron - a rare occurrence in my bag making ventures.Where the piece was long, to be folded vertically, I turned under the sides and ironed them down, then folded over a hem at top and bottom.  After stitching down the two hems, I folded the piece to stitch the side seams on the outside giving a neat seam as well as a channel for the cord. 

I realise this is de rigueur for quilters. I am much more slapdash. This time, however, I ended up with a pile of cut and ironed fabric before I touched the machine. That worked a treat.

Next an evening, with my ribbon stash and bags spread all over the floor while I watched television (nothing more challenging than Midsomer Murders, Lewis or Vera), I found drawstrings for each bag. I nearly had enough ribbon, just 2 bags short, but they were large bags, requiring over 2 metres of ribbon per bag, so a trip to Spotlight was called for. I now have a future supply of ribbon.

My next session resulted in a bundle of 30 bags with ribbons, ready for the cords to be either tied together ( where double drawstrings were used) or have a stopper applied to the ends to stop the cords disappearing into the draw channel.

                                                                      

Now to raid my button and bead boxes for suitable ends. Once identified and allocated, these were attached in a final session in front of television.   

The bags were taken up quickly by family and used this Christmas. The Christmas fabric was very    popular. The bags will be recycled over several years.   I had fun, the fabric is put to good use, the Guild has benefitted and present wrapping was made easy and pleasant for busy people. 

    All wins for this bag lady.