Cute, Easy Bags

I am not the most creative person, so when we were brainstorming for ideas for a future young women activity and one of the girls suggested doing a bag made out of a place mat, I almost cringed. After combining a couple of ideas from websites and with some tips from a friend, this is what I came up with. I have to say, they are NOT hard and they are soooo cute!! My girls absolutely love them! I made Jenna and Kristen each one to "practice" and it took me 3 tries to get it right, but after that, they were a snap. I guess I should mention that it's very possible that I'm out of touch with things and some of you have been making these for years. :)

First of all, I got a fabric place mat---Ikea had some cute ones in black, off-white, hot pink, bright blue, and orange for only 99 cents. Then I got a roll of ribbon--Walmart had tons of cute ones to choose from (the bigger rolls were $2.97 and the smaller ones were $1.97--each roll was enough for 2 bags). I unrolled it all and cut it in half so we could get two handles out of each roll. Then I pinned the ribbon on where I wanted it--for longer handles, pin them closer together. Loop the ribbon at the end to make a handle. I started at the top of one side and ended in the same place. I sewed up and down each side of the ribbon on both handles. Then I turned the whole mat inside out and decided how far in I wanted to go and sewed both sides up. Finally, I made small triangles at the bottom and sewed those to give it a rounded look. I turned it inside out and glued a plastic flower on the corner where the ribbons met to cover that up and ta-da! I made a bag!!!!We had a couple of girls who didn't come and since I'd already purchased the stuff, I went ahead and made their bags for them. I've also seen them decorated with buttons or bows, instead of the flowers. Many ways to be creative. I think they cost (if you already have thread) about $3.50 to $4 each. Soooo cute!!