How to make a Morsbag

Last weekend, I spent that scorching Saturday - when most sensible people were lounging in the sunshine - at the Barbican’s Eco Aware event, in London. Mind you, I can’t complain. I was there to promote my book, How Green Are My Wellies. It's not officially out until 16th June, but if you can’t wait to reserve a copy, you can pre-order here.

Right, where was I, before I started my self-publicity? Oh yes, last weekend’s Eco Aware event. Of all the stalls pushing biodegradable crockery and organic vegetables, the one that stole the show was offering punters the chance to make up their own Morsbag, a material alternative to a plastic bag. You could choose your fabric, mostly scraps from old duvets, curtains or old clothes, and then be shown how - with a little sewing machine guidance - you could turn it into a bag. The results are far prettier than they sound - as you can see from the picture above.

The Morsbag concept – named after its founder Claire Morsman - is about using leftover fabric to make something useful and green. Morsman set up a group, mostly friends, that met weekly on her barge in Hanwell, in West London, to run up dozens of bags. Then they gave them out for free outside supermarkets. It's a bit like other forms of green guerrilla activism, such as guerilla gardening.

To make your own bag, visit the Morsbag website. There’s a PDF guide here to help you and even an animated demonstration. Even better, set up what Morsman calls a ‘pod’. A group of people, or sewing group, that meets to make Morsbags for their community. Or check here to see if there's already one in your area.   

Comments

[Ben]

You're right, Eco Worrier, that was some shameless publicity. But I'm glad you told us about your book. What's it about?

[Dagny McKinley]

Makes me so happy to see people giving back in order to educate people about the harmful effects plastic bags have on the environment. Also love the notion of guerilla gardening. They must smile to themselves every time they plant a seed and know something beautiful will grow from it.

Dagny McKinley
www.onnotextiles.com
organic apparel

[Dagny McKinley]

Makes me so happy to see people giving back in order to educate people about the harmful effects plastic bags have on the environment. Also love the notion of guerilla gardening. They must smile to themselves every time they plant a seed and know something beautiful will grow from it.

Dagny McKinley
www.onnotextiles.com
organic apparel

[Eco Worrier]

Hi Ben - my book is a yearbook, so each chapter is a month of the year. It's partly about my own efforts to go green - what works, what doesn't, what i struggle with, what I love - and it's partly full of advice for others.

Dagny - have you checked to see if there's a guerilla gardening group near you? there may well be, then you can be the one planting a seed.

[Lynne Shaw]

I have become totally absorbed by the refuse, reuse and recycle addage. I love the Morsbag - I have made several tote bags myself from old jeans. But its easy for me because I have always been "craft crazy" which gives me a sort of legitimate excuse to cut stuff up.

I think I get this from my father who is now 80 and recently remade a flowery quilt cover into lounging pants for him and my mum (he calls them his go-nowhere-trousers). He gets odd looks but as he is totally eccentric this only adds to his sense of self-worth.

However the reason I really wrote was to say that there are fantastic websites out there where people discuss innovative ways of using plastic bags as a craft medium. Not a perfect solution to the plastic bag problem - but at least an alternative perspective.
Lynne