Quilting for Peace: Stitch Your Own Shopping Bag

julieincharge

Story by julieincharge

Published on Nov 06, 2009 in Read

Photo by Quilting for Peace

Stitch-by-stitch throughout the decades, the art and craft of quilting has long held a quiet power to gather communities together — whether it be through quilting bees, wartime efforts, painstakingly creating heirlooms and gifts, or resourcefully gathering together fabric scraps to mend a garment or create an object of comfort.

Katherine Bell’s new book, Quilting for Peace, explores the the stories, social causes, and common threads of making the world a better place one thoughtful stitch at a time. She also includes a plethora of projects and inspiration for reclaiming peace and meaning in our world, using your own two hands and a few basic craft supplies. Below Katherine Bell has generously shared with us the 30 Minute Shopping Bag project from her book.

Purchase Quilting for Peace from Amazon or an independent bookseller.

Project: 30 Minute Shopping Bag

Use recycled fabric or leftover scraps from quilting projects to make this bag extra 
eco-friendly. If you want to use small scraps of fabric, read the patchwork instructions  at the end of the pattern. Double seams make the bag more durable for heavy groceries,  giving it a longer life.

Finished Size:
Approximately 15 4/4″ z 16 3/4″

What You’ll Need:
- 3/4 yard of 44 inch wide quilting or home decorating weight cotton (preferably recycled)
- Knitting needle or chopstick
- Matching cotton thread

Sewing Instructions:

1. Cut two 18-inch x 20-inch pieces of fabric for the front and back of the shopping bag, and two 18-inch x 4-inch strips for the handles.

2. Fold and press a 1/2-inch hem on one long edge of one handle strip. Fold and press a 1-inch hem on katherine_bell_copy.jpgthe opposite long edge of this handle strip. Fold and press the side with the narrow hem so it overlaps the side with the wide hem by 1/2 inch (see Diagram A).

3. Edge-stitch the edge of the overlapped hem, and then topstitch 1/4  inch on either side of the first seam.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make the second handle.

5. Working with one of the 18-inch x 20-inch rectangles, fold and press to the wrong side a 1/2-inch hem on one short end. Fold and press this hem edge another 1 1/2 inches to  the wrong side. Next position each end of one handle 4 1/2 inches from each side edge of the rectangle and tuck the handle ends under the double-folded hem, snugging them to the base of the hem (the handle will now face into the center of the rectangle), as shown in Diagram B.

Pin the double-folded hem and handle ends in place, and edge-stitch as close to the edge of the hem as you can, taking out the pins as you come to them.  Fold the handle up over the hem, and press it in place (see Diagram C).

6. Topstitch a box with an X inside it on each end of the handle, covering the bag’s hem (see Diagram D). 

7. Repeat steps 2-6 with the second fabric rectangle and handle.

8. Place the bag’s two sides with wrong sides together and the edges aligned. Sew a 1/4-inch seam along both sides and the boom of the bag, backstitching at the beginning and end of the seam to secure it. Turn the bag wrong side out, using a knitting needle or chopstick to gently push the corners fully out. Press the bag’s edges, and, with a 1/2-inch seam, sew around the three closed sides, again backstitching at the beginning and end of your stitching. Trim any loose threads, turn the bag right side out, and press it again.

Patchwork variation:
Piece together strips or scraps of fabric, and trim your patchwork to create the two -inch x -inch rectangles. Then follow steps 1-8 above to make your shopping bag

Thank you to Katherine Bell and the good people at STC Craft for sharing this project with us. For more ideas on how to improve your world through quilting, check out the website, Quilting for Peace.

More Craftivism Posts | Quilts Category | DIY Made Simple Gift Guide


Come craft with author Katherine Bell at two upcoming events in Brooklyn, NY:

Saturday, November 14 (12-6 p.m.): DIY Design Day at 303 Grand. More details here.

Monday, November 16 (4-8pm): Bag-making Craft Night with Bags for the People at Etsy Labs

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