Shopping Bags

Well, I've noticed that the sewing world is starting in on sewing shopping bags. These are just like those fabric-type bags you can buy at Wal-Mart so that you can stop using plastic bags. I was on one page and read a lot of scary facts about plastic bags. Another thing that hit me, which I don't remember being on a page, it's just something I thought of, is that plastic bags are made out of petroleum products. Surely I'm not the only one who's been shocked at the rise of gas prices. If we're paying around $4+/gal for gas, why are we still using our oil reserves to make plastic bags so that we can just throw them away later? I don't know about you, but I'm being over run by the silly things. We use them to line a few trash cans and that's about it. One trip to Wal-Mart can keep us in enough plastic bags to line our smaller trash cans for a month, easy.

I haven't been quilting lately, but the urge to start sewing is sneaking around in there somewhere. I just want to make something easy and maybe spark that love again. I found a great pattern out at Morsbags that is a very easy one. It only takes a 1/2 yard of fabric (plus a little for straps). There also isn't a lining. It uses a double seam or a French seam to make it stronger. I dislike putting linings in bags so this is right up my alley. I think it's the perfect use for those fat quarters I bought ages ago that I have no idea why I bought them.

Just think. Every fabric bag we make, especially out of cotton, takes a lot of pressure off our oil reserves to turn it into a plastic bag. Once the fabric bag is finished, it can do a lot more than a plastic bag ever could. Not only that, but it supports our cotton farmers and our fabric industry. That's really important for quilters. We have to keep our fabric available! *smile* We also help out our favorite retailers. All together, about $4 billion is spent by companies every year to bring in those plastic bags. If we can eliminate the use of plastic shopping bags, then our food and item prices could go down because they're not having to hide that price in our goods.

SO!! Spending a little time in creating the bags now will help a lot in the long run. It really is a good idea. I'll just have to go ahead and start cutting out a few bags every evening. I know that I have 3 book bags around here now. They're so strong that I have to stop putting books in them why my shoulder can't take it anymore or when there's no room left. I'm not sure how a bag without a lining would do, but I'm sure it would be almost as strong. I can guarantee that my groceries aren't as heavy as my book bags are. LOL Once the bag pieces are set up, using Morsbags' instructions, it only takes about 20 minutes worth of time. I think it's worth it. What do you think?

Also... Did you know that they make great gifts? I've read where people love receiving them. They're a wonderful multipurpose bag. We use our book bags for toy bags when we go to the doctor's office or on a long trip. They hold so much and can take so much weight that we use them for lots of things. I'd just never thought of using them for our groceries. I have to go to the store today for a few things. I think I'll take our three bags with us and try them out. That will be several plastic bags that won't be coming home with me today!