For some time now I have had it in mind to use some scrap fabric to make present bags. When Mr Snail and I give each other gifts we tend to wrap them in paper that has been reused many, many times – we never buy new wrapping paper. I have to confess that all the paper has all seen better days and it has become increasingly difficult to give a present that looks presentable. So, I had a rummage and found some nice scrap fabric left over from various sewing projects, as well as the remains of some old pyjama bottoms. I wanted to make draw-string bags, so needed lengths of ribbon and tape. Looking through my collection, I found some pieces from chocolate boxes, some quite long lengths that had been around clothes and household linen from ethical suppliers (to hold them neatly without the need for plastic), a piece that was once a curtain tab, two bits that were the hangers from the aforementioned old pyjamas and some other bits left over from long-forgotten projects. Not all the tape was long enough, but it was easily stitched together.
As I worked on the bags, I realised that I could also do with three in which to store plastic bags in the kitchen. Until the doors were replaced on the kitchen cupboards, plastic bags lived jammed into a cupboard and there was always the risk of a bagalanche when the door was opened. We reuse plastic bags, but storage has always been untidy, so three drawstring bags (one for small bags, one for medium bags and one for large bags) seemed like the answer. I made them in different colours so I would know which was which: the last of the spotty fabric from the dismantled night dress (the rest lined the scrappy satchel a while ago); a bit of an old sheet that had worn through in the centre, but has good edges left to be salvaged and has a cute paw print design; and a piece of stripy fabric that remains from a long-forgotten project. When Mr Snail saw what I was up to, he requested a bag for bags to use in his rented flat, so I made two of the stripy ones.
I’m very pleased with these scrappy creations – easy to make and all scrappy apart from the sewing thread. Even the little plastic tool I used to thread the tapes is a stirrer that came with a takeaway hot drink many years ago and has been living in my sewing box ever since, used lots of times and still going strong.
-oOo-
I’ve been inspired to write this (and future) ScrapHappy posts by Kate, Tall Tales from Chiconia. On the fifteenth of every month lots of other folks often publish a ScrapHappy post, do check them out:
Kate, Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan (me), Karen,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean, Johanna,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki and Sue
If you fancy joining, contact Kate and she’ll add you to the list. It would be lovely to see more non-sewing posts, but any use of scraps is welcome.
The Snail of Happiness 
katechiconi
/ July 15, 2019Fun! And I particularly enjoy the fact that scraps of that same dismembered nightdress are featured in my Worldwide Friends quilt… Worldwide Scraps, in fact!
I’m glad it’s not just me that saves bits of sheeting – just yesterday, I mended one of my favourite pillowcases with an offcut of the fitted sheets I made for Miz Lizzie, and I’m thinking the same cotton will make some good strong hankies 🙂
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 15, 2019I have some cleaning cloths made from the remains of some sheets that belonged to my grandmother…I suspect that the sheets in my possession may not be quite as robust as my gran’s but I’m certainly going to try to maximise their use. And that’s an interesting idea about hankies…
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katechiconi
/ July 15, 2019It works quite well so long as the sheets aren’t too heavy. I always make hankies from old linen shirts if there’s enough whole fabric left, they’re lovely and soft for coldy noses!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 15, 2019I will keep that in mind when I’m deciding on the fate of old clothes.
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AJ
/ July 15, 2019Wow you did great! My mom has made Christmas bags for wrapping presents. We didn’t bother with drawstrings though- just bought cute cord to wrap around and tie.
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 15, 2019The drawstrings were because I know that I’m not organised enough to keep cord and bags together… this way they can’t get separated!
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AJ
/ July 15, 2019Always a good plan:)
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nanacathy2
/ July 15, 2019What a super idea for storing bags and for wrapping presents.
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thecontentedcrafter
/ July 15, 2019This is a super idea Jan! A few years back I made Christmas bags out of newspaper but that was a massive undertaking – and those bags can only be used once a year. This is a great idea and the recipient will be able to use their gift wrap as well ❤
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The Snail of Happiness
/ July 15, 2019I’ve got plenty more fabric so I plan to make more. I’m also wondering about crochet bags or embellishments… so many ideas and not enough time!
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thecontentedcrafter
/ July 15, 2019I know – I think we should all give up on housework…..
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Kim
/ July 15, 2019Excellent use of scraps. I love the idea of a ‘bagalanche’ 😂
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KerryCan
/ July 15, 2019You take upcycling to a whole new level!
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Kt Shepherd
/ July 15, 2019oooh, I love this idea for presents!
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Laurie Graves
/ July 15, 2019Nice project! I often wrap presents with paper from the comics section that comes with the Sunday paper.
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Luanne
/ September 23, 2019Your post popped up on mine today because I’ve been writing for two weeks about my old fabric scraps. I love your idea!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 10, 2019Somehow, I missed seeing this comment and hence it didn’t get approved until now… I’m just off to check out what you’ve been using your scraps for…
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Luanne
/ November 10, 2019I’m still keeping it a secret, but project is in progress!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ November 10, 2019I am intrigued!
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