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Monday, November 21, 2022

Design Wall Monday - November 21, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

While at the retreat I attended recently, a friend at a nearby table (Connie Wass) had a large tote bag that interested me.  I have been looking for a pattern to make a large tote because I was wanting to try using Penny Lane's dog food bags as a "stiffener" and liner for a large bag. 

I hate to add more things to landfills, and dog food bags look indestructible, and are not recyclable.   So I had saved some of Penny's bags to see if I could use them somehow.  The bag pattern Connie  used is called the Venti Tote Bag.  It is available on the internet from www.purse-strings-patterns.com

Connie changed the pattern to sew the lining and the outside together at the side seams with French seams, and I did too.  Here is the beginning of my dog food bag project:

I put pieces of cotton batting together with the two main pieces of the bag, and also for the bottom circle of the bag.  I then quilted each of the three pieces using a simple crosshatch pattern.  I used masking tape as a guide for stitching.  (I'm a pretty simple quilter).


Then I sewed the two side seams on either side of the bag, using French seams.  The seams were sewn through six layers, with the seam on the outside of the bag...then turned to the inside and another seam sewn, capturing all the raw edges inside the second seam.  I do like French seams.

Here is a picture showing the dogfood bag used in the project:

And here is the bag, finished except for the binding part.  I will add binding around the handle holes, around the top of the bag, and also to cover the seam that attaches the bottom. 


As you can see, the dogfood bag makes a good fairly stiff lining, and should be water-resistant.  Not entirely waterproof, because there are tiny holes in the bag made by the sewing machine seams.  But it will be a useful bag for carrying lots of things.



Finally, here is a picture showing the outside bottom of the bag.  The binding will cover up the raw edges shown here.  I will be working on making the bias binding today, and it should be finished soon.  I am thinking I will be making more of these, as I do like big bags.  If I remember to, I will show you a picture of the completed bag next week.  


We sure got a lot of snow this past week!  Here's a picture taken out of the window of the study, showing my front porch and yard.  I love the large pine trees when they are covered with snow.  Later when the wind blows, the snow on them will be released, and it will "snow" all over again.  


What are you doing this Thanksgiving week? I am thinking of all the things we have to be thankful for.  I feel so blessed to visit all of your blogs and see what projects you are working on.  Thanks for joining in on the Design Wall Monday Link Party below.  You are appreciated.




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16 comments:

  1. I've often thought of trying to do something with the various feed bags (chicken, calf starter) bags that have accumulated over the years but never got around to it. Your bag looks very sturdy, they'd make good Christmas presents! Happy stitching!

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  2. You definitely have a post card view with all that snow, so very pretty. Hopefully you don't need to get out in it any time soon. What a very fun and useful bag. A nice way to recycle too. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, hope you get to spend some time with family, as well as, stitch a bit.

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  3. If one has a dog there would be potential for lots of tote bags. These look easy to whip out the inside of the tote for sure. Good as a grocery bag too I bet.

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  4. I think I might try this with an oval, or a rectangle with rounded ends, instead of a circle for the base of the bag. I like the holes for handles.

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  5. I'm wondering are you in Michigan or New York that you got so much snow? it is certainly pretty.

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  6. What a fascinating use for the dog food bags, Judy! Your snow is absolutely beautiful and that picture makes me nostalgic for beautiful winters when I lived much farther North. But then I remember that I don't like wearing a jacket or having my boogers get frozen to my scarf on a regular basis, and I am glad that "Carolina Cold" is so much tamer than the cold that comes in places that get blanketed with snow. ;-)

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  7. What an amazing idea! That’s what I call thinking outside the box.., or … er… dog food bag!

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  8. Great reuse idea, Judy! How dull did the sewing machine needle get? I'm a fan of French seams for tote bags, too. The snowfall is impressive (aren't we glad we're not south of Buffalo?) -- but I look forward to the warm up this week.

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  9. we had a full day of snow but the temps are rebounding to the high 60's this week here, Not NOrmal.
    Our snow is about melted in the intense sun already.
    your bag is so useful and pretty. I love containers and made some this week too. It's good to have useful items that are also beautiful
    LeeAnna

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  10. What a great use for the bag. I look forward to seeing it finished. :)

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  11. What a fabulous bag and a great use of the dog feed bag. I just love seeing things recycled. The view from your window is beautiful . Have a very lovely Thanksgiving.

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  12. I'd be interested to know how your bag holds up. I tried making some bags in the past from pet food bags and they weren't very durable so I decided they weren't really worth the time to make them.

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  13. No Thanksgiving in Europe but i hope you have a lovely celebration

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  14. Such a great idea Judy!
    I have sewn bags too to recycle the dog food bags, but never as fancy as this one!

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  15. What a great bag! Good job keeping stuff out of the landfill. 😁

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I am always searching for new ideas and your feedback helps me learn how to do things better. Thanks for stopping by! Note that I am not on the computer daily, so responses to your comments happen when they happen.....I'm 80, and I hope allowances can be made. 😊