Stitched2Save9

One year since I began blogging, to share the buzzing in my mind and especially if it was some little thing done to make a difference. Here is one big attempt at making me count........

I have always enjoyed working with my hands and if something meaningful came out of it then, super! I have been stitching stuff and subjecting my friends to it for a long time now. In fact when I gave my friend Deepa a bag for her birthday a couple of years ago she said, "Joe you gave me a bag last year too". I never thought I was stitching that much (except for the kids nappies). There never was a thought to scale up and I was happy doing the odd ones her and there.

Last year, my sister, DIANA CHERIAN and her students took on a task of stitching 1000 cloth bags, a project that is nearing its goal and the bags are being distributed in the neighbourhood, I am sure each of those bags will decrease the number of plastic bags in circulation. Simple math, many cloth bags will decrease many more plastic bags and this project is what inspired me to scale up! And this was the thought process - there is always a need for cloth grocery bags, I just have to make as many as I can and make it available to anyone, especially those who make sad excuses to accept plastic bags. I have to make bags that people can fold up and keep anywhere - in their laptop bags, purses, bikes or cars so that there would be a cloth bag at hand should there be an impulse to pick something spotted randomly. I should also make bags on request as long as it's upcycled material.

Stitched2Save9 seemed an apt name for many reasons .... one was the hope that 1 of my cloth bags would reduce atleast 9 plastic bags in circulation. As far as possible no new material will be used, it will be any old sturdy cloth. Upcycling is so meaningful, it is a good way to reuse to reduce our ecological footprint - one person at a time. So far the cloth used for the bags I have made include old bedsheets, curtains, dhupattas, kurtas and material rejected by tailors saying it was too little to make anything. My plan is 'keeping it simple'. While each bag will have some element of design, I do hope some can look trendy to meet the needs of every type of shopper! A lot of thought went into whether I should price the bags or just keep giving it away for free. I finally decided to price it nominally so it will be meaningful to me and the buyer. Of course I will be gifting a lot of people who will not only appreciate the effort but also use the bag many many many times over.

https://www.facebook.com/Stitched2Save9 is where one can see progress of my plans and a place where you can let me know whats on your mind!

 These little bags were specifically made on request as tambula bags given to visitors during this Dasara season.

 Easy-to-store-anywhere grocery bags - no more excuses for not carrying one of your own!

Bolster bags!! ... One big bolster cover made way for two neat grocery bags :)!