The grocery bag holder

I've posted my updated project list on the side of my blog, so you can all see my progress (or, so I can keep track of them).  After posting my list in the blog, I realized that it was getting really warm, even at night, so Emily needed warm weather pjs.  So, instead of starting one of the projects on my list, I started making Emily warm weather pjs. I've gotten some of them done, but I'm not finished yet.  I also started working on a maxi dress (the long dresses that are in right now).  Can you tell why I made a list in the first place?  Now I need to stick to it.  The maxi dress is almost done--I wanted to wear it to church today, but I was tired last night, so I'll finish it for next week.

Amidst all my unplanned project-ness, I also finished one of my projects from the list, the grocery bag holder.  (I also started on Emily's rag rug, and the paint and wood-glue projects have been postponed until I buy supplies).

My mom had a grocery bag holder when I was a teenager, that my granny made for her.  Since we've been saving grocery bags, and they've been taking over the top of my refrigerator (and I have other stuff to store up there), I thought a grocery bag holder would be great.

It took me a couple hours to make, and that was mostly because I decided to do a "madras" grocery bag holder, and spent most of that time creating the madras fabric.

If you want to make one too, here are the steps (if you want madras fabric, you need to buy or create a piece of madras fabric the size of the larger piece of fabric required):
 

1. You'll need 8" of elastic (I used about 1/4" wide elastic), fabric (two pieces, one about 36"x20" and another 12" by 2 1/2")
2. Fold the bigger piece of fabric in half, so it makes a long, skinny pieces 10"x36"
3. Sew along the long edge
4. Fold the smaller piece in half so you have a piece 1 1/4" x 12"
5. Iron the smaller piece so that a crease is formed

6. Open up the smaller piece.  Fold one long edge of the smaller piece so it touches the middle crease.  Sew it down.  Repeat with the other side.
7. Fold the smaller piece in half again so that the folded edges are together, and sew closed.  This is the loop for the top of your grocery bag holder.
8. Fold over the hems for either end of the tube you made of the larger piece.  Pin the loop to the inside of one end, so that its ends are at least an inch past where you will be sewing.

9. Sew both hems, leaving a 2" gap in the hem without the loop so you can thread in the elastic.
10. Thread in the elastic through the hem.  Sew the ends together, overlapping about 1/2".
11. Sew the opening in the hem closed.
12. Stuff the grocery bags in one at a time from the top (the end with the loop).  The elastic at the bottom should keep them in, but allow you to pull them out as you need them.