An easy and useful project. Also easy gifts!

This week I made lovely vegie bags. You know all those horrible thin green plastic bags that you pop fruit and vegies in when buying them at the supermarket? They are such a waste and pretty yuk. These can be used in their place. But also they have other uses as you can keep your vegies in them at home ie hang up a bag of onions or garlic or even for air drying something like herbs or mushrooms.

I got this idea from The Cheapskates Club. This is the link to the instructions...

Re useable vegie bags.

Thanks Cath for such a lovely idea! As soon as I saw this I thought !!! I can make this, I have everything I need.

I had left over tulle from IKEA curtains and as far as I can see this is also the cheapest way to buy tulle by far. For $6 a set of tulle curtains gives you pretty much a life time supply of tulle!
Other options are to buy fine net, nylon sheers or lace curtians from the op shop. I have to say lace is a very pretty version of this!

They are so simple to make and would be a good project for a beginner sewer or a teenager at home.

The key element in making them for vegie shopping bags is keeping them light as air. Otherwise you will be paying more when the vegies are weighed. For these I used the tulle and fine organza ribbon. They are truly light as air.  And taking a photo of them is like photographing air! There is nothing of them!

I thought these would be a lovely gift for my friends who I know hate plastic bags and are keen recyclers. This would be another way to reduce waste that they would love. I have a few people in mind!

Then I decided I really needed to make lace ones. I went to the op shop and got a lace curtain (huge) for $5, brought it home and soaked it in laundry soaker and hot water. It came up beautifully. Once cut into what I thought was about the right size for versatile bags I started a production line.

As I made these I noticed they would also make lovely gift bags... I thought of using them as the wrapping of some of my kitchen themed and pantry themed gifts. It would be useful and pretty wrapping that could be re used in all kinds of ways.

Then I thought of how light they are to post and will make great gifts for those I post parcels to.

Or they would also make lovely wash bags for delicates!

Smaller ones could be filled with Bay Leaves for your pantry. (this cures pantry moth problems) So as one thing leads to another then I raided my lace collection and found some delicate wide lace my friend Sue gave me. I thought it would make a smaller version and sewed these pretty little bags..

These could also be for the wardrobe with bay, peppercorns and cinnamon to keep away silverfish/clothes moths.

Or could be used for fragrant herbs in your wardrobe or linen press.

So basically these have all kinds of possibilities! So simple to make and so inexpensive. A great way to reduce the number of plastic bags I use as well.  Also, I thought that I am always picking fruit and when I am out I have a way of coming home with a dozen lemons or some such thing... a few of these in the car would be really handy too and one hidden in my handbag!

Thank you Cath for such a lovely idea! So far I have made about twenty and am still going. I thought I would give them in sets of three. I have used up all my lace curtain and am still going on IKEA tulle. I think I have another eight cut out. They look so pretty, I love them!

While the sewing machine is out and the weather is rainy I am going to keep sewing this week. I have lovely floral sheets, a rose doona cover and plan to make kitchen towels from them. Tee towels (kitchen towels) are not usually very pretty. And nice ones are often really expensive. So I will make up a heap later after I have finished this project.

Have a great week! I am off to try and get lots done today, do my grocery shopping and hopefully find some bargains too. The weeks have been going so fast! xxx