Tuesday Tidbits: THROWING AWAY $$$

I have a problem with paying money for something whose sole purpose is to be thrown away. A great example is trash bags. You buy them just to throw them away. For years, we had these special brackets affixed to the inside of a lower cupboard to hang the plastic grocery bags on, giving the bag I received for free a second life. When we moved nearly three years ago, we’ve been renting and haven’t felt comfortable putting holes in someone else’s cupboard.

More and more towns in the metropolitan area I live in are passing laws to charge for bags either plastic or paper, 5-10 cents. I know it’s not a lot of money, but I’m not thrilled about paying for those ultra-thin plastic bags that have a hole (or three or four) in them before you even leave the store. It’s hard to reuse them with all those holes. Which means, I’m paying money to throw something away that then ends up in a landfill. Argh!

There are people who make all kinds of really neat things out of the plastic grocery bags, like cutting them into strips and crocheting sleeping mats for the homeless to keep them off of the damp ground, or ironing layers of them together to make crafts from the created material. I commend those people for keeping some of the plastic out of landfills and giving them a new life. I have thought about doing these things but have never gotten around to it.

So rather then pay for these flimsy bags, I recycle T-shirts into tote bags. Not only am I not creating a demand for plastic bags, I’m also keeping old T-shirts out of landfills.

Here is a recent post I did on my publisher’s blog about how to make these T-shirt Totes. I’m kind of addicted to making them.

Basically . . .
~Lay the T-shirt flat.
~Cut off the hem.
~Snip from the bottom up 3 inches every inch.
~Tie one strip from the back to the one in front of it into a square knot all the way across the bottom.
~Cut off sleeves along seam on the body potion of the shirt.
~Cut off neck opening.
~And voila, you have a tote.

I have used T-shirts I own, ones I’ve bought at thrift stores for cheap, ones I’ve been gifted, a golf shirt, a lace tank top, Dollar Tree T-shirt. T-shirts can be big or small, plain or with a cool graphic.

When my granddaughter was about three, her favorite character was Hello Kitty. I spent more than an hour going through every piece of children’s clothing at our local thrift store looking for a Hello Kitty T-shirt. Near the end of the last rack, I scored one. I made a tote, put it in the box with a few other things, and shipped it off. I asked my son how she liked it. He said she was confused. She put her arms through the sleeve openings, which were now straps, and tried to wear it like a shirt. I wish I could have seen that. =0)

There are many other ways to reuse and repurpose T-shirts, and I’ll share some I’m doing from time to time.

As I said before, these posts are NOT a crusade to get everyone to produce less trash and do all things eco friendly. I just want to share the small things I’m doing to reduce my trash footprint upon our earth one small step at a time.

This post is my first in a reoccurring topic on my attempts to create less trash and what I’m trying do about it. My plan is to have one post a month about a new way I’m reducing my trash output.

Related post: http://marydavis1.blogspot.com/2019/08/tuesday-tidbits-can-i-recycle-that.html

Have you ever made a T-shirt Tote? Have you made other things out of T-shirts?

NEW!

THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection
Click HERE to order yours today.
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#thimblesandthreadscollection
“Bygones” by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?

Other stories in this collection:
“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma


THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)
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Can a patient love win her heart?

As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.

A handsome rancher, a stranger, and an unseen suitor are all waiting for an answer.  Isabelle loves her sister, but will she really allow herself to be manipulated into a marriage without love? Will Isabelle capitulate and marry the man her parents wish her to, or will she rebel and marry the man they don’t approve of? Or will the man leaving her secret love poems sweep her off her feet?

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

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