Innocent Smoothie Hats - Knitting

Every year Innocent Smoothies support Help the Aged in their Big Knit campaign, where volunteers knit little hats to go on top of the smoothie bottles, send them to Innocent who send them to Sainsbury's supermarkets. The little hats go on the smoothie bottles and 35p is donated to Help the Aged for every hatted smoothie sold. 2009 is the first years I've knitted for the campaign, and I can't wait for next year's Big Knit!!! The projects are ridiculously portable, quick, easy, and satisfying :)

Sainsbury's Organic Jute Bag Make-over - Sewing

I had a dilemma. My beloved Sainsbury's Organic Jute bag, which I bought a year and a half ago, have used almost every day since to carry shopping, knitting, books, all my precious possessions... Well, all that love and use had taken it's toll. The lining was peeling away slowly, leaving large bald patches inside...

... As well as a big ol' hole in the side. I could no longer use it for everyday stuff in the condition it was in, but I hated condemning it to solitary storage of yarns in my bedroom, since it was the perfect size for transporting larger knitting projects around with me. I resolved to fix it...

Whilst on Family holiday (*groans*) in Wareham, Dorset last week I passed a fabric shop with some large patches of fabric for £2 each. I bought three patches, measuring about 30" square of a lovely rose-covered fabric, thick linen or cotton, which I thought would be appropriate.

Last night I got out my trusty Brother's sewing machine and set to work. The two panels measure about 12"x15", bottom gusset about 6"x15", and two side gussets about 6"x12". Having sewn the lining panels together I sewed the top of the lining to the inside of the jute bag. I then made a small heart-shaped patch out of remaining material and hand-sewed it to cover the big ol' hole, attaching it a little bit to the inside lining to give it a bit of anchorage. The whole operation took about three hours.

The bag is now better than new, and the lining is so nice I think it is now reversible!!! Talk about "Good for the environment", you can make it even better by giving it a make-over instead of throwing it away when it get a bit tatty, and immediately you have a unique bag you cannot get at the supermarket!!!