When we lived in a city, driving around was always a short-term thing. We’d be in the car for 5, 10 or maybe a rare 15 minute trip if we were going to the “other side of town” for something. We didn’t eat in the car. And we certainly never had trash in the car.
Now that we live in the middle of nowhere? Boy, has that changed. Fridays are typically our errand-running day, and we can be out and about for 6 or more hours at a time. And two days a week, we commute over an hour (one way) to work. We’re in the car a lot now. I actually think we’ve put as many miles on our car in the past two months as we have in the previous year. Ain’t no thang. That’s just part of the side effects of living in the country. What is a thang? All the trash that piles up in the car.
Starbucks cups. Hardboiled egg shells. Apple cores. Receipts. Discarded grocery lists. It became very obvious very quickly that we needed a trash storage solution for our car, so we did the ever-attractive temporary solution of hanging a plastic grocery sack from our gear-shifter. Effective? Yes. Attractive? No. And if you know anything about me, you know that I don’t deal well with un-pretty things. Especially in my pretty car that I love so very, very much. I wanted something attractive. Or at the very least, as attractive as a trash receptacle could be. Maybe that desire makes me crazy anal, but hey, I is what I is, you know?
Pinterest to the rescue! I was browsing my boards the other day and noticed this little guy that I had pinned way back when (way before we ever actually needed a car trash bag). Kismet, right?
I usually post my own version of a tutorial whenever I do a Pinterest Challenge, but I’m going to skip that today because I followed the tutorial at A Ditchin’ Time Quilts to a T. The only slight tweak I made was to make the bag a little bit wider so it could fit regular grocery sacks (the original is made for bread bags, produce sacks, etc.), but other than that, the instructions, photos and measurement are perfecto. So no need for me to rip it off and put it up here. Seriously, go head over there and see how quick and easy it is to make your own trash bag—it took me about an hour. And it makes me so obnoxiously happy. And no, it was not a coincidence that the fabric I choice coordinates perfectly with our orange paint job. I know, I have problems.
Side note: it felt so good to get back into sewing. I finally got a chance to unpack and set myself up a little crafting/sewing nook and it makes me so insanely happy. It’s bright and cheerful and all my stuff is right there. Expect a lot more sewing and crafting projects here on Wholefully—which is something I know a lot of you have been asking to see more of for a while.
Yay! Happy trash!
I’m so weird.
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I love that! It looks simple and should work perfectly in my car (where trash just randomly accumulates). Could you post the measurements you used? I have more normal sized bags than regular bags.
Sure! Wherever the original author asks for a 22″ measurement, I just made that into 25″. And then I made the Pellon 22″ wide.
Very cute bag. It almost makes me wish I didn’t take trash out of my car every time I leave it so I could make one for myself.
Hahaha! No, keep on keepin’ on. That is so much better than the trash bag! I wish I was that person. But I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses and I am definitely not a neat and tidy person. :P
Sadly, my car functions as one large trashcan, especially the backseat area. Every weekend I plan to do something about that, but every weekend there is something more urgent to do. My car has 150,000 miles on it and a dent in the right rear wheel well, so it’s seen better days anyway. But it’s paid for! :O)
Hahah! We have one of those 150k+, paid for cars, too. And it’s definitely much messier than our newer car. We’re actually just starting the process of selling it and going back to being a one car family (because we haven’t driven the second car ONCE since we moved). So we have to get it cleaned up. Which I am SO not looking forward to.
Good luck! I bet yours doesn’t have spilled dry Quaker Oats on the floor of the backseat though! LOL
It does have a big, neon pink Pepto Bismol stain on the back floorboard! That stuff will NOT come out. And it’s still the same color it was in the bottle 5 years ago.
I am guilty of the grocery bag on the gear shift. Since I’m the only one who ever drives my car, it doesn’t bother me too much (since it sits on the passenger side) but this is much cuter!
Ha, I’m so one of “those people.” My DH used to throw trash in the back floor of his old car when he had a $1,000 clunker. He tried it just once in my car… just once. Hah!
But seriously, if I had a trash receptacle in my car, this’d so be it! Too cute!
I’m definitely making one of these!! I use a grocery bag but dang it’s an eyesore. Thanks for the tip Cassie!
Cassie,
Thanks for giving me credit for my tutorial. Appreciate it greatly. Your bag is adorable. Stephanie
What a lively post about my tutorial. I am so glad you love and are spreading the word!
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