DIY Upcycled Produce Bags from a Shower Curtain
How to Make a Set of Produce Bags from an Old Shower Curtain Liner
Alright friends, it's time for the first upcycle project to kick off Upcycle March, where Audrey from Oh So Lovely and I bring you DIY upcycle projects all month long.
For my first project, I got super creative on you and took an old shower curtain and turned it into something super useful, and something that is fantastic for the environment, reusable produce bags. So, double whammo, I'm greening it up all over the place on Life is Made today. I made two different types of produce bags. The smaller ones I made just using the shower curtain and a drawstring. They are perfect for lighter items like herbs and greens. Then I made a couple of larger bags reinforced with fabric to carry heavy items like oranges and apples. The shower curtain is made from plastic, so I thought reinforcing it for the heavier items would help keep it from stretching and breaking.
Last, I wanted to make them pretty (I mean you can't just go around with ugly produce bags, am I right?) so I used a lettering stencil and some gold nail polish to write "produce" on the bags. Cute, right?!
I hope the next time you have a shower curtain liner with a little mold on the edges, you will upcycle it into produce bags instead of junking up the landfills with another big piece of plastic.
Supplies:
- Shower curtain liner
- Gold fabric, or fabric of your choice
- cotton or nylon rope
- gold nail polish or nail polish color of your choice
- lettering stencil
- safety pin
1. Fold the shower curtain and cut out a square of it, so that one side is a folded side. You can make them any size you like. I did a few different sizes, 12 x 12 and 16 x 16, 10 x 10 and 10 x 16. Cut out an extra inch for a half inch seam allowance.
2. Sew the sides together using a zig- zag stitch for extra strength. Leave the 1 1/2 inches of the top of one side not sewn. This is where the drawstring will be threaded through the top of the bag.
3. Fold the top of the bag down and pin. Sew along the bottom seam with a zig- zag stitch. You are creating a tube where you thread the drawstring.
This shows the side of the bag where you will thread the drawstring.
4. Turn the bag right side out. Attach a safety pin to the drawstring and thread it through the bag. Tie a knot in each end of the drawstring, then tie the two ends together.
5. Use a stencil and nail polish to write the word produce on the bag.
To Make the Reinforced Produce Bags, Follow These Instructions
1. Fold the shower curtain and cut out a square of it, so that one side is a folded side. I made mine 16 x 16. Add one inch for a seam allowance so now it should be 17 x 17.
2. Cut out two 16 1/2 inch x 2 inch pieces of fabric. Cut out one 33 inch piece of fabric.
3. Iron the two 16 1/2 inch pieces folded in on itself so the two sides meet in the middle. Iron the longer piece 1/4 of an inch folded on each side.
5. Pin the fabric pieces to the edges of the shower curtain (the shower curtain will be sandwiched in between the fabric) with the bottom of the pieces of fabric folded in so they don't fray.
6. Sew the fabric and shower curtain together with a straight stitch.
7. On one side of the top of the bag, cut slit, 3/4 inch long, in the center of the fabric. This is where the drawstring will enter and leave the bag.
8. Sew a hem on each edge of the 33 inch piece of fabric.
9. Fold the fabric in half and pin to the top of the bag so the shower curtain is sandwiched between the fabric. Now sew along the edge. You are creating a tube for the drawstring to run through.
9. Turn the bag right side out. Attach a safety pin to the drawstring and thread it through the bag. Tie a knot in each end of the drawstring, then tie the two ends together.
10. Use a stencil and nail polish to write the word produce on the bag.
