My mom, the guinea pig.

Have I mentioned how my mom loves handmade anything? She was all about the artisan stuff way before Etsy was cool. Here that Mami? You are a trend setter. I'm sure she's thrilled. The other day I found the second bag of fabric that my mother-in-law had sent me waiting to be prewashed. In that second load was this red hat fabric. I'm not normally into the novelty stuff but my mom loves the concept of The Red Hat Ladies and feels she's earned the right to be a little kooky in her second half of life.

I had also promised to make my mom a reusable grocery bag like my first version, so why not let her flaunt her social status down in South Florida? That's right, a Red Hat reusable bag. Looks pretty normal huh?




Well here it is next to the original version which was the same size as a traditional plastic bag. The new version is taller and deeper for fitting some of the bulky items that stick out of the the typical grocery bags. I'm waiting on fabric for my own bags and am so excited to make the larger version.




I grabbed the bulkiest items in my pantry to test drive the bag full as well as the carry. A one gallon bottle of vinegar, the jumbo canister of oats, two boxes of lasagna noodles, a large cereal box and a large box of saltines. It's pretty obvious where I do the bulk of my shopping. I also shop regularly at BJs at this larger bag model will be wonderful for their bulkier items.




I introduce Mr. Maricucu the hand model. Too bad the job has no pay. Hey it's a hard economy. According to Mr. Maricucu the handles were comfortable as well as roomy. He also made me promise not to shoot his exposed legs since he has this aversion to wearing shorts in public. Don't ask.




One last shot with the baby for scale. It's a pretty large bag but even stumpy old me can carry it without dragging on the ground. The pocket is not for storage during use, it's actually for folding and flipping the bag onto itself. Nifty but I'm not likely to do it again as just plain folding works as well.




I have another red hat print and it's destined for a second bag for Mom. Both lined in muslin.