Good for the Environment, Good for Crafting

Since we here at four friends are all interested in doing what we can for the environment, we have added our blog to the list at http://blogactionday.org/ and we are participating by posting about this topic along with other bloggers around the globe to help increase awareness.

With that in mind, I thought I would show you a design idea for a cloth bag that not only replaces using the less environmentally friendly plastic bag, but is also made from repurposed fabric.

My plans and supplies. Thrifted drapery panel for the main fabric of the bag and a thrifted corduroy shirt used for the lining.
Thrifted quilting cotton used for the bias binding which covers all the seam allowances and a thrifted buckle for the mock strap closure on the front flap.

A peek of the thrifted zipper used to make an interior pocket. Speaking of pockets...
I managed to incorporate the pocket from the shirt front into a useful pocket on the side panel of the bag's interior.
This design affords different use options - use it as a shopping bag or as a errand bag. The front pockets are sized to hold personal water bottles, while the main compartment has lots of storage capacity and the strap is long enough to put over your shoulder. I intend to use my earth friendly cloth bag for toting around in-progress crafting/needlework projects.

Here's to finding ways of reusing, repurposing and rethinking so that our lives leave a smaller footprint on the environment.