In and around DC, plastic bags at grocery stores cost 5 cents each. Almost everyone brings reusable bags to the grocery store. I think it’s a great policy, and having seen it put into action, it really reduces the number of plastic bags being consumed. Here in North Carolina, though, there is no such law. Relatively few people bring their own bags to the grocery store, and cashiers don’t always know what to do with them. Instead of being asked if I brought my own bags, I’m always asked, “paper or plastic?”

Since moving here, we have been less than stellar at remembering to bring our reusable bags to the grocery store and have ended up with a seemingly never-ending supply of plastic bags, shoved under our sink. I imagine some of you can probably relate.

With the semester over, I finally felt like doing a little spring cleaning and tackled this mess by making two bags to hold all of our plastic bags. These were super simple to put together. I followed the very vague instructions from A Spoonful of Sugar Designs.

The fabric is a 15″ wide remnant from Joann’s. I simply cut in half hamburger style, so I had two pieces approximately 15″ wide by 23″ long and sewed each into a tube on the serger. Then, I finished each end on the serger and hemmed it on the machine, leaving a small opening to thread some 3/8″ elastic through. Once the elastic was thread through and the ends were sewn together, I finished the hem. Finally, I just sewed some string to the top to make a hanging loop.  All together, the two bag holders probably took me around an hour. They really cleaned up the cabinet under the sink. I hope it stays this way!

Abstract
Pattern: n/a
Fabric: .375 yard cotton remnant from Joann’s
Cost: $3.50 fabric + elastic, string, and thread from stash = $3.50
Time: 1 hour