SHOPPING BAG OUT OF KURTI

 

 Cloth bag / shopping bag in cotton fabric

A neighbour and friend was walking out for some grocery and veggie shopping. She was not carrying any bags. On enquiry, said that she had no cloth bags. Immediately decided I must rectify the situation.
Came home and looked through my stash of fabrics. Could not find anything suitable. I wanted at least 1m length of fabric and sturdy enough to take some load and be used roughly. Finally I found a kurti that I was not wearing any more. It was made of handloom cotton and had block print on it. It seemed like the ideal material for a cloth bag / shopping bag. 
The kurti had 3/4 length sleeves. First I separated them from the kurti. It was exciting to cut up the rest of the kurti. What I actually did was to cut off the top of kurti till below the arm hole opening. Turned it upside down. Folded the stitched end of the kurti once about 1.5" wide and stitched a band. The side stitches of the kurti were left intact. Stitched up the bottom of the bag twice, for strength.
For the handles, out of the sleeves, cut off 4" wide strips. Attached two strips together for the required length. Folded them and stitched the inside along the length to form a tube. Took inside out. 
Attached these handles at 6" apart on either side, on the inside. Lo and behold, cloth bag for shopping is ready!