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I CAN HAZ OLD PANTS
May. 29th, 2011 07:21 amNow that I'm between classes I have been taking some time for hobbies. My current hobby is cutting up old worn-out jeans and sewing the pieces into bags. So far I have 2 tote bags and another that will probably be done today.
My first goal with this is to replace the re-usable grocery bags that we bought from Whole Foods with simple, sturdy, WASHABLE bags made out of fabric. The bags we bought-- which are made of some kind of plastic-ish substance, allegedly recycled plastic I think-- are starting to break. And they get kind of grungy, and who wants that for carrying food? So much better to have something washable!
(You do not have to take up sewing to get washable sturdy re-usable grocery bags, btw. Market Basket is selling fabric bags, with a wavy blue pattern, made in Lowell. I have one: it's quite practical.)
My first bag was quite plain, but for the second bag, the idea hit me to not cut out and discard all the original features of the garment-- pockets, seams, belt loops-- but to incorporate some of these into the design of the bag. When I went shopping at Whole Foods with these bags, the guys at check-out thought my bags were about the coolest things ever. At Market Basket, though, I get the feeling that the bagger guy was a little freaked out by a grocery bag that looks like pants. I'm going to dial back the artistic flair a bit to produce some grocery bags that won't be considered so utterly eccentric at Market Basket.
As my techniques improve I want to work up to some more complex designs: a tote bag for commuting, with custom pockets for everything I take on my commute; some handbags; etc. But, wow, I go through a lot of old jeans! Nearly all the worn-out old jeans that we had hanging around, and that ceo and gosling gave me, are in some stage of being cut up and sewn into something. I am considering posting a request to suspects, that when people go through their clothes to select items to bring to the clothing swap, that they donate any denim garments with holes to me. I might bring my sewing machine, just in case the urge to start ripping up and sewing right away is too tempting.
My first goal with this is to replace the re-usable grocery bags that we bought from Whole Foods with simple, sturdy, WASHABLE bags made out of fabric. The bags we bought-- which are made of some kind of plastic-ish substance, allegedly recycled plastic I think-- are starting to break. And they get kind of grungy, and who wants that for carrying food? So much better to have something washable!
(You do not have to take up sewing to get washable sturdy re-usable grocery bags, btw. Market Basket is selling fabric bags, with a wavy blue pattern, made in Lowell. I have one: it's quite practical.)
My first bag was quite plain, but for the second bag, the idea hit me to not cut out and discard all the original features of the garment-- pockets, seams, belt loops-- but to incorporate some of these into the design of the bag. When I went shopping at Whole Foods with these bags, the guys at check-out thought my bags were about the coolest things ever. At Market Basket, though, I get the feeling that the bagger guy was a little freaked out by a grocery bag that looks like pants. I'm going to dial back the artistic flair a bit to produce some grocery bags that won't be considered so utterly eccentric at Market Basket.
As my techniques improve I want to work up to some more complex designs: a tote bag for commuting, with custom pockets for everything I take on my commute; some handbags; etc. But, wow, I go through a lot of old jeans! Nearly all the worn-out old jeans that we had hanging around, and that ceo and gosling gave me, are in some stage of being cut up and sewn into something. I am considering posting a request to suspects, that when people go through their clothes to select items to bring to the clothing swap, that they donate any denim garments with holes to me. I might bring my sewing machine, just in case the urge to start ripping up and sewing right away is too tempting.
