Anyway… check out my progress through this challenge by clicking on my other blog entries here, here, here, and here. If you want to buy these bags but want them in a different color pallet contact me and we’ll see what we can come up with.

More pictures after the fold.

You can click on this link to take you to Etsy or click on the Shop tab at the top of my website.

Anyway…enough of my rant. Here’s a few pictures of my repurposing a tank top that was too big and a skirt that was too small.

I don’t know what I was thinking, but I decided to quilt these two bags. Love the look, hate the process. I’ve quilted this same bag pattern before, click here to see how its done.

Here’s a picture of my stash after cutting but before sewing. I may have bitten off more than I can chew.

They dangle from the arms of many New Yorkers, a nearly ubiquitous emblem of empathy with the environment: synthetic, reusable grocery bags, another must-have accessory for the socially conscious. But the bags, hot items at upscale markets, may be on the verge of a glacier-size public relations problem: similar bags outside the city have been found to contain lead.

This is a quote from an article I found about the dangers in using reusable shopping bags. I think people should support their local artisans by buying handmade shopping bags. Not only can you wash and reuse handmade bags without having them fall apart but you will be supporting fellow Americans. Check out my tote bags you can wash and reuse here and here.

Here is the fabric I chose. I’m measuring out the fleece so I can quilt it.

I use a yard stick to measure out my quilting squares

I like to use my machine to quilt the fabric – not the old fashioned way.

This is the outline of the bag. The bottom will be square.

The painful process of turning the handles inside out -
it really is very painful on your fingers

And this is the finished tote. I think it captures my grandmother’s personality perfectly.