Recycling - One Bag From Fifty

Instead of adding new recycled items to a separate  page, (or forgetting to, actually) I'm going to be featuring one at a time right here. That way I'll probably write more about the particular item featured that day.  Hopefully this will also keep me posting re-purposed tidbits more frequently, and content will be presented in a more interesting fashion. The Recycle page will eventually have the links to each item I've featured.

I never really liked my recycling page - kept forgetting to add stuff and everything I did add, had to be on the same page. The purpose for this page is simply to showcase our love for reusing things - gift that has been passed down for many generations in the Hutterite community.

So in the name of reusing instead of throwing out here's todays item:

These shopping bags won't be clinging to a nuisance ground fence, trees or shrubs. They are made by cutting ordinary plastic shopping bags into strips and crocheting them to create practical and pretty bags - my sister Elma's handiwork. They have a sort of  soft leathery feel to them. Each bag requires about fifty shopping bags to complete.

My sister got the idea from a dear elderly lady in a neighbouring town, who had been creating them for years. She could easily have sold them, but chose rather to give them to family and freinds as gifts. Elma was one of those lucky recipients. Later, she got Elma started on making them as well - sharing patterns, ideas and techniques with her.

If you'd like to make your own bag, you can get directions here. Found this, but don't know Amelia Redmond. In any case, my thanks to her for making it available online. Apparently there are many people who wisely repurpose shopping bags. Great to see!

Do you have a bag story you'd love to share? The comment section is waiting!