It's Easy to Make Your Own Reusable Shopping Bag

In the midst of the "go green" movement there is a greater awareness than ever before of the need to take care of and give back to our planet. With paper or plastic becoming an option of the past, the country's top department stores are passing out plastic bags by the millions with a wreckless abandon. Scientists estimate that it will take more than 500 years for those bags to decompose. Imagine how many plastic bags we can pile up after 500 years. When we run out of space, maybe we can shoot them into space, so the Martians can carry their groceries home. There is an alternative. Many stores are becoming more environmentally concious and offering everything from t-shirts made from recycled coke bottles to resuable shopping bags that you may purchase and opt to use instead of using plastic bags that will eventually end up in already overflowing landfills. Why buy something new, when you can make an easy resusable shopping bag that is functional and fun, in 6 easy steps, using things that you already have around the house.

Here's what you will need:

A sewing machine (unless you can stitch),
needle and thread,
Scissors,
approx. 1 yard of cotton/blend fabric ( if nothing is available you can buy cotton canvas),
paint and other embellishments.
wide ribbon, cord, or rope for handles (you can also make them out of fabric).

1. Begin by cutting out two 15x15 squares and three 5x15 rectangles.

2. Sew the pieces together, matching the letters up (A goes to A, B goes to B, and so on), according to the diagram.

3. Attach one handle at points I and J and the other handle at points K and L.

4. If you are using fabric handles cut two strips 4"x24," fold them in half and iron them down, then sew along the open edge.

5. Use paint, jewels, sequins and other embellishments to decorate your bag. Let dry.

6. Celebrate doing your part!

Now that you have your environmentally friendly shopping bag, you can make more so your friends and family can share in the fight to save the planet. Why stop there, there are a million ways to recycle what you would normally throw away. Happy shopping!