DIY : MAKE YOUR OWN REUSABLE DRAWSTRING PRODUCE BAGS

I made these little draw string bags to aid me on my zero waste en devours whilst shopping, for anything from loose nuts, veg, fruit to coffee, tea and even soap!

Whatever loose goods that usually require a plastic bag at the supermarkets you can pop in one of these reusable, earth friendly bags instead!


I used scrap, salvaged material and found bits of string, I even used odd shoe laces!

I am a fabric hoarder - I attempted to reduce the quantity- still a hoarder. Even so, I didn't have white cotton, so I asked my lovely neighbour if she had any bits and pieces, and the same day she filled my arms with the goods.

I chose a light, white cotton and a net/mesh material, as they both have varied levels of transparency - easier for everyone to tell what's inside when paying.

I made big ones, small ones and even smaller ones. 
Think about what you will use them for - potatoes will need a bigger bag, nuts can fit snug in a small one, even so, a bag is a bag and whether you use a large one for some lentils and a small one for a few potatoes, it doesn't really make a difference.

I cut different sizes, for some I cut a long piece and doubled it over or cut out two seperate sides, depending on the amount and size of the scrap material. 

I found this pretty easy, got the hang of it quickly and whizzed through them all in no time. I'm no professional sewer and if you're looking for a professional finish, it's probably best to look else where, but if you want a quick, no fuss result, read on! 

So.. keeping it simple, here's what I did -

First of all, you'll need:


Sewing machine

Fabric of your choice

Thread

String - if you're looking for loose bits and bobs or shoelaces, make sure it's long enough

Scissors

Pins

 - Cut out two sides / or fold the fabric over and then cut out your desired size - if you want to measure a specific size and mark it out, do so - I went by eye.

- I chose to do a zigzag stitch- I feel like it makes it a bit stronger - especially for the netting.

-You will have both sides of fabric, lets say front and back even though it doesn't apply, do a seam (about 1 cm) along the edges of the fabric before sewing front and back together - this will stop fraying. (I skipped this step so the photos won't show a seam).

- Place front and back on top of each other, and sew along the sides (and the bottom if needed), remembering to leave enough space on one side for the string, about 3/4 cm from the top. As shown below..

- Get your string, lay it across the bag and make sure it's long enough with extra length.

- Lay the string (in a single strand) along the top across the back and front, make sure the ends of the string will come out on the side where the edge isn't sewn to the top.

- Fold the top of the fabric over the string, tack it in place with pins and sew - not too close to the string - you want it to easily pull through. Be careful not to sew front and back together while doing this step.

- Once the string is tucked in nicely - turn the bag inside out and -  Ta Da - You have yourself a drawstring bag for all your goodies!

I like to tie the string together in a knot so it won't pull through and come out.

You may want to double up your fabric for extra strength and durability - maybe I would do that if I was to make the net bags again.

This tutorial is very basic and quick to make - I wasn't worried about perfectly straight lines and perfect right angles, I made them super quickly for my own personal use. If I made them for someone else, I would definitely get my inner neat freak working away! I just wanted to share how easy and simple it is to do and you can use up bits and pieces you already have instead of buying new materials.
 I've been using them for about 2 weeks and they do their job pretty well!

If you don't want to make them but think it's a good idea - you don't have to!
You can find drawstring bags in lots of places, although I think it's a bit harder to find smaller ones. Have a Google.

It's way better to use reusable bags rather than grab plastic every time you shop. It's such a waste and they just end up on land fill, in the oceans or stuck it trees!

Let me know if you have another way of making these or if you followed my how-to. I'd love to know, and see what reusables you've made.  



Thanks for reading,

Juliette

A ZERO WASTE DAY OUT

Last Saturday my Boyfriend and I took a to drive down to Dorset to have a gander at the beautiful Durdle Door on the coast. 

Of course, I had to make a picnic, and of course it had to be zero waste - this was the first time spending the whole day out since starting my zero waste journey, so I really thought about what we would need while on a long car journey and out and about. I wanted to have enough food and drink so we wouldn't have to buy anything. 

I made a pasta salad the night before - with pasta I had bought in bulk! I also made some bourbon style biscuits (a British fave) which turned out really well!

I bought a jar of olives, bread, oranges and some nuts I bought from a bulk bin using a cotton bag.

I used a pan with a lid and a tiffin tin (which I absolutely love!) for the pasta salad, put some butter and olives in their own individual little tins and the bread in a cotton bag I made.

I found that tins kept everything super cool compared to plastic tupperware I used to use - which would warm up quite easily.

On Saturday morning I quickly squeezed about 8 oranges and poured the juice into a clip-top glass bottle - put the cutlery into a bag, two napkins, tea cloth and two glasses. Poured some fresh coffee into a thermal flask the other for water. Sorted!

I bought the tins shown above in a kitchen shop in Alperton. They were on sale :) The tiffin tin was £4.95 and the others were £1 to £2 each! I've seen a similar tiffin tin in ASDA for £6. 

We went through the New Forest National Park on our way down, it was very pretty - cold! - but pretty. The little Shetland Ponies were so sweet and friendly.

We arrived at the coast in good time, strolled down the hill and were met with the view of Durdle Door - it was stunning and the water was prettier and greener then I expected it to be.
We took a lovely walk up and down the beach - breathing in the fresh sea air, before climbing back up to the top 

After taking a little stroll to the harbour we got back in the car and hunted for a good spot in the countryside to have our lunch. We went towards a place called Tyneham - a ghost village we had planned to visit, and found a spot nearby to eat.

But it was soooo cold!!! So it wasn't long before we retreated back to the car to finish our little picnic in the warmth.
We were pretty hungry by then and what I had prepared was more than enough to satisfy our grumbling bellies. 
The Orange juice was so good and sweet - much better than the carton variety!

After lunch we had a little walk through the 'ghost village' of Tyneham, the main attraction for me was the sweet little old church and school.
It was taken over during the second world war to be used as a training site and is still used by the military today.

It was a lovely day and great to get out of the city. I would recommend to any one near enough to visit.
Durdle Door is very beautiful and I'm sure it would be even better on warm spring or summers day!

Preparation in general is key to having a zero waste lifestyle and was really important for this day out - Planning ahead meant that we didn't have to buy any food or drink, which is quite normal to do whilst on a pit stop -grabbing a quick coffee or  sandwich - usually adorned in plastic.

I had thought about what we were going to have for lunch and snacks the day before and made a list.

The biscuits were baked the day before and I finished them off with the buttercream filling in the evening whilst waiting for the pasta to cook.

The orange juice was a last minute thing I prepared in the early morning - but it didn't take long and was nice and fresh!

It was pretty easy once I knew what I needed- next time I'd probably make enough food during dinner the night before and use leftovers as a lunch.


It felt so good coming home that evening, knowing that we didn't throw a single thing away and that everything we consumed was homemade. We didn't buy anything and everything we used was reusable - we saved some money and nothing was wasted!

All  in all, my first adventure with zero waste in mind was a success. I managed to prove to myself and my boyfriend it was achievable, cost effective and more importantly, simple.



If you have any day-out essentials as a zero waster, I'd love to know what they are, and if you are new to this journey (like me) and planning your own adventure, whether it big or small, leave a comment and share your ideas! :)


Thanks for reading!

Juliette 

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