This past weekend I was looking through the JoAnn Fabric and Craft Stores sale flyer, when a free fabric tote bag pattern caught my eye.

Whether you are new to sewing or a seasoned seamstress, you can always use a few free tote bag patterns.  Right?  With this particular pattern, you can make reusable grocery bags, an environmentally-friendly way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon.  Not to mention, it's also a good way to use up old fabric scraps. Whip up a half-dozen of these cloth grocery bags, and not only will you use up some of those spare fabric scraps you have laying around, you will keep a few more of those break-too-easy-don't-know-what-the-heck-to-do-with-them plastic grocery bags out of the landfill.

The free project sheet also includes instructions for making a matching coupon holder.  You know us Vera Bradley fanatics, we do like to coordinate!

Of course, you can also use these bags for hauling around library books or packing the essentials for a day at the beach. However, I encourage you to give it a try for bringing home your store bought goodies, even if you don't think of yourself as an environmentalist.  As a matter of fact, I have a short story (somewhat unrelated to handbags) about going "green"...

When my youngest son was born, I decided to give cloth diapers a try. Admittedly, I was much more concerned about saving money than I was about saving the environment.  However, not too long after starting cloth, I found that I actually felt embarrassed when purchasing disposables at my local Wal-Mart - imagine that!  I started out trying to save a few bucks, but ended up caring about something bigger. Of course, I'm sure my washing machine probably didn't share my enthusiasm...

Anyway, that's enough rambling on my part.  This project is the first of many free tote bag patterns that will be featured here.  Make sure you check back often for more.  Give this project a go - I bet you will agree that making your own cloth grocery bags really is "sew easy"!