DIY Recyclable Shopping Bag

A little over a year ago, before our big Black Friday shopping outing, my sister gifted me a super awesome reusable shopping bag from Gap. It is nylon, light, and small enough to fit in my purse. I try to use it everywhere I go so I don't come home with a bunch of bags I am just going to get rid of. It also held a heck of a lot more than would fit in your average Forever 21 or Old Navy bag. When I was shopping for fabric for a different Christmas gift I was making I ran across this adorable fox fabric at Joann's. My sister and I had just had a conversation about how foxes were going to be the next chevron and the fabric almost perfectly matches the way her basement is decorated. So I had to get it. I had also noticed that she used her Gap shopping bag a lot, and maybe needed another one.

Above is the finished product - and how you would stick it in your purse. 

Below is what it looks like opened up.

And how it folds...

The secret is this little pouch attached to the top hem of the tote bag. 

It allows the whole thing to fold into itself and become discrete. 

I just used the one she gave me last year to engineer the pattern for this one.

Mood

Last week I visited NYC - and finally made it to Mood, a place I have been wanting to go for a long long time! Mood is the fabric store the designers visit on the show Project Runway. I could just picture myself running through the aisles, smile on my face, the gleam of competition in my eye.... My actual visit was sort of like that, without the competition. The people there were surprisingly friendly. I had heard they were a little snooty, but that was not my experience at all.

Above: My first glimpse! This store is sort of hidden on the 3rd floor of a building, but we found it! Below: Mood in all its fabric upon fabric glory. Very overwhelming.

My niece was snapping crazy crooked pictures, but I am glad to have this one of me checking out the selection.

Above: Button and notion corner. Below: Me with Swatch - the Mood dog. Even he has been on Project Runway! And he was super friendly.

This was hanging in the entryway - look familiar? I have one of these lanterns too! See it here.

Three women on a mission... (truthfully we look a little tired -

 this was our last day in NYC and we were getting pretty exhausted!)

These cool plaques were on the sidewalks all over the fashion district in NYC - I missed sister Betsey Johnson but my sister said she was there!

So that was the Mood experience. It was super fun and super worth it. I can't believe I don't have photos of the fabric I picked out! I will be sure to show it soon - hopefully made into something wonderful. Here's a hint... I finally have REAL chevron fabric. And it won't be long before it is somewhere in my house!