Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined them chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the second day of the month is "Entertainment."
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My general rule of thumb is that if something is bothering me every day, I need to fix it. This is big things (I'm unhappy with my work situation) or small things (there was a stupid piece of trim in our dining room that was missing for years and it bothered me because I looked at it every time I ate in my seat at the table). I am a natural complainer, but I'm also someone who realizes that no one cares about what I'm complaining about as much as I do, so if it's annoying, I have to be proactive and fix it.
Years ago I made a grocery bag holder and we use it a fair amount. Stitches had fallen out and the ribbon I'd used to hang it had become so wrapped on the knob that when I removed it today, I had to use a knife. It was still technically usable, but its faults bothered me enough that I decided to replace it.
It had been a hot minute since I'd busted out my trusty old sewing machine, but I looked up a quick tutorial and decided I could spend an hour or so on this project. The thing is that the room with sewing machine in it has mostly been used as an exercise room recently, so I had to work around the weights and bench. The description of the project said it should take 15-20 minutes, but it took me closer to an hour. Honestly, it took me 15-20 minutes just to set up my ironing board, sewing machine, and cut the fabric. I'm definitely out of practice!
This particular project required very little in the way of materials:
1 smaller, rectangular piece of fabric (mine is 2" x 10")
2 pieces of elastic (mine were 5" each, next time I might go up to 6")
Thread
A couple of safety pins are useful
I recently ordered our 2022 photobook. It is huge. Ridiculously huge. We take too many pictures and I didn't do a good job of whittling them down. I grumbled a lot about how long the process took this year, but now it has been printed and is en route to my house where people will spend hours pouring over the pages. So I know it's worth it...but I am SO GLAD TO BE DONE.
ReplyDeleteIt's sounds like it was quite an undertaking. Congrats on getting it done!!
DeleteWe just have a million bags hanging on a million hooks in our laundry room-- I need to bust out my machine and make one of these-- so cute and so useful.
ReplyDeleteWe used to just have a bag of bags, but the bags were always getting torn or lost and this is a pretty easy way to store them! It's an easy project, too.
DeleteWe just have a bag of bags. Sadly, I don't sew, so I won't be making one of these. Your bag is much more functional and attractive than my bag of bags. i like your philosophy of, if something is really bothering you, fix it. It's true no one else care as much as you do, so the only solution is to take care of it yourself. I wish the other members of my family would embrace this concept (ahem, we have a lot of complaining going on!)
ReplyDeleteI mean, sometimes complaining is just a good way to vent! I am a complainer, too, but I just realize no one takes my complaints as seriously as I do!
DeleteWow, you did a great job! I can't sew to save my life, so I am impressed!
ReplyDeleteThis is literally just a few straight line stitches - no need to be impressed, I promise.
DeleteNo, I have not made anything lately, and I won't be, because I'm not creative and I do not have the faintest idea how to sew.
ReplyDeleteWell, I didn't necessarily mean SEWING anything. Surely you've created something wonderful in the kitchen or something?!
DeleteNice bag! I do repair work but I can't remember the last time that I sewed anything for real. I do get a lot of satisfaction from fixing things.
ReplyDeleteMend and make do is the motto around here! It is a great feeling when you can make something last longer with a quick mend.
DeleteI'm impressed. I can't sew anything more complicated than a button. We don't have a ton of grocery bags around here, I bought some really nice big solid ones at a grocery store, and we re-use those. I love them because the groceries don't go all over the back of the car. Once in awhile we do end up with a plastic bag, if we forget our solid ones or whatever, and those just end up in the 'bag of bags', until one of us uses it for taking out trash, or giving away something to our 'buy nothing' group, things like that.
ReplyDeleteThe bags we have are like this: https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Grocery-Shopping-Bags-Pack/dp/B06XNLWB3B/ref=asc_df_B06XNLWB3B/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198060101726&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6370201684432719983&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032055&hvtargid=pla-379235863884&psc=1®ion_id=674469
We rarely use our reusable bags because, well, we use the bags for emptying the cat's litter box daily. Also, my husband is really grossed out because cleaning those reusable bags is so hard and you generally can't put them in the washer, so here we are. We have a system in the back of our car to prevent the bags from spilling, but I can see where the bags you linked to would be a lot easier to work with than our complicated system!
DeleteI just got a heap of bags stuffed in the drawer under my oven, they are from our dining chairs but once they are gone we probably won't have many bags hanging around as we might only get the occasional bag from takeaway and we'd use them in the bin anyway. The thin single use bags from shops are banned here and I almost always take bags when I go to the shops or just carry the stuff loose if not.
ReplyDeleteYes, if they were banned we'd have to come up with a different system for litter removal and use our reusable bags more often. So far the bag ban has not come up here, but when it does, I guess I'll have to get rid of this holder.
DeleteYay for you! I have all of our plastic bags shoved between the fridge and the wall in the kitchen. We use ours for garbage and found a neat little hanging contraption that hangs in a cupboard, supporting the open bag to receive the trash. We have a huge amount left over from when stores wouldn't allow reusable bags during the initial stage of the pandemic. They're in a heap in the basement, and I bring up a handful when needed.
ReplyDeleteOh, I wish we had a stash. We use them a lot for cat litter and it seems like we're always running low.
DeleteWell done! I am HORRIBLE at sewing. Admittedly I haven't tried it since I was young. I was in 4-H and had to do some sewing projects. Oof it tested my mom's patience and she took over A LOT! I was terrible at applying consistent pressure to the pedal. So I said - NEVER AGAIN! But my mom is a wonderful sewer so we have given her projects over the years, especially now that she is retired. She really enjoyed making pillows for our window seat and did such a great job. We spent a fraction of what we would have if we bought pillows in a store!
ReplyDeleteMy mom tried to teach me how to use a sewing machine when I was young and it went horribly! It turns out that her as teacher and me as student wasn't a great combo, but it was better when I did some beginning sewing classes as an adult with a neutral teacher!
DeleteIt IS such a great skill to have and you're so lucky your mom could help you out with that window seat project.
Oh that's wonderful. I am glad you replaced the bag and an hour is not bad (even if the tutorial said 20 minutes. It's never just 20 minutes ;))
ReplyDeleteI finished a knitted loop scarf for my MIL last week and it was so satisfying to finally finish something again. I need to keep on it.
Your scarf looks so pretty. I hope your MIL appreciates it - it's such a work of art!
DeleteThat looks great. I too have little things that bug me and I just have to DO IT. Yesterday it was one of our pantry drawers that kept jamming because it was too full. I cleaned it out and Voila, all good. (found pancake mix and almond flour that was four years old! yikes)M
ReplyDeleteYES! Sometimes you just have to clean out the drawer, right? It took my husband three days to even notice I had replaced this bag holder. He just doesn't get bothered by the same things I do.
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