DIY with the Fab Miss B: Plastic Bag Dispenser

I'm all about bringing my own bags to the grocery store, and yet, here and there, I still end up with the plastic variety. There are lots of ways to re-use them. This bag, and this chandelier are ingenious re-inventions, but I usually use them as packing material for my Etsy parcels or garbage bags. This little dispenser keeps those unruly bags both tidy and handy. Here's how I made mine!

You will need:

Scrap fabric- Mine was roughly 7 x14"
a small strip of extra fabric to make a hanging loop- say 2 x 6" you could also use ribbon- just cut it as desired.
Scissors
Iron
Elastic 4-5" piece
Sewing Machine (you knew that already, right?)

First, give your scrap fabric a nice press. Mine was rather rumpled from being stashed away.


Press the 7" ends into finished seams. Make sure to leave a large enough opening to thread your elastic through.

And finish them off with a quick pass on the machine.

Then, put the right sides together and make a seam along the 14" end, but be sure to leave on seam unclosed so that you can thread the elastic through. Now you have a long, inside out tube. Snip your elastic to desired length. This will be the end you pull the bags from.

Thread your elastic through the tube- a crochet hook is helpful here if your opening is too small or long for your fingers.


Now, stitch those elastic ends together really well. Lots of reverse stitching to keep those pieces well attached.

Now that your elastic is secured, you can finish off that last seam.

Now for the ever-so-handy hanging loop! Press your fabric.

Press the raw edges to make a finished strip like so.

Fold it over again and stitch it closed to make a matching strap. Fold strap in half again to make a loop and attach this to the top of your bag.

Ta Da! This will look much tidier than a bulging plastic bag filled with bags, and you'll always have one handy when you need it. What have you been busy making lately?