SHOPPING BAG

To avoid the waste of plastic bags in the supermarket, you can make your own Seal the Deal! shopping bag. All you need is a piece of old fabric, maybe a sheet, a pillow case or a curtain. Of course, you can add the Seal the Deal! logo from adhesive ironing paper.

Cut a large rectangular piece out of the sheet; if you are using old bed linens, cut the bag at the edges, as the cloth is not that strong in the center, where it is exposed to a lot of wear.

If you don’t have a sewing machine, cut the cloth so that the mouth of the bag will be on the edge, which is already hemmed.

You need to sew two sides; when you fold the rectangle, the fold will be either the side or the bottom of the bag. 

Take the iron and attach the Seal the Deal! logo.

Sew along the edges; keep the work right side up! When the sewing is done, cut the extra cloth away and leave only 0.5-0.7 cm outside the seam.

Turn the work around, and sew a second seam inside, around 0.5 cm away from the edge; the unfinished edges are now being hidden and the bag will not fray.

You can finish the mouth of the bag now, if it is not hemmed yet; fold 1-2 cm of the the fabric inwards and stitch it to attach the fold. 

Cut two strips to make the handles. Make them as long as you prefer; hold the handle in your hand and decide, whether you carry the bag in your hand or on your shoulder.

Sew the handle pieces into tubes and turn them around, and attach them to the bag as you wish. For a secure hold, sew a rectangular stitching or an X over the band, so the hold will last even if the bag is heavy. 

If you don’t have a sewing machine, use a strong two-folded polyester thread.

You can also make an easy pillow case with this method.