Happy Earth Day! ~Reuse your old T-shirts!

Paper or Plastic? How about neither. It takes as much petroleum to make 14 plastic bags as it does to drive a car one mile. These grocery bags are made from rescued T-Shirts. They are similar in size and shape to your average plastic grocery bag and can be used anywhere! They are quite durable, keep them in your purse or your car, it just takes a little at a time to get in the habit of recycling. It’s all about making a difference one small step at a time.

So, what do you do with your favorite T-shirts after they are too small, or worn out? Why, make reusable grocery bags of course! Here’s how I do it:

First choose a t-shirt…p4170162p4170153I find that small to mediums work best. If you want to use larger T-shirts you would either have a very big bag (not a bad thing!) or you would need to cut and sew the side seams. (Confused?) You’ll see in a minute.

Lay your T-shirt out on a hard flat surface (I am using my kitchen table), p4170154then lay your template…(any grocery bag will do. Pick one that has a size and shape you like.) on top pf your T-shirt.

Match the top of the bags handles with the shoulder seams.

Trace the opening around the neckline, and around the sleeves. (don’t worry, the chalk comes right off!) :)You are basically cutting out the neck and cutting off the sleeves to make your handles.p4170155

I usually fold my shirts in half, matching up all the seams and then do my cutting…this way both sides match. We leave the original side seams intact. (One less seam to sew!) 🙂 p4170157When that is done, cut off the bottom of the shirt. Again I use my walmart bag as a guide but, remember, your bag can be as big or small as you like.  When you have decided on a good length, cut it, then turn the shirt inside out, Sew or serge the bottom seam shut.p4170159 (If using a regular sewing machine do a straight stitch and a zig zag to make it nice and sturdy) If desired, you can also sew or serge around the handles.

Then take the bottom seam of the bag and fold it against the side seam like this..p4170161..you will have a little triangle, measure about 1 1/2 inches from the point and place a pin. (do this for both sides) sew a straight seam from pin to pin. You can leave this on or cut it off, its up to you. When you flip your bag right side out, you should have a nice squared bottom to your bag. And, its done! Nice job!p4180001Here is your finished product! p4180003You can roll them up and keep them in your purse or under the seat of your car. You can tie them with hemp cord and give them as gifts! They’re great! Have a happy day!

MSQC on going GREEN

In case you didn’t know, this Wednesday (April 22) is Earth Day! So in honor of that, this week all of us here at Missouri Star are going to be sharing little ways to make your life a little greener.

I’m one who is easily overwhelmed, so for me, the little things I can do go a LONG way. Here are a few things I do to get my green on…

1. Repurpose, Repurpose, Repurpose. I’m a big believer in making something old new again. Step outside of the box and before you throw something away think about what it could become! My best personal example is definitely my table & chairs… In case you missed it when I shared this project before, check it out here.

2. Buy in Bulk. I know what you’re thinking… I’m not talking everything here, but the stuff you know you’re going to consistently be using, buy it in larger quantities at one time.  Think shampoo. You’re always going to need it (hopefully!), you might as well buy the biggest bottle you can. If you don’t like having a giant bottle in the shower with you, keep the little bottles you used before and refill them.

3. Turn off the lights. During the day I open all my drapes and blinds to allow natural light to fill my house, not only does it use less energy, it lowers your bills.

4. Make a MENU. I have found that not only does it help me know what I need when grocery shopping, it also lowers the amount of leftovers and general waste. (We’re not big leftover eaters at our house, so cutting back on that is good for us! I guess another version of this could be… EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS! hehe)

What do you do to live a greener life? I’d love to find out!

~Misty

Easy Peasy……

This is the BEST beginner quilt ever!  So, so easy!  I took 5 charm packs (American Primer) sewed them into 4 patches then put them together!!  The only cutting that was involved was with the borders!!  So this top (5 charm packs + borders) total cost was under $50.00  Who can do that!?!?!?

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And that my friends, is why I love charm packs!!!  🙂

In love….

with this super cute Mermaid fabric from Micheal Miller.  Does this NOT scream summer!!?!?  I have so many ideas for this fabric my head is spinning.    Wouldn’t it make the most adorable pool/beach bag, or a pillow case for my daughter, or a quilt, or curtains, or Capri’s, or a sun dress……How do I decide!?!?!?

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What would you do if you had a few yards of this stuff?!!?!?  Please, do tell!  Oh, and have a great weekend!!

Sarah

ps.  if you must have this fabric, I understand!! 🙂  It should be listed in the shop soon.  (if you are dying and can’t wait email or call and I can cut you what you want and ship it asap!!)

Another winner!

Oh, I love to wake up on Friday morning knowing that I get to give somebody something FABULOUS! This week’s winner of the awesome Strippity Doo-Dah Rolling Star Quilt Pattern giveaway in our Community Forum is sbonetsue. Congratulations! Your pattern will be in the mail asap (once I get your info of course!)

Last week we gave away a Kasmir IV charm pack and that went to acecraig100.

Want to win free fabric or patterns? Of course you do! Join us in the forum and play along!

If you don’t know what the heck we’re talking about (you’re not alone,) let us explain!  Each week we have a giveaway for ANYONE who responds to a simple question we ask on the community forum.  All you have to do is be part of the discussion and you’re automatically  entered to win.  Add a pic to your post and you double your chances!

For full details about the Weekly Giveaway, click here.

To learn how to register and use the forum, click here.

There’s a new giveaway up RIGHT NOW, so come join the conversation! See you there!

~Misty