Excerpt from "The Homemaker Helper Series: Crafts"

Writing the first book in the series was very interesting. It brought up a lot of memories and has reinforced the fact crafts have always been a part of my life. The following is a project from the book which provides a place for all those plastic grocery bags.

Bag holders are another craft idea for fabric. They serve a utilitarian purpose by containing the plastic grocery bags that are brought home from the store on a regular basis. The nice thing about making your own is you can make one that matches your decor.

Materials:

18”X22” piece of fabric

2 pieces of ½” elastic; one 6” long and one 8” long

5” piece of yarn or narrow binding (for the hanging loop)

Safety pins and straight pins

Sewing machine

Thread

Scissors

Directions:

1.    Make a 1” hem on each short end of the fabric piece. This will be your casing for the elastic.

2.    Thread the two pieces of elastic through; one at each end. One will be tighter than the other. Pin in place.

3.    Fold the fabric in half lengthwise, right sides together and pin to hold in place.

4.    Fold the yarn or binding in half and place it next to the elastic at the wider end. Be sure the loop part of it is in between the right sides of the fabric. Pin in place.

5.    Stitch along the seam line using a ¼” seam allowance. Be sure to secure elastic in the seam lines. Backstitch at both ends of seam to secure the stitching.

6.    Remove pins and turn right side out.

7.    Hang inside a cupboard or next to your trash can. Place plastic grocery bags in the top. When one is needed, pull it out through the bottom. Only keep as many bags as will fit in your holder; anything in excess of that can be made into other useful items.