A friend of mine crocheted several from the plastic grocery bags. It looked great and so stretchy yet sturdy for holding -something like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SERA-c82Vmo I don't have speakers on this computer so I can't tell what she's saying but the photos look right. Or google plastic yarn or plarn.

Here in Wales UK we have had a 5p charge on plastic carrier bags for a couple of years and it has made so much difference in our countryside. So we all have been making shopping bags and giving them as gifts, including a purse organiser for an extra pressie http://www.quiltingboard.com/general...s-t205087.html

There are so many free patterns out there, our favourite ones are the crochet ones, denim rag bags and flip and sew.

IMO the crochet ones for a man are the best, we used the Dishcloth cotton, doubled for ours, washes great, the denim ones are really strong and can be made to any size.

My goodness! I never imagined so much discussion, but it certainly has my mind whirling with good ideas. The reusable is the way to go, whether it be to line garbage bins or whatever. All of the input here is good. Some ideas I hadn't thought about, and that's why I enjoy this Board so much!! Thanks for getting me thinking of more alternatives!

They do not charge for the plastic bags in the bulk or produce section. With that county you never know.

I have purchased bags for $1 at the grocery stores that I use. If you have some panels around sew them to the bag, right over the store logo.

One store in the area has red ones. I gifted one with a red hat lady I embroidered.
I don't know about the rest of you but, when I use my own bags things are easier to carry AND they don't break before I get them to the house. Can goods in your own bags is so much easier. I do make sure my meat or frozen items are placed into a plastic sack before they go in my own bags.

Try tipnut.com

Boulder, Co is starting to charge 10 cents a bag... Beth in Co

I've got a couple of those, too, but they are generally smaller than what I make. One shoe bag is just right for bread, however.

I get "points" thru my bank for using my debit card! I got a free insulated tote that is box shaped which I keep in my trunk for cold items (when I remember it! LOL). I actually prefer paper sacks as they can be recycled into all sorts of crafts and even draft patterns on them to cut fabric. Most stores have stopped offering paper though.

At Fads and Frames, they offer an oversized plastic mesh type bag which you can usually get on clearance for $1.00 which would hold a LOT of stuff. My only issue with the plastic is that most of them don't last until I get the groceries into the house!! LOL Have had lots of can goods/bottles rolling across the parking lot!!

I knitted some bags that we keep in the trunks along with some Ikea bags that we bought when the stores in Orlando and Tamps first opened. The knitted ones really hold a lot of items that are not cold. Cold items go into an insulated bag we bought at Sam's Club.

The only stores in our area that charge for bags are the wholesale discount stores. I have been told that is the way they cut down on overhead.

The easiest thing I've seen is to use old T-shirts. Found it on Pinterest and am doing a project with our church Sunday school next week. Just cut off the sleeves, leaving the seam, then cut down around the neckine to open it wider. Sew across the bottom of the shirt to make it a bag. Sew easy, and a great way to help the planet. It can be washed easily, and since the fabric has little fray to it, it's not necessary to hem around the openings. the armholes become the handles, and they can be all sizes. We asked folks to donate old Ts and I got a bunch at our local recycling center where people can drop off old clothing. http://www.instructables.com/id/FAST...HIRT-TOTE-BAG/ Great project for kids and teaches them the importance of keeping plastics out of our environment. We always use store reusable cloth bags and with washing there are no more germs on them than on anything else that comes into the house - your purse, your car seats, your shoes. I use natural veggie wash on produce, anyway.

Liked all the patterns but fell in love with the strawberry bag! I can see making these for extra little Christmas gifts and I bet they would sell at crafts fairs.

All the grocery stores in this area sell bags for $1.00 and I have a huge collection. I just toss them in the washer every so often and wash them and reuse them. Wal-Mart also sell these bags. I hate plastic, they aren't as strong as they were when they tried to make us switch from paper. Sam's club also sells bags and they have bags for cold and/or frozen foods and I use them a lot as well. Yes Aldi's has them as well. Great investment in my opinion.

Thank you for this web site, it's great.

I'm another one who needs the bags for cleaning up after pets and lining waste baskets. If I ever had more than I need I could leave them in a special recycling bin for them in front of most grocery stores around here. I think the biggest irony is the person who will be using a special cloth bag to carry home plastic bags for garbage and food storage not that I'm ready to give those up just yet myself.

All that aside, one very simple bag to make is to use an old t-shirt, remove the sleeves and enlarge the arm and neck holes to create 2 handles. Sew the bottom straight across, then on the inside, sew off a triangle at each corner to make a neat squared off bottom (not really necessary, but looks better). If you have a serger, this project is very quick, otherwise you'll want to zigzag or better yet, french the seams to make them sturdy. I like this particular type of bag because when you make something from new material you have to consider that the manufacturing and transporting of that also has environmental impact. Also, they're lightweight and take up little space for when you need several.

There are a number of tutorials on the Internet for making the crocheted bags from plastic bags, but I hesitate to invest the time in that because I know that a lot of the bags we get are biodegradable, and I wonder how long it will be before they disintegrate.

Thanks for the link. Lots of ideas. I can see checking out the Thirift Stores for some used pillow cases, They would be a great size for my embroidery projects also.

The only stores around here that charge for the bags are the ones where you bag your own and the store's prices are cheaper. We have a new store in Va Beach that has paper bags and on the bag it says if you bring back your bag to reuse it they'll give you 5 cents back. That's pretty good incentive to reuse bags.