RAK - Morsbags Sew & Give Away #1

Omg this is such a wonderful idea! I am actually really shy and prefer not to give these away in person. I am setting a goal to do at least 5 of these bags and would like to post this swap in the forums. Would it be all right with you cherrythepig if I held a drawing for my bags in the forums with an explaination of why they are being made?

Oh...and I would definitely send my partner a recap of how it went and stated in the swap ;)

Absolutely, I think that it's the point of getting the bags out there rather than how they get there. I added a comment about that in the swap description.

Great, thanks cherrythepig!

This is a great idea cherrythepig! I am really swamped with swaps for September, but I just have to do this one! I cannot commit to a number but I will definitely do my best to make at least 2 (every little bit counts).

It's a brilliant idea: although I've not touched my sewing machine for years, I've got stacks of fabric stashed away. I might have a practice first and then sign up.

MissyChrissy, using a sewing machine is like riding a bicycle! This is a most basic pattern & great for beginner or rusty seamstresses!

Thanks for running this swap. I formed a Morsbags "pod" a month ago in Tokyo and we've done 38 bags in two sessions - next session is tomorrow, but we have a typhoon on the way, so I doubt people will turn up. I have about 30 bags cut and ready to sew, so will work on my own and stay out of the rain.

I made an illustrated version of the pattern; you can get it here: http://www.mediatinker.com/blog/archives/010387.html

Thanks, Kristen. Wow, 38 bags! If each person who is already signed up right now does 5 bags, that makes 50 bags. Since there is another month before the swap starts we could end up with 100s of bags from Swapbot alone.

I wish my sewing machine worked. I'd be doing this, too. I am going to bookmark the Morsbag site and when I do finally get my machine working, go to town with sewing these delightful bags up and giving them away.

Since I just started sewing a few months ago, I don't really have a "stash" of fabric so I posted in my areas Freecycle and asked if anyone had fabric that they would like to get rid of or even bedsheets, tablecloths. I told them what the fabric was going to be used for and within 8 hours I've already received 4 responses from those wanting to donate fabric and a couple responses how wonderful this Morsbag project is. I just thought I'd share this with those of you who are looking for more material to make these bags with :) Freecycle is global and it's possible there is a group near you.

This is what I made this afternoon. It's my 1st bag for the swap!

It took me about 1 hour which was a little longer than I expected. But it was the 1st time I've used this pattern & it's different than the bags I've sewn before. I expect that it'll end up taking about 30ish minutes next time.

A time-saving idea that I had this afternoon is to use cotton webbing for the handles. If you're giving a shout out on Freecycle or wherever, think about old webbing belts that were so very popular in the past...you may even have 1 or 2 laying around that you haven't worn since the 80s.

This is such a great idea! I was just wondering if in other countries they have those green reusable shopping bags made of hessian (They're everywhere in Australia)? They're not as pretty as these, though :)

I haven't got a fabric stash, or even a working sewing machine, but I am going to fix both those problems. I've just signed up for this swap, lucky number 13 :-) I will get the machine to the shop this week and then go find some funky bargain bolts at one of the local indy fabric shops.

I am a bit shy about giving bags to strangers, so I will probably mail bags to strangers using postcardx.net.

PostMuse, I hadn't thought of selecting people through postcardx.net, that's a great idea :) I'm pretty shy also, so I decided to post some bags on freecycle, which works since so far I've had two large bags of fabric donated to me from there and will be picking up more fabric today and tomorrow. I just finished my first bag I wish I was fast at it as cherrythepig, but I think having had to work with scraps took a bit longer, oh and maybe taking breaks to watch tv didn't help...and I guess my ice cream break slowed things down a bit...

I LOVE this idea and I will be using PostcardX.com to pass out my bags too! I haven't done much sewing in a long time, but this is the most wonderful reason to sew. I do have a question though. The bags seem to be on the small side. Would it be OK to make them a little bigger? And what about sewing the bottom corner so that they would end up with a flat bottom where your groceries (jars, cans, boxes) would sit in the bag better.

No way! I was totally thinking a few weeks ago about doing this at some point over the summer! I hadn't heard of this site, tho; i was just going to raid a thrift shop and recycle old tshirts. Looks cool, tho! Ima go check out the website! ^_^

I made two bags today...not a great deal but I was also making an altered address book...so I worked on the bags in between drying.

My goal is to make 10 bags.

Happy sewing everyone.

thefruid Great bag! :o)

I love that y'all have started making bags & the official sign-up date isn't for almost a month. At this rate we'll have quite a collection of bags. Thanks Gals!

I have used cloth bags for shopping for awhile now... just a side note for some who may not be participating or who want to do more... I give gifts in them also, with a cute little tag explaining the bag is for shopping and why we need to reduce plastic bag consumption. So everyone expects a new shopping bag from me for their birthday's & Christmas.

I figured out a way to make the labels without bothering DH.

Here’s what I did. I took a piece of cream color cotton and ironed "ultra heat bond" on it, then I just ran the whole thing through my printer, cut out the labels, took off the paper backing and ironed them on the bags. Easy peasy.

oh this is soooo nice! thanks for letting me know about this! i think i'll make my own to use but i can't afford too many since fabric is very expensive to me. but i'll make one for everyone i know!

Do we have a pod for our bags?

Oh, brilliant idea with the shopping bag present wrappings, Mommy's Crafting. I'm heading off to a family reunion in a few months. I think our obligatory gifts will be presented in pretty handmade shopping bags.

I gave away my first bag as a part of the "Just Ducky" swap. In the feedback my partner left she said she would use it!

I've been meaning to make some market bags for a while, but have been dragging my feet. I signed up as incentive to get a move on!

So far I've made 8 bags and given two away. I might keep the last bag that I made...I love the fabric...it has little piggy butts on it. :o) They're tiny and cute.

After the swap closes I might head to the farmers market and give out the bags there...so many of the vendors use plastic. :/

You are doing so well Invisible! That is a brilliant idea about the farmer's market. I have a bag or two I'm thinking about keeping. There are 6 in my give pile at the moment.

I just registered us as a "pod" on morsbags.com

Do y'all want to wait until finished & add our total or do you want to add as you make them? When the swap "officially" starts on August 14, I'll take a survey of participants about this.

Thanks to everyone for being so excited about this swap. What I like about it is that it's crafty and philanthropic!

I vote for us logging as we go. I think it will be motivating to see the number going up and will contribute to increasing the number on the morsbags home page.

Ok. I've updated the swap details to include the pod info & also a link to where you can purchase sew-on labels for a very minimal amount + shipping .

i requested to be added to the pod. although i'm not joining the swap, i will count the ones i make on my own. i hope that's not problem.

Thanks, Kitten!!! Everyone is welcome to the pod. You don't have to be in the swap, you just have to make Morsbags.

I will have a little time to make bags, so I thought I would sign up. And I will definitely be joining the pod! I have so much fabric that needs to get used...

I'm going to add the bags I've made so far to the pod. :o)

I think I am too shy to approach people to give them a bag (and I'm a fairly forward person) so I think what I am going to do is talk to my local co-op about having a basket or rack of free bags. People could take them to use, or to give to someone who needs a cloth bag, that kind of thing. We'll see. I haven't made one yet.

I have a few distribution ideas. So far 3 have been given away via swap-bot which feels really good. It's reminding me that making the bags is only half the battle.

I used a bag today at the pet store. The cashier smiled and bagged up the doggy treats for me. It felt really good to leave with my purchase in my own pretty bag.

It's great to see a growing total for our pod! I better get back to sewing.

We are up to 31 bags on our pod.

The sign-up date is still 2 weeks away & we now have 33 registered bags & tied for #20 pod worldwide!

Unfortunately I am going to have to drop out.....I went to sew my first bag today (was really cute too....with Dalmation Dogs on it) and my machine broke. Since I don't have the money to fix it right now and since I would not get it to work for me, I can't make them. IF, and that is a BIG "IF" I do get it fixed before the sign-up date ends, I will re-join. And when the machine is running once again, I will continue to make makes since I already cut several out.

BrendaLea/Prpldy

Just addes more bags...camera is broken or I'd post pictures...maybe DH can figure it out.

Just added 15 more bags I will post picture tonight

Some sneaky pod added a bunch of bags to their total. The #1 registered pod has 315 bags!

But, we have 63 bags registered & the swap hasn't even started yet!!! Way to be motivated!

hey everyone right now we are # 13 so we are doing great :D !!!!!!!!!

Fantastic idea! I just brought some vintage pillow cases that would look groovy as bags. I also feel a bit shy about giving them out, (I might do it if I was with someone else) but the idea about advertising them on freecycle is great.
I'm off to morsbag to investigate our pod!

I would love to receive one of these, but unfortunatly I do not know how to sew so I cannot make one myself!

Wow! We've got 85 bags made and our pod is #11! I've only logged one bag made, but I have plans for many more.

Yes we are & the swap hasn't started yet & not everyone has even thought about making bags or logging them. We will be up near the top when the swap ends & all numbers are posted. Remember this is only Morsbags Swap #1.

Oh yeah, while I'm thinking about it, would anyone be interested in hosting Swap #2? Pimping is hard work! I had to change my name to cherrythepimp for a day or so 'cause I was working it so hard.

Wow! You are ALL awesome! If I had a machine, I would definitely join this swap. I'm hoping for one for christmas, so perhaps I can join the winter or spring swap! I'm so impressed with all of your hard work and commitment to the health of our beautiful planet! Perhaps a bag is a small thing, but every effort makes heroes of you all! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Regrettably, I have to drop. I lead a Morsbags pod (TokyoBags) and we're participating in a big eco-event on September 1. All my bag-making energy has to go into getting bags ready for that day.

I'd hoped to sneak in a few on behalf of Swap-bot, but my pod's tally needs to increase a lot in the next couple of weeks. I'll keep an eye out for #2 and hope to add a few to the swapbot pod's tally then.

We are now #10 in the world. Pretty freaking great, I must say.

These morsbags can fold up pretty flat and small. I am hoping to include one in every Christmas card that I send this year! :)

My most hated part of making the morsbag is reinforcing the handles - the square with the x in it part. Not only do I have to keep turning & starting, but cut the thread & go to the next one.

My hint: Attach the handle as usual by sewing straight across at the bottom of the folded part, then without removing the fabric from the machine, sew along the side of the folded part to the top edge of the bag, then sew straight across at the top. Again, do not remove the fabric from the machine, sew down to the 1/2 way point, then turn & sew straight across again.

When you're done, from the outside of the bag you have 3 rows of horizontal stitching along the top edge.

If I have totally confused you, pm me & I'll draw it out for you. Doing it this way cut my sewing time in 1/2 for each bag.

Um - i just remembered. I don't have a working printer and i don't really have very easy access to an inkjet one either. Is there anyone else in this swap from the UK? If i sent you some transfer paper and an SAE, would you be able to print me some labels and send 'em back please please? :)

I just added this weekends bags...I lost count but I think I'm up to 28ish...I am done sewing on them for a while though...I need to get a quilted table runner made...but then I'll be back at it...it's quite addicting. My personal goal is 100 for the year.

Holy crap! I'm a terrible hostess with my pathetic little 14 bags.

Y'all are fabulous! We're the #9 Pod in the Universe!

Cherry the Pig,

I just wanted to clarify your shortcut for the handles. When we do the three lines of stitches we just stitch all the way across the entire width of the bag (not just the width of the handles), right? That does sound like it would be a lot faster. Are you sure it's as strong?

I'm going to hang one on the door of all of my neighbors. I'll attach a little note about what/where/how/why and with the website on it. That will pass along about 20 bags. I'll make a handful at work and put them on the break table with the same little message. I think that should get a really good message started...

My sister emailed me the link to this swap. I'm glad she did!!

I'm getting started tomorrow.

I have a question, do all Morsbags have to be the same pattern? I tried this weekend and I really can't sew, but I was thinking that maybe I could crochet one or more... I think I am going to anyway because it would be good for me to have a recycle bag rather than plastic ones (though I usually get paper ones UNLESS I need trashbags then I get the plastic and double duty them as trash bags

Man, cherry...you are an effective pimp! I've been debating and avoiding this...arrgghhh! You got me! I spent this past weekend checking in country crafts for our local agricultural fair and it put me in the whole "community" mode...I'm in!

OK so whoever gets mine i'm sorry its not great my sewing is a bit pants and needs practicing

Hi Cherry the Pig, I tried your short cut for making handles and it's so much faster and a lot less tedious! I think it will hold just fine! Thanks for the great tip. :)

Yes, I stitched all the way across the top of the bag. I hope it will be as strong, I don't know. Anyone else know if it would make a huge difference in handle strength?

I just went & pulled on both the "X in a square" handles & the "3 lines across the top of the bag" handles & they seemed to pull about the same amount. Probably based on the 4 different stitching directions the X one would be stronger, but to the point of significance I can't tell you.

If it's not made of fabric it's not technically a Morsbag.

Gotta go pimp our swap now...

I'm ready for my partner!

On Day 1 of the swap we are #9 in the Universe with 129 registered bags. I can't even imagine how many we'll have registered by 28 September. Happy Sewing!

Can somebody help me with the labels?
First of all, where do you get iron on fabric transfer paper for a reasonable price. I saw some at Walmart for $10 for 5 sheets. That seems like a lot though.

Secondly, Do I have to iron it onto white fabric and then sew that onto the bag, or do I just iron the paper on and the white from the paper transfers onto the bag. How does that work? Thanks!

I found that the easiest way for me to make them was to use the iron-on inkjet fabric sheets. The kind I got was called "Quick Fuse" & comes in a 3-pack at Joanns. It's not inexpensive. I think I paid ~$10. I'm pretty sure you can find it in other places & online.

I fit 14 labels on 1 sheet, although you could make them smaller & get even more. That gives me 42 labels if I used all 3 sheets.

Using it was a breeze. Cut & iron-on like a patch.

I'm using Avery t-shirt transfer paper for my labels. It's a simple print, cut, iron on process. It does take a bit of looking to get the best price on it between office supply stores and craft stores and everything stores. The advantage with craft stores can be the discount coupon and the opportunity to choose between printable fabric or t-shirt transfer paper.

I've finished one - waiting for my labels to appear in the mail before i can give it away - going to start on number 2 in the morning

Are we jerks if we don't put the labels on them? I haven't ordered any and don't have the right paper to print them on.

Maybe you could tie a tag on them explaining what they are & why they want to use them. You could put the morsbags logo on it.

I was looking through the morsbag pattern and my stash, and I think that a fun and scrappy bag could be made from 2 or 3 coordinating fat quarters. I will have to try that out.

Also ... received a lovely morsbag from a partner in a Flickr swap - what a fun and unexpected surprise!

Ouilted table runner is done...on to the morsbags...I did two the morning so that makes 30.

I'd love to see examples of the blurb people are planning to write and attach to their bags.

I was just going to paraphrase some of the info from the site & include the Morsbags website address.

I'm at 23 bags. Just added my last bag to the count.

Hey, I made a Morsbag tonight and it was easy! Hooray! First time my machine has been out of the basement in mumbles.

Woohoo! We are tied for #8! Way to go gals!

Now we are #8 alone!

I made my 4th Morsbag tonight and it took me an hour. I can't see where it's possible to make one in less than 30 minutes, but I'll take y'all's word on it. :)

I can do it in less than 30 minutes each if I use the assembly line method. I also do it over several days. I'll spend day 1 cutting, day 2 ironing, & day 3 sewing. In that way I can make several bags & if I total up the time spent it can become less than 30 minutes/bag.

If I do 1 bag from start to finish it takes longer. Much longer...

Agreed Cherry! I used to do contract sewing, so I also use an assembly line! Also, my labels arrived today. Just so everyone knows, the labels you order from the website are quite large. 15cm x 4cm. Much bigger than I expected!

I just added my 5 bags for this week...and we are in 7th

Woohoo! Invisible bumped us up to #7 in the Universe! If she adds all of her 100 bags this year to the Swapbot Pod, we are bound to end up as #1 in the Universe!

I also added mine for the week

Of course you did Michelle. You are a Morsbag-sewing fool! (And I mean that in a good way!) I hope each of you is keeping tabs on how many bag you add to the pod.

Remember, even if you aren't one of the top 5 producers here (I'm not either) every single bag makes a difference. If you sew 1 or 100, you will make an impact! If you don't sew them, but use them every day you make an impact.

A big thank you to everyone!

I just added bag 24 to the pod. I've slowed down a lot because of work, but I am feeling really good about my progress. It also feels good to know I've contributed to that huge number in the pod!

I added 9 bags to the pod count this morning. I made 6 yesterday and thre more today.

With our total now at a phenomenal 174, our pod alone is making it possible to keep almost 14,000 plastic bags each year from our landfills & oceans!

This is way more than I ever imagined & we have another 31 days to go. Way to sew ladies!

I added 10 more bags to the pod tonight...I think I'm up to 50...but i'm not sure.

This is a copy of what I just posted on the Good Swappers Forum

To date the Swapbot Pod has created an amazing 223 Morsbags moving us up to #4 in the Universe!

The swap still has 28 days left before our totals are final & we are less that 100 bags away from the #1 spot. What that means is if every person in this swap made only 3 more bags, we would have contributed the most bags to this movement.

I know that many people haven't even added their bags to the totals yet, so we may already be there. At any rate, even if we stopped now I have to say that y'all are a wonderful group of giving women & I am so pleased to be a part of this swap.

Thanks!

I just added 3 more bags to the pod. It's at 230 bags now.

I just added my 5--it was at 240.

Kristi

I only managed to make 1 last week. :( But the recipient loved it!

I'm wanting a few morsbags for my shopping, but aren't brilliant at sewing. So if any of you brilliant swappers would like to do a trade with me see this forum thread here - http://www.swap-bot.com/forums/topic/3237

(sorry if you don't want this posting here, you can just delete it)

Thanks!

Today I received a nice, chatty card from NieceDenise with details on the bags she made and gave away. Plus, she made me the cutest little needle book as an extra (my first one but I am also expecting one from someone else close by, so that will be perfect because I have SO many needles to keep track of!). Thanks Denise! Will rate you when I can! Terry

Cate - Do not underestimate how much difference even 1 bag can make! Every bag used saves 80 plastic bags from the trash.

I just added my first 2 bags to the pod count (it's now at 243) and, with another 2 weeks to go, plan to make at least 4 more.

Kudos to all of you industrious ladies who have made gazillions - I am truly impressed!

I finally went ahead & added mine to the pod - I've done 19 total. I'd hoped to have more done by now, but it's just been a weird week or two lately & I haven't managed to get any done this week :(

Now you're making me feel really guilty, FerretLady! grin

LOL, Terry! Please don't!!! I should have been able to get more done -- most of you have children to care for, jobs to go to, etc. I'm not working & no kids other than 9 fur-brats - so I ought to have tons of time to get things done. (Yeah, right - it never seems to work out that way though!!!)

I just added the last of mine now am going to write my letter and get it mailed. Great job everyone.

BTW we are tied with # 2 at 296 bags so just a few more will put us over #2

Oh man, Terry, if your're feeling guilty...I don't know what to feel...I haven't even made one yet! This is going to be a big weekend! I have printed out labels and the instructions. And I have chosen fabric. The Queen of Procrastination strikes again! ;)

FarStarr, I know exactly how you feel! I usually work best under pressure, but not when it comes to machine sewing - when I am tired my eyes cross! Once I sewed down my right index finger because I was too tired and wasn't paying attention! lol I will be thinking of you as I, too, spend this weekend making 4 more bags! Good luck! Terry

I made six but my sewing machine is making a scary noise, so that is probably all I'll be able to do for this swap. More next time!

...the pod is at 303...

After adding my paltry fourth bag (lol), we are now tied for second place at 307!

I'll go add my 8 that I finished today & we'll be at 315! We're #2!

Added 3 bags tonight.

We are at 319!

I just wanted to mention that JoAnn Fabrics has all their sale fabric 50% off this week. So you can get some nice fabric for $1 or $2 a yard -- which means 50 cents or $1 cost per morsbag.

cherrythepig - let us know when you set up the next morsbag swap! As soon as my sewing machine is repaired I want to start on some more. I'm hooked!

Check out this forum thread - Swap-bot Morsbaggers - do you have a few spares?

Someone other than me needs to hostess the next Morsbag swap! Any takers???

I will do it!

Remember "The Count" on Sesame Street??? One...one morsbag...ah ah ah.....;)

And then comes.....3?

Check out the morsbag swap #2 - I am going to set it up right now!

Niecedenise, I just sent you an email. It looks like I'll only get the one done for this round, but I'll keep going for the next one....I'm coming, Terry...

Email sent to bethbird with my update. :)

I suck. Between fighting with my machine and getting really sick (and choosing material I can't hand-sew), I still haven't finished even one bag. :-(

When I DO finish - and I WILL finish - I'll let you know, Cherry.

Apologies to my swap partner, for only getting to hear the long tale of my failure!

Argh - i spent all my time making the bags and none of it on the communication to my partner. But i wrote my letter this morning and it's going to the post office with another swap this afternoon.