Week 25 or Another Pants Bag

Once again my goal of getting rid of fabric has been thwarted by the failure of fabric elsewhere in the house. These shorts were super comfortable. The pockets were deep enough to hold all the crap I tend to carry around. So they needed a belt, were cut for a man, and did nothing for my figure. I'm generally not the kind of person who cares about that sort of thing. I even put up with the fraying hem for a while. And tolerated the paint stains. But at some point I need to admit that I'm an adult, a mom, and there's no need to look like a poor college student any more. Especially when your kids go to school on a college campus. So off to the scrap pile they went while I took a trip to the classy consignment store for some fresh capri's I can wear like a real mom.

After the shorts had spent several weeks on the pile, I had a morning with a rare combination of time, motivation and space on my desk for my sewing machine. I made 3 bags in an effort to avoid dealing with the real crises in my life. Some people turn to chemicals, other to shopping, but it was too early in the morning for shops or bottles, so I made stuff. The other 2 got posted last week. This week you're left with another pants bag. I love the reactions of the grocery store baggers when they realize you did not leave your clothing purchases in the grocery bag. I find the thought of putting your butt-enlarging groceries in your  old pants. I prefer the khaki-weight bags to the denim ones. They're lighter and more flexible. The denim is heavier to carry but still won't stand up on its own. And these look like I pantsed a Target employee.

Weeks 1 & 2

This project started out two weeks behind. Story of my life, these days. So I did a 2-from-1 project. The classic jeans bag, top and bottom.

Before:

Actually, they did start out as a complete pair of jeans. You can see the ragged edge of the hole at the bottom of the top half, left leg. I've already unraveled the seams, which goes quickly once you find the correct end of the thread to pull.

After:

The waist bag has handles made from cotton webbing meant to be used for the seats of Shaker-style chairs. The Shaker Workshop, in Arlington, MA, sells short lengths of webbing at a discount. It's not enough to make a chair, but it's just right for the straps on yoga mat bags, which I used to make in quantity.

The leg bag's handles are a composite of pink camouflage and purple swirls.