Recycled tote bags...

This afternoon I have been in a frenzy of chopping up twenty-nine year old pillowcases. Well, okay, not all of them were that old, but the Star Wars one said "©1979" on the bottom, and the Dangermouse one isn't much more recent!

I have six bags so far, destined for the Art Market next Saturday, assuming I snag a place from the waiting list. I am quite happy to sell them to you though, if you want them! They're a fiver each, plus £1 UK p&p.

I have two spotty bags, two Star Wars (Empire Strikes Back), one Paddington and one Dangermouse.

Coming soon are Finding Nemo, ET, Dennis the Menace, The Wombles, The Simpsons and Winnie the Pooh.

Yes, I do have a Shed full of pillowcases!

Today I invented a rucksack.

Okay, so it's not as though the rucksack hasn't been invented before! But I was thinking yesterday, while I was on the bus on my way to work, and I thought it would be good if I could figure out a way of making rucksacks out of the pillowcases that I'm recycling. Tote bags are great, but they are everywhere, and I have a wonky wrist at the moment, and I'm happier carrying shopping on my back than in my hand.

Anyway, here is my first experiment on the subject:

As you can see, the bag itself is the same size and shape as the Paddington pillowcase tote. Instead of two carrying handles, I've made two long straps. They're fixed at the top of the bag, and adjustable at the bottom. They thread through two-rings, so they can be lengthened or shortened to fit comfortably on your back.

The first two pictures show the bag empty. The second two show it with Stuff inside. You can see that it gapes at the top as soon as you put anything in, which is no good. I added a popper in the centre, which fastens the bag quite neatly. There's also a button on the front of this one. It's purely decorative - I'd already sewn it on before my sewing machine informed me that it didn't feel like making buttonholes today!


I'm really pleased with how this bag came out. It's comfortable to wear, nice and sturdy, and it will carry a lot of weight.

There are a few changes I'd like to make to the design though. At the moment, as soon as you put anything into the bag, all the weight is carried by the popper. This means that the load-bearing capacity of the bag is dictated by the fastener, not by the bag itself, which isn't ideal. Mind you, this can be solved quite easily by simply putting on the bag the other way around. That way the straps hold the weight of the bag against your shoulders, and the bag can't gape open. Maybe the solution's as simple as that?


As always, this one's for sale. £7.50, anyone?
If not, I'll pop it into my Etsy store later in the week.

Paddington Shopping Bag...

This is what I've been up to today - as well as finishing Rhona's dress, I've made a Paddington shopping bag at the request of Sarahloo.

It's a big bag, quite a lot bigger than the totes that I've made previously. It's roughly A3 in size, and the handles are short ones. They won't go over your shoulder, but you can carry the bag in your hand without it dragging on the floor.

I've got quite a lot of pillowcases in the Shed - most of them came with the duvet covers I've been buying to make skirts from. I can get two of these bags out of one pillowcase, so I'll be running up a lot more in the not-too-distant future. I particularly like the fact that there won't be any leftover fabric at all, by the time I've finished.

I've signed up for the Rising Sun Art Market in September and November, and I'm on the reserve list for July. I'll be taking these new bags along with me, as well as lots of badges, and anything else I happen to make in the meantime!