Grocery Bag, Upcycled

Animal feed comes in 50# bags that are made from a durable, polypropylene weave. These have almost completely replaced the burlap sacks of the past because they resist water and pests. Anyone raising animals is likely to go thru dozens, if not hundreds of bags of feed per year. They are designed to be shipped, stacked, carried and thrown without liberating the valuable feed inside. It can handle a lot of abuse. Furthermore, once the feed is delivered the bags are often disposed of. Each is two square yards, 8.4 oz., of plastic. After being cleaned out, this half pound of plastic can be repurposed to keep it out of the landfill.
This upcycled bag is tougher and caries more load than typical commercially purchased bag while reusing materials.

(2) Straps or webbing 60” , (1) clean feed bag, 69# weight bonded nylon thread, sewing machine.

Cut the bag to your desired height plus 5". 20" works well. Fold over and sew 1/2" at the top of the material.

Place one strap on each side with the supports 9" apart from the center of each side of the bag. Attach with a box stitch from the bottom side of each strap.

Side pleats are what creates a flat bottom to the overall shape. With the bag inside out, pleat the sides as shown.

With the pleats in place, sew the bottom seam closed and turn the bag right side out.

Enjoy your robust bag.