A repurposed thrift store find

When I check out our local Goodwill or some of the other thrift stores I occasionally visit I tend to spend the majority of my time in the housewares section with a quick swing through the frames, the furniture and the fabric/linens.  Less frequently I peruse the books but I really need to be in the right mood for books unless it is a cookbook.

One of the things that I have been finding is drapes.  I have been grabbing them up to repurpose into reusable grocery or market bags.  I have been picking them up for cheap but haven't had too much time for sewing them until now.  So this week I did the first of the bags.  The drapery used for this bag is a pretty gray and cream buffalo check.  There were two narrow panels priced separately at $2.99 each.   I don't recall what I actually paid since I often have a coupon or a senior discount which are 25% off so it was probably less.  The fabric is a heavy home decor type fabric and the curtains are made with a blackout type lining that was attached on both of the side edges and the top edge and loose at the bottom hem.  Cutting across the panel I was able to use the side edge of the curtain for the top edge of the bag.  The second side edge was trimmed off and became the handles.  A little bit of thread and a couple of french seams on the sides and bottom and a couple more seams to box off the base and the bag was done.

Completely lined, the bag is sturdy and should hold a lot of stuff.  And the best part is that the each panel should make  two and one-half bags.  My mom loves buffalo check and hates plastic grocery bags so I am thinking that when I get the other four done I will see if she wants to use these when she does her shopping. 

The first finished bag

Interior

A fun quick project.

Shared with BNOTP here.