Afterwards, since the machine was already out, I took the opportunity to work on something I'd been thinking about for awhile. We eat a lot of rice around here, and we buy big bags of it. The bags are made of some kind of plastic material that can't be recycled (at least not where I live), and they usually have really interesting graphics on them that would be shame to waste. I saved the last 2 bags but hadn't done anything with them yet. With a few quick seams, I ended up with 2 tote bags
Fun, eh? The sewing is very straightforward, but if you want some guidelines, you can find them over at Zakka Life. For mine, I shortened the bags but kept them the same width as the original, so I didn't have any side seams to sew up. Even easier!
Anyway, my husband liked what I made and asked for some more, so I was back at the fabric store yesterday. When I got in line, the nice elderly woman in front of me asked if I had an opinion about the two brands of sewing machine oil she was trying to decide between. I did not, and she just ended up picking one. When it was her turn to check out, the clerk asked her for her birthdate. I thought that was a bit odd, but I assumed she wanted to check to see if the woman would qualify for a senior discount or something. As it turns out, though, she asked because they are not allowed to sell sewing machine oil to anyone younger than 18! I had no idea. Now, I realize that inhalant abuse is a very serious issue, but I really doubt that restricting the sale of a few random things is really going to stop someone from huffing if that's what they're looking to do. And anyway, the woman was clearly not a minor. I'm not sure if this is a state law, a corporate policy, or an overly fastidious employee, but now I'm wondering if I should be offended that I didn't get carded the last time I bought Fray Check?
what a brilliant solution to something that would otherwise end up in a landfill- and I agree, the graphics on the the bags are awesome, too cool to waste! You did a great job.
ReplyDeleteOMG..i love the rice bags...
ReplyDeleteI love your rice bag totes! I had to check to see if my rice comes in a cute bag and it doesn't - just paper (though apparently, long ago, they were fabric). Perhaps it's time for me to check into different rice brands :-)
ReplyDeleteAbout the sewing machine oil incident: Sometimes I think that retail clerks are hastily trained and nobody ever tells them, "when in doubt, use your common sense!"
Wow--you are so creative! What a nice job with the reusable bags.
ReplyDelete