Go Green!... or pink, or striped!

Like so many people I like to use the reusable canvas bags instead of plastic when possible. I tend to forget a lot, but been making more of an effort to always use them. Its easier now that I have a few more (I tend to buy one most times I'm at a store that sells them.) I got a little sick of paying for them. Ironically instead of being cheaper they actually seem to be going UP in price. That was rather annoying to me.

I decided to keep a mental note to look for material that I thought would be a good fit to make some bags. I started looking at just anything I thought would be thick enough, then finally realized that canvas would be best. However this realization did not occur until after I had made my first bag.
This first bag attempt was from flannel and it was actually something I had already. I was going to sew the edges and make it into a baby blanket, but given I was knitting one I decided to just keep it for something else. This was more or less a trial run. I wanted to make the easiest bag possible. This basically meant I sewed the two sides together, leaving the bottom fold alone, and sewing the top edge back and doing handles. However with this particular fabric I should have paid attention a little more....

The pattern ended up side ways by doing it the super easy way. OOPS. OTHERWISE the bag came out fine. I learned a few things both good and bad. Plus its still a perfectly usable bag. Right now its what I am using to hold my chunky yarns.

I have since been waited for sales on canvas material. Whenever I find a coupon for like 50% or 40% I have started using that to buy the material, because it always seemed to me to never be on sale! I only buy like half a yard or a quarter yard depending on the original price. I was having a hard time finding just the plain canvas material, but found lots of the "painted" canvas. That's when I decided I would use that for bags, but not the type I had originally intended.

I found a few really nice looking canvas material. I was able to find some plain canvas (finally), so I will be getting more of that soon for the original planned project idea.

I wanted these bags for use in holding my yarn and other supplies. I made the 'painted' canvas bags the same way I made the flannel bag, but this time the material's pattern didn't matter. (hence why I sewed them that way) I now have several bags. I made 3  big plain canvas bags and used the design of the ones that Hobby Lobby sells because I liked the pockets. (easy and cheaper!)

The pockets were a bit of a pain, but Mom helped me. She gave me the material for the handles. I can't think of what its called all of a sudden...ugh I hate when I can't recall things. I wanted the plain canvas ones to be flat on the bottom, so Mom showed me how to do it, but I did it on the outside and she said its easier if I do it on the inside.

So now I have bags to hold my yarn, my needles, my current knitting projects, my cross stitch supplies, and my fabric for my flowers... which seems to have multiplied over night!

I best be getting on top of them! I think if I made one flower from every type of fabric I had I would have a flower to wear everyday for about 5 or 6 months! That's not even including the material that is a yard or more. (I only buy a quarter yard for the flowers)