Feed Bag to Farmer's Market Bag

(Sorry for the foggy background, but we always need more rain)

Don't you just love brilliant things?  I do too.

I also love BAGS, and I have a bit of a thing for our chickens

Time to be honest, I have a bit of an obsession with bags really (not with chickens).  In fact, the first fundraiser that I worked on when we moved to a new area involved selling reusable bags.  I get compliments on those cute grocery totes all the time, but I'm a bit bored with them (don't tell the kids I used the "bored" word - it's a word that gets chores awarded around this household ... I digress).

While researching container gardening options yesterday I saw this upcycled feed bag.  I thought it was cute, but what about turning it into a tote for the Farmer's Market?  I'm not the only one to have this idea and with a bit of searching I found two great tutorials.  This one has great step-by-step instructions and this one makes the boxed bottom so simple that even I could do it.  (Sometimes I can't believe the complicated stuff I used to sew - flashback to 28 yards of black taffeta and 2 yards of black sequins with a prom dress pattern with an expert rating-Wow, thank you Home Ec!)

Like everything else in the world that I do; I had to add my own spin.  I dropped by a local Christian Thrift Store and found a discarded belt that would work wonderfully for the handles for $4.  It was a bit more than I would normally pay, but it was local (and perfect).

Total project cost
Feedback:  Free, gotta feed the girls no matter what
Thread:  Already in my stash
Time:  Priceless and in high demand
Belt for handles:  $4

I'm really quite happy with the way that it turned out.  The braided jute belt made the perfect handles.  I was even able to leave the buckle for a bit of embellishment.  I'm thinking of sewing up a few more with nylon handles (I don't think just everyone would love the jute shedding on them) and adding them to my Etsy store.