Dog Bag Tote

Recycle a large dog food bag and make yourself a roomy shopping tote in three easy steps.

By Beverly Watkins

Here’s a different kind of doggie bag – it’s a very sturdy tote, recycled from a large-sized dog food bag, that is perfect for shopping excursions when you expect to bring home a lot more than leftovers.

Hand wash the bags with soapy water, then rinse and dry thoroughly before beginning this project.

Craft Supplies:

• 50lb dog food bag with strong sides (emptied and thoroughly cleaned on the inside)
• sewing machine
• strong sewing thread
• scissors

Project Instructions:

1. Cut straight across the top of the bag, at the height that you want for your tote bag. Fold over a 1/4 inch hem and sew with a zigzag stitch all around.

2. Cut two strips, each three inches wide, from the scrapped part of the bag. Fold over the first strip, lengthwise, then fold again. Sew together with zigzag stitch, all along the length of the strip, to make a handle.

Repeat with the other three inch strip to make a second handle to match the first one.

3. Decide where you want to position the ends of each handle and mark the bag on the inside. Sew each end of the handles to the top of the bag, zigzagging back and forth to create a strong, unbreakable bond.