Reuse, Reduce, Recycle: Feed sacks into fashionable tote bags
The last time, Cowgirl Gardener, Margeaux Denham, invited us into her award winning food musings and lifestyle on the range to find out how to make some awesome dog beds out of burlap and the insect repelling insert, cedar chips. Now she shares a bit about how she can do more with upcycling than you could have imagined! If you’re like her, you can probably relate to a lot of these things and what it means to have a “bit of trash” that could really be a treasure, maybe
even your own treasure. Breathe new life into something, instead of taking it to the landfill! How about some up-cycling or even just a good ole-rehabilitation?! Enjoy!
even your own treasure. Breathe new life into something, instead of taking it to the landfill! How about some up-cycling or even just a good ole-rehabilitation?! Enjoy!Out here where we live, we have quite a few animals running around. Tending to lots of animals means lots of feed sacks. It’s hard to think about all of these feed sacks ending up in the trash after only one use. For the longest time I collected these sacks thinking there had to be another use for them; low and behold, there is!
What I came up with is making these stylish grocery/ tote bags for your trips to the store out of what would have been going into the garbage! I hear that up in the DC Metro area, they actually charge you a nickel if you don’t use your own grocery bags. Down here in Texas, where my husband and I live, more and more stores are requiring that you provide your own bags for your purchases. Instead of buying them, make your own!
After saving up my bags of feed, I found a great website that showed step by step how to create my own shopping bags. Even some pet food sacks will also work. I have seen birdseed, cat, & dog food packaged into these bags that can be reused. These fabrics are polypropylene a heavy duty plastic material; and packaging on these bags also tend to have really great graphics! If you have some bags saved up, you will need a sewing machine with a heavy duty needle. I found it was best to create an assembly line through each step. You will be amazed with the results & so will the checkers at the store.
seen birdseed, cat, & dog food packaged into these bags that can be reused. These fabrics are polypropylene a heavy duty plastic material; and packaging on these bags also tend to have really great graphics! If you have some bags saved up, you will need a sewing machine with a heavy duty needle. I found it was best to create an assembly line through each step. You will be amazed with the results & so will the checkers at the store.
I get so many compliments on mine & it’s great to tell them that I made them with a little ingenious planning! The holidays are right on the horizon, & my family & friends are going to love these as the gifts my husband & I are giving! They are perfect for all of the homemade goodies (Jams & jalapenos from our garden’s bounty!) There are hundreds of great uses for these bags other than trips to your local market which include: gift bags, laundry bags, over night bags the uses are endless! So, the next time you are buying feed for your pets, think of reusing the bag.Retro fact:
In days gone by when flour was purchased in large quantities; patterns for dresses were printed on the sacks! This way the bags would get a longer life. Waste Not!!!
