When we decided last minute (the day before) to attend the Woman's March on Washington we found ourselves scrambling to get "march ready" in an afternoon. One of the things that we needed, was a way to carry necessities, like water, snacks, tissues...yada yada...you get the picture! Typically I simply toss everything into a backpack and that's that, but, because of the crowds and security, marchers were allowed only to bring backpacks if they were a certain size and they had to be clear. All of which totally makes sense. Of course, who owns such a backpack? Not I.
But, with a few supplies: a pair of 54" shoe laces, a giant ziploc bag (I used an XXL one that I already had on hand) and a sewing machine...
I had just what we needed!
Seriously, this was one of those moments where I was like, "Thank goodness I sew!" and then I kind of laughed at myself...because, you know, I needed a clear backpack...so why not make one? Sometimes, it's hard not to have a giggle at your own creative ingenuity!
But, two bags only took about 15 minutes to make and they worked really well! They are still holding strong after a day of marching and wearing! I'm thinking that these will be super useful for future events, running races, baseball games and more!
So, maybe you might find yourself in need someday too.
And in which case here's how to make one yourself!
Start with an XXL ziploc bag, measure 16" up from the bottom of the bag, cut across. Next, fold the bag in half and cut, this will give you two bags about the size of 16" tall and 12" wide. (Do not cut the bottom edge or the finished side edge!)
Stitch along the unfinished long edge with a 1/4" seam allowance, then stitch a tight zigzag along the outer edge as well to reinforce the edge. Next, fold the top edge toward the inside about 1", edgestitch it down to make a casing for the shoelace straps. Be sure to leave an opening at both sides about 1" for the shoelaces to ties to exit.
Take one end of one shoelace and stitch near the bottom corner of the bag using tight zigzag stitches. Additionally, I tied a knot at the end and stitched that down as well for added support.
Next feed the shoelace up and into the casing, feed it all the way around and exit from the side it entered. Repeat the same process with the other side. Pull the strings tight and...you are done!
Pack the bag up with your necessities...
Pull the shoelaces tight and tie it up...
And you are all set and ready to go!
I really found this to be quite sturdy and comfortable to wear (as did my husband). Obviously we didn't overload it with heavy things, but there were apples and two bottles of water and more...
I'm really pretty excited with the way it turned out!
And...for the kiddos...
Gallon sized ziplocs with a shoelace sewn on worked well for them to sling across their bodies. Though I will say that next time I will poke the shoelace through bag first, then tie a knot and then stitch it to the bag to reinforce it better as their mobile and boisterous bodies jumping around did tear the shoelaces off once and we ended up poking the shoelace through and tying it in the end.
Either way you go...these simple ziploc bags/backpacks are perfect for last minute on the go needs!
