Make Your Own Plastic Bag Holder!

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  Step 1

  Cut out your 45cm x 58cm piece of fabric (or whatever size you are doing it to)

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  Step 2

  Put the WRONG sides together and pin and sew together with a 0.5cm seam allowance.

  Why? We are doing what is called a french seam. It's so we create a neat enclosed seam with no fraying fabric to catch on the plastic bags (plus I'm a neat freak lol). If you have an overlocker you can just skip this step and under step 3 just pin and sew up with your overlocker instead.

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  Step 3

  Flip it inside out so now the RIGHT sides are together, then pin and sew up with a 1 - 1.5cm seam allowance (just make sure the stitching done in step 2 is totally enclosed by this lot of stitching).

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  Step 4

  Elastic time! Take your 20cm of elastic, make it into a loop with a 1cm overlap and hand or machine sew it together (I find hand sewing is easier with little things like this).

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  Step 5

  Now this is the trickiest/fiddliest bit! With your fabric still with the right sides together, put the elastic loop over so it it on top of the fabric. Then start preparing the hem by folding the end over so its inside for neatness and pin down (see image).

  Because the elastic will trying to scrunch the fabric up, the best way to do this it to stretch the fabric and elastic when you are pinning. Do this till you are the whole way around and then baste (if you want to).

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  Step 6

  When you sew it up, do the same thing as you did above - stretch the fabric and elastic as you go through the sewing machine.

  Also try not to sew through the elastic.

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  Step 7

  Right, so that's the bottom down, now for the top!

  First step to to make appx 2.5cm wide hole about 4cm from the fabric edge for your canvas ribbon to come through. I do this using the buttonhole tool on my sewing machine (because as I said before I'm a bit of a neat freak!) but you can just cut it or find your own way to do this.

  TIP: I suggest you do this on the seam, that way the seam and the hole end up at the back, keeping it all neat.

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  Step 8

  Like you did it step 5, prepare the hem by folding the end to the inside for neatness, and pin down (and baste if you want to) and sew.

  TIP: Make sure the hole you created in the step above it sitting in the middle of the hem and you don't sew over it or anything

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  Step 9

  Time to put that canvas ribbon into the hem you just sewed! Easiest way to do this? Attach a safety pin the end of the canvas ribbon/heading tape (or whatever flat, sewable material you are using).

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  Step 10

  Shove the safety pin and ribbon though that you created in step 6, feeding it through till...

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  Step 11

  It comes back out the other side!

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  Step 12

  Then put the 2 pieces of the canvas ribbon together, fold over the key ring and pin, baste and sew.

  TIP: If you aren't using a key ring then you can just sew or knot ribbon ends together (though I like the key ring because it makes it easier to hang).

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  Step 13

  And you're done! Time to shove all you plastic bags in it and hang it up!

  Hope this all made sense and was a fun project for you! :)

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Posted by

Sarah

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Queen A. · Melbourne, Victoria, AU · 11 projects 8th January 2011

Hehe I have to admit, I am too! Hope she makes a few and it helps here get them all nice and organisaed!

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PK · Modesto, California, US · 8 projects 7th January 2011

This is awesome! My mom is a plastic bag FREAK. She saves them from everything, grabs a handful of them when she goes to the store. I have no idea why, but maybe she might use this.

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