Can I use my mountain of reusable grocery bags for quilt backing?

September 25, 2023 11:45 AM

I order food via instacart. Every time I order they bring me a bunch of reusable bags because plastic bags are illegal. I do not take the bags to the supermarket because I do not go to the supermarket. My sewing machine finally came!!! I want to get started playing. Any reason not to use the bags as backing? Obviously not for a bed quilt, but for placemats or a totebag or maybe a put-it-on-the-wall/door christmas piece?

Possible reason not to: WTF are these even made from? Will they damage/destroy my needles? My fabric scissors? Will they shrink differently from cotton fabric and make an ugly mess? Are they made of poison I don't want to put on my table as placemats?

posted by If only I had a penguin... to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (13 answers total)

Response by poster: This kind of bag. Non-Woven polypropylene.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 11:47 AM on September 25, 2023

Check with local food banks and similar organizations.
(edit: Sorry, completely misread the question as to what to do with them... Long day.)
posted by samhyland at 12:01 PM on September 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you were to wash and dry everything to get the bulk of the shrinking out of the way, it should sorta work, but if you were doing anything you wanted to iron, that's pretty much a no go, that stuff will melt at most usable ironing settings. If it's decorative and you don't expect to need to wash it or iron it, I suppose you could.
posted by advicepig at 12:05 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: To clarify, I would be using pre-cuts for the quilted part, which you can't prewash, the various blogs and youtubers tell me. And I don't think you're really supposed to iron anything with batting, so probably wouldn't iron after put it together. But placemats would likely need to be washed sometimes.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:12 PM on September 25, 2023

I think they won't wash well. They'll breakdown faster/differently than your quilting material and if the cotton is unwashed, it will shrink, while the manmade fabric will not. If you're going to take the time to do some sewing projects and quilting projects, you might as well use stuff that will last (though for the wall hanging, that might not be a problem, they might be ok for that). I think you can find better uses for your reusable bags.

Incidentally, you didn't ask, but the standard practice is also to use 100% cotton thread when quilting (quilting thread rather than all purpose) because with all purpose, the thread can tear through material overtime and that cannot be easily replaced, whereas if the thread wears through, it can be repaired.
posted by vunder at 12:24 PM on September 25, 2023 [5 favorites]

I don't use Instacart anymore but at least in the past, you were allowed to return the reusable bags to your next Instacart shopper (for re-use by Instacart.)
posted by ojocaliente at 12:31 PM on September 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

Seconding advicepig and vunder, and adding that yes, these will probably destroy your needles unless you're using needles that are specifically designed for tougher, nonwoven fabric like this.

If you have a quilting/sewing shop with knowledgeable people nearby, you could ask their advice on what needles would work well with this material, but those specialized needles are probably not optimized for working with quilting fabric. I'm sorry.
posted by spamloaf at 1:14 PM on September 25, 2023

I love to sew and am all about repurposing fabrics, and I am an experienced untraditional quilter. You can certainly experiment and see how it goes! That's one of the joys of found object quilting. Your needle breaks? Switch it out for a new one. Your machine breaks? Get it fixed. Your scissors get dull? Sharpen them!

That being said, I try to avoid synthetic fabrics -- or at least fabrics like those of the bags -- because I worry about chemicals. While I'll reuse any and many old cotton or cotton-polyester blends, I would not feel comfortable gifting someone used for eating or wearing with that type of fabric as a backing. Again, not saying it's wrong or there is any valid reason not to but that is my personal boundary. You could simply wipe them off and then donate them to a food bank, thrift store, etc. because they can be reused as nice shopping bags. You choose what is best but, since you're asking and this is something directly related to what I do, here's my two cents!
posted by smorgasbord at 1:21 PM on September 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

If they don't shrink they will pill and be bumpy and unattractive. If you don't want to use new fabric, cut up a spare sheet. Quilters use cotton. Begin as you mean to go on.
Donate the bags to a thrift shop.
posted by Enid Lareg at 3:03 PM on September 25, 2023

Given the material I think that they'd make good picnic blankets. Maybe double or triple them in thickness and then quilt the stack for a robust blanket that can withstand being used on the ground.
posted by mezzanayne at 3:20 PM on September 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Please give them back to the next Instacart person -- reusable grocery bags use a lot of resources to make, and are only really ecologically helpful if they are reused a lot. Plus, the Instacart shoppers (and/or you) are paying for those, one way or another.
posted by amtho at 3:57 PM on September 25, 2023 [6 favorites]

I get silver padded bags for my frozen groceries and have reused them by turning them into baskets. Doubling and folding, then using thick brightly coloured yarn and a big sharp needle to stitch the layers in place decoratively. I’ve also cut the pieces out as inner padding for other baskets that will not be washable. I took some un washable fabric and cut it I to strips then crocheted and braided them into coil baskets too. I would hesitate with a sewing machine because like heavy denim you need a sharp needle and a solid machine to get through the layers.

I like my baskets because they’re reusing a discarded resource (mine takes back cardboard boxes, not the silver bags apparently) and they’re useful and fast to make. With a quilt - that’s so many many hours of labour and to have that ruined by a washer of dryer would be heart breaking.

If it’s the cost of material, bedsheets and flowy skirts make excellent cotton fabric sources at thrift stores.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:11 PM on September 25, 2023

I think that polypropylene material is the same as weed block, and that's useful for sewing your own plant pots (ugly ones, granted, but useful in greenhouses or inside bigger pots). Are you a gardener, perhaps?
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:19 PM on September 25, 2023