Fat Quarter Friday: Grocery Bag Holder

This week's Fat Quarter Friday project is a plastic bag holder. I know we should just use the reusable bags, but we forget to take them into the store a lot, so we end up with a lot of plastic bags. We keep them under the sink and use them for various odd things. About half of the space under our sink was being taken up by these bags, so I decided to make a cute little bag for them.

Materials:
1 Fat quarter
Some plastic bags

Step 1: Find something around your house with about a 5" diameter (from one side of the circle to the other). I used a cd case. Trace it and cut it out.

 Step 2: Mental Math Time! If you used a different size circle you'll need to do some math. We need to figure out what the circumference of the circle is diameter x 3.14 (pi). Since our circle has a diameter of 5, 5x3=15. Add some for the .14 and the seams, so 16". Now you know your number, cut the rest of the fat quarter to be a rectangle with two sides 16". It doesn't matter how long the other side is, just use what you've got.

 Step 3: Situate your rectangle so that one of the 16" long sides is up at the top with the wrong side facing up. Now measure down about 5" on each side and iron down 1/4". These are going to make our slit on the bag.

 Now sew these down with a quick seam.

 Step 4: Now we're going to make the loopy area for the drawstring. On the 16" long edge that you were just working with, iron down 1/4" along it.

 Now fold it down again about 1 1/2" and sew it down.

 Step 5: Fold your fabric in half, right sides together and sew along the side where indicated. Make sure you do some back stitching. Iron open the seam.

 Step 6: Take your circle and your tube you just finished and pin them together. They probably won't match up perfectly and that's okay, just fudge it. Sew around it.

 Turn it right side out. You're done with the bag!

 Step 7: Now we're going to make the tie for the draw string. Take your left over fabric and cut two strips 2" wide. It doesn't really matter how long they are, just make them as long as you can from your scraps.

 Place them right sides together, sew along one of the short sides and iron your seam open.

 Step 8: Take the short edges and iron in a little 1/4" seam.

Fold it in half hot dog style and iron.

Open it up and iron in one of the sides up to the crease in the middle.

 Repeat with the other edge, so that they meet in the middle.

 Now fold it in half again hotdog style and pin in place.

 Step 9: Sew along the three open edges. Now you can thread the drawstring through the top of the bag and fill it up with your plastic bags cause you're done! It will hold around 20 bags.

 Before

 After