This project was almost a complete failure but in the end I turned it around and made it a win.
See, I started making my own bread a couple of years ago. I use this Zojirushi Breadmaker. One day I'll try it all the way from scratch but for now half-assed homesteading is the right way for me. I had been keeping my loaves in a cotton drawstring produce bag from ReUseIt. Nothing fancy but it got the job done. Then I decided I wanted something a little nicer.
So, last summer I stopped into this place on the way to Idaho Falls.
The Country Store Boutique is a nearly endless warren of fun old junk. There's even a basement with a sign warning about the possibility of snakes.
They have a great selection of vintage textiles, old embroidered tea towels and doilies. I picked up 2 vintage, hand-embroidered, linen dresser runners with no idea what I would do with them.
And then, like Hailey Mills in The Trouble With Angels, I had the most scathingly brilliant idea! Bread bag! Upcycled Vintage Bread bags to be exact.
I cut each runner in half and sewed them up into 2 simple drawstring bags. I loved them so much I had a lot of trouble parting with one to send to my sister for her birthday, but I did. My sister still uses hers I believe, but sadly, the bread from my bread machine was too big for my bag. I'm not ashamed to admit, I was heartbroken.
Until I had another scathingly brilliant idea! Cut a slit near the bottom, hem it under and turn it into a Vintage Hanky Bag!
I do still keep some boxed tissues in the house but I've been slowly accumulating old and new hankies and am trying to make the transition to reusable. I've also had my eye on Amanda Soule's Hanky Bag from Handmade Home. It's a slightly more complicated, envelope-style bag and looks a bit more...put together. But this serves my purposes well and I finally get to use my lovely, vintage, embroidered bag.
I love the scalloped edge.
It's incredibly easy for the kids to get hankies out and even to put them in when they come out of the laundry. In fact, because they don't require folding, putting hankies away is Jemima's little laundry job. She loves to help.
