reusable shopping bags, ahoy!
reusable shopping bags are where it’s at, natch!
me and the mister have a cabal of fun bags that we tote around when shopping so’s we don’t always have to take a bag from the store and be all wasteful and stuff. in the event we do have to take a bag from a store, like say, whole foods (where we do our grocery shopping in our ‘hood), we take their paper bags and then reuse them for our recycling (bottles, cans, etc.), ensuring that they also get recycled.
the idea of it is starting to hit critical mass, methinks: everyone and their mom is talking about reusable bags these days. proof positive:
1.) threadbanger!
this week’s threadheads episode was all about reusable shopping bags. they gave us the dowlow about morsbags, buffalo exchange and their token-for-not-taking-a-bag program, and showed off a reusable bag made of scraps of recycled fabric by artist rebekah potter, and more. thanks rob & corrine!
2.) danny seo:
this one is about inspiration and good ideas: one of eco-friendly creatrix danny seo’s posts this past week was about reusable bags and how stores (like trader joe’s) do, can and should make incentives to get customers to bring their own reusable bags. good idea, indeed.
3.) burdastyle:
got a sewing machine, thread, and fabric at your disposal? not to mention a computer and printer? well make your own reusable bags, then! burdastyle recently made a free(!) pattern for a reusable shopping bag available on their site. looks easy-peasy…make a coordinated collection of grocery bags, and when you’re done, make some for your friends! awesome.
do you use reusable bags?
feel free to share more tips or links on the reusable or bag-recycling tip, if you have any!
February 3 2008 | Posted in check this out!, crafty cool., culture-vulture, this inspires me!
February 3 2008 at 1:57 pm
jessica elgini am a big fan of the chico bag. maybe not as cute as those bags, but it scrunches up really small and has a clip so you can put it on your key chain or backpack.
chicobag.com
February 3 2008 at 2:52 pm
LindsayI have started making reusable grocery bags out of recycled vintage dish towels. They are the perfect size for Sunday farmer’s market or a quick trip to the grocery or drugstore. The size isn’t super-huge (since they towels aren’t so big) but I like them, they’re fun. There’s two up in my shop now: lindsinger.etsy.com
I am currently on the hunt for more good dish towels to recycle
February 3 2008 at 3:14 pm
jenniferas part of my job, i attend conferences. these conferences tend to give tote bags full of crap to everyone who attends. so, i use all those as my grocery bags.
the natural market here no longer uses plastic bags. they still have paper, though.
February 3 2008 at 3:35 pm
roxii use a brown sack from aa + a whole foods reusable bag i found somewhere. we still get paper bags tho because our cat had a brain problem (for real) & can’t walk very well and won’t/can’t use a litterbox; he pees on newspapers and we need the paper bags to put the newspapers in. i guess that is like recycling tho. we collect the newspapers from the neighborhood on trash days. tmi? he is a troublesome cat.
February 3 2008 at 4:37 pm
Pasha PlumI gave everyone on my Christmas list reusable bags. The key for me to use them is make sure they stay in the car or by the door, so I remember to take them with me. Now I am working on getting my husband to use them.
BTW I am a long time lurker and love your blog.
February 3 2008 at 4:48 pm
Lady SmaggleHi Tricia!
I did a post on the best tote bags available on etsy
http://www.smagglestyle.com/?p=357
Because global warming scares the hell out of me.
I use tote bags for eveything. I even carry my lunch to work in a bag a made in a sewing class.
February 3 2008 at 6:33 pm
Caseyoh yay!! I’ve lately been trying to remember more and more to take one of my tote bags with me when I go shopping. (I love taking my ladybug totebag that is similar to the ones I sell in my Shoppe.) I find its a lot more unique, and for gosh sakes it does my little part for lessening waste!!
I need to make a bunch more totes though; I want to keep a stash in my car for days I forget to bring one from home… I think I’ll probably try the BurdaStyle pattern and just use some sturdy, thrifted material… (recycling even more! hooray!)
February 3 2008 at 7:05 pm
ms. spinachi love my envirosax bags. they also roll up really small (i always have one or two tucked in my handbag, just in case i buy something) and the patterns are really cute (the flora series is my favorite). i’ve toted massively heavy things — like 10 magazines — in them and they’ve held up really well.
February 3 2008 at 7:56 pm
sarahOkay, sorta off-topic, but I had to thank you, Tricia, for the great roundup of links you always post. It’s such an incredible resource! Case in point: a friend of mine wrote me the other day to see if I could connect her to online patterns for berets – and of course, I knew just where to come. (she’s starting in on that moss-stitch one)
And I’d just been thinking I need to start making some reuseable bags that are big enough to handle our weekly grocery runs. Thanks! (again)
February 3 2008 at 8:42 pm
Ashe MischiefLike Ms. Spinach, I’m a bit fan of my Envirosax. They were my birthday present to myself last July, and I’ve been loving them! Most people seem to underestimate their strength, but they can really hold a substantial amount of groceries in them. The worst this is that I may need to increase the amount I own– with as seldom as I shop, the 5 never seem to be enough!
February 3 2008 at 8:58 pm
fabulousfrockI’ve been using reusable bags for over a year now. I remember them 75% of the time. They’re all totes that I’ve thrifted or gotten free somewhere. I hang them on my doorknob as soon as I unpack them so I won’t forget them and carry them in the front seat of the car at my feet.
February 4 2008 at 5:30 am
the likkle girl who wurves pwetty thingsMy favourite reusable shopping bag at the moment (for after-work-dash-to-the-grocer’s-for-dinner-stuff trips) is a cheeky take on the regular supermarket plastic carry bag. Photo here: http://bp0.blogger.com/_WJjc0N1hIH4/R3yoFPkySKI/AAAAAAAAApQ/JlJUZEw3Ikc/s1600-h/plastic+bag.JPG
The bag is super-sturdy and is available in various kitschy-cool prints. Made from recycled old tarpaulin advertising banners, the pattern is cut by patients in mental health institutions and sewn together by crafty old ladies living in retirement/nursing homes in Singapore. Part of the profit goes to them and I’d like to think that they also get some sense of self-worth with each bag sold.
For weekly bulk-buying, I use a canvas shopping trolley – easier on the arms.
February 4 2008 at 6:36 am
MarlenaThanks for the pattern link. I’ve been wanting to make a couple of bags to supplement the army of grocery store-totes I have. It would be nice to have some that fold up for easy carrying.
There’s a grocery store chain here that gives five cents off for each bag you reuse. It doesn’t have to be fabric, I’ve seen people just reuse the plastic store bags. Not that five cents off is a huge difference, but it would be nice if all stores offered SOMETHING. I’ve had a couple of baggers at Whole Foods thank me for bringing my own bags, which I thought was so nice. Not that I’m looking for kudos, but sometimes it feels like I’m fighting a losing battle.
February 4 2008 at 8:42 am
NicholaI made up a few of the BurdaStyle bags and they’re great!!! They fold up into their own little pouch so i can always have one or two in my bag ready to go. Plus they’re great for using up those odd pieces of fabric you have in your stash.
February 4 2008 at 9:00 am
AmandaI have a few Baggu bags that I love. They have great colors and wrap up into a tiny package when you aren’t using them. That way, I always have a baggu on hand in my purse! http://baggubag.com/
February 5 2008 at 9:39 am
sigsyYEAH – 2008 is the year of, what are referred to here in Japan, ‘ecobags’ for me and my hubby. We have about 4 and carry them all the time.
Have you ever heard of Morsbags? http://www.morbags.com This is a group that gets together in ‘pods’ and uses old fabric to make cloth bags to replace plastic bags. We have them on our handbags or sportsbags all the time! Here is my entry about our 2008 commitment http://sigsyintokyo.blogspot.com/2008/01/goals-for-2008-include-eco-bagging.html. We are big bag geeks!
http://www.keitaigoddess.com/index.php/site/entries/morsbag_pod_gathering/
February 5 2008 at 9:42 am
sigsyAhem, Ok, so I just reread the post thoroughly, and you do know about morsbags!
Super!
February 5 2008 at 2:02 pm
Prêt-à -Porter Prostituteive just been using my j.lindeberg shopping bag as one, its got straps and a zipper top.
February 5 2008 at 2:47 pm
julieThis is a great website for diapers and she recently saw a Opra show and started selling eco bags too. if you join her mailing list she gives out coupons and she makes her own diapers too – sugar plum babies. check it out
February 6 2008 at 1:17 pm
navaI am making a bunch of the Burda ones! I have 3 from various stores, but I forget them way too often so I’m just going to make up a bundle to keep in the car/around the house/in my purse, etc. Especially since most of the stores I frequent are getting rid of plastic bags (yay!)
February 6 2008 at 2:57 pm
AmberI love my Envirosax bags. I have the 5 pack “flora” series. I love how they roll up and fit in that little pouch!
February 7 2008 at 12:49 am
jesseI second the Chicos. I live and die by them. (Well, maybe not really. But I sure do use them a lot.)
February 8 2008 at 4:06 pm
:: I said I wouldn’t do it… but indeed I did! :: « elegant musings[...] ♥ inspiration [ twenty-five ] ♥ ♥ tips and tricks for thrifting like a pro! [ via ] ♥ Emily has been doing some very creative things with lace doilies ♥ great tutorial on image transfers on fabric ♥ inspiring fashion from rebe ♥ Tricia did a whole post on reusable shopping bags ♥ how to make adorable, embroidered buttons ♥ Anna is making a leather handbag… and blogging about it! ♥ inspiring interview with artist Sonja Ahler [...]
March 22 2008 at 3:51 pm
SandraHere’s another cool (and free!) site with really detailed instructions and lots of pictures for making reusable bags:
http://www.chicaandjo.com/2008/03/21/make-your-own-reusable-shopping-bags/
I’m going to make some of these this weekend!
March 22 2008 at 9:53 pm
Chica & JoWe documented the process to make your own shopping totes if you are interested: http://www.chicaandjo.com/2008/03/21/make-your-own-reusable-shopping-bags/