Customize Your Reusable Shopper's Bag

You're lean and green - you've cut those plastic grocery totes out of your life. But sometimes - the reusable bags aren't quite ... right.

This instructable will walk you through one way to custom outfit your shopping bag to contain your consumables. You can keep your bags balanced and contents stable when picking up a favorite treat at the store and and reuse smaller plastic bags a bit more easily.

Step 1: Gather Supplies and Tools

First, gather the items you'll need to customize your shopper's bag. You'll need:

- a bag to customize, either one you've made or purchased
- a small piece of cloth, large enough to wrap loosely around a wine bottle with an extra inch for hemming -- it helps if the fabric has some stretch
- needle, thread, scissors
- a wine bottle

Step 2: Measure and Cut Your Fabric Sleeve.

Take your material and measure it, using the wine bottle to define the cloth size.

The width of the cut piece should wrap around the bottle, with two extra inches added to the circumference of the bottle.

The height of the cut piece should match the height of your shopper's bag.

Step 3: Sew the Sleeve; Attach to Your Bag.

To create the sleeve, sew it shut along its longest edge.

Once your seam is created, secure it to a seam of your shopper's bag. Turn the bag inside-out for easier sewing.

Step 4: Right Your Bag, Add Wine or Produce Bags; Enjoy.

After sewing the sleeve into your bag, test the bag. Inside out or right side in, your sleeve should hold the produce bags you're reusing at the store, a bottle of wine, or fresh baguette after you've paid for your purchases.