Bag Bag

In my last post you got to see my utility closet re-do.  One of the things I did was to make a bag for my bags.  I've seen some versions of this before that have drawstrings on the bottom that you have to open and close every time you put in or remove a bag.  That's too putzy for me so I like make these with elastic on the bottom.  Here's what I did: 

All you need are
a) two strips of calico or craft cotton (mine were were 10" x 20")  (FYI - To clue you as to how bad a craft addiciton I have, this was a piece of cotton I bought 15 years ago back in high school.  I never dreamed, at age 18, that this would turn into a storage bag holder.  Funny where life takes you...).  

b) a hanger - child size are great
c) about 10" of elastic, give or take












1.  Place your pieces right side together.  Working with the end you ant to have as the top (one of the short ends) use pins and mark a one-inch opening in the center.  Sew this edge together, stopping at your pins so that, when you press your seam open, you have an opening like this:

2.  AFter pressing, adjust so the right sides are back together again.  Sew the long sides.  

3. On the short end that is fully open still, turn your ends under.  (I will assume you know how to finish your ends off properly, if you're a fanatic about that like I am).  When I say "turn your ends under" look at what I'm doing in this picture - I'm turning them under so that I'll form a casing big enough for my elastic to slip through.  You'll have to adjust your casing to suit the width of the elastic you use.

I find that 3/8" elastic works best.

4.  Once you've sized your casing, pin it.  Be sure to keep an opening big enough to slip your elastic in!  Then sew the casing.

5.  DECISION TIME:  Where will you hang your bag?  And how will you hang it? 

This decision will help you determin how to shape your hanger.  Here's a bag I made years ago for my basement:

You can see it hangs a) flush against the beam/wall and b) on a nail.  That's why I shaped my hanger like this:

The flat bend will hold the bag against the wall and leaving the hook part will work fine for a hanger. 

But for my utility closet, I was going to hang it a) suspended from the ceiling and b) on a cup hook.  So for this bag, I shaped the hanger like this:

Forming the hook of the hanger into a loop will keep it on the cuphook and the swiveled design will allow the bag to move without falling while mounted to the ceiling.  

So bend your hanger appripriately, then slip it into the bag and through the hole.   

6.  .  Take two large safety pins.  Stab one end of your elastic and pin that to your bag near your opening.  Stab the other end with your second pin, close it shut, and use it to run the elastic through:

 

7.  Adjust your elastic so that it's tight enough to hold bags in while allowing enough room for you to get your hand inside to either stuff a new bag in, or pull one out.  Cut off any excess.  Sew your elastic closed and close up the hole. 

8.  Stuff it with all your bags and hang it up!