Hope all the Aussie Dad’s have a great Fathers Day tomorrow!
It can be difficult to think of quick gift ideas for men. This afternoon I have made my Dad a bin bag for his car using some Newsprint fabric.
It has the following features:
- small and compact
- can be tied on the back of the headrest
- it stays open at the top so it is easy to throw rubbish in
- its its sized so that you can recycle plastic produce bags as bin liners
- it uses a recycled round margarine container to form its shape
- can be easily laundered
Best of all, it can be made in well under an hour if you need a last minute gift idea!!
Materials:
- one round margarine container with the bottom cut out – mine had a circumference of 14 inches
- plastic bag
- rubber band
- external fabric – 14.5 inches x 15.5 inches
- lining fabric: 14.5 inches x 5 inches
- fabric ties – 2 inches x 28 inches
Method:
1. Position plastic bag in the margarine container, and secure bag opening with rubber band. (Refer to photo). This is the rubbish bag liner unit.
2. Fold the external fabric in half with the right sides together. Sew down the side and bottom to form a bag shape. Clip corners and turn out the right way. Press.
3. To make fabric ties, fold the long edges of the fabric in to the middle, and fold again to form a strip that is 0.5 inch wide. Press. Stitch along edge. Cut in half to form two ties.
4. Sew lining strip in half with right sides together to form a tube shape. Sew a hem along the bottom edge.
5.With right sides together, sandwich the ties between the lining and the external fabric and stitch around the top opening. Turn bin bag right side out and Press. Position the plastic bag liner unit in the fabric bin bag.
I decided to make a second one for our car using some cute Japanese Candy Bar fabric that we won last year from Sarah at Pink Petal Designs. I think I will make some more for Christmas gifts.
Sorry we have been a bit slow in answering emails and leaving comments this week. We are all a bit under the weather with the flu. Hopefully we will feel brighter next week!
Posted by Lisa
Excellent Idea Lisa – I think I might have a go at this – yes great for those people with everything. And seeing that my parents have joined the Grey Nomads traveling around now that they have retired I think this would make a great little extra gift for christmas.. We need to find a way to attach them to a table for those sewing scraps – big bulldog clip!
What a great idea ! Thank you for sharing.
Brilliant!! And not just for the guys either, but I love the one in newsprint for him! I hope you are all feeling better very soon xo
Great gift idea, thanks heaps! Wherever did you find that fabulous newsprint??? I hope you feel better soon.
Brilliant idea
Great idea although it might take me a couple of hours. Every car should have at least one of these.
Hope you are all feeling better soon.
Linda
Great idea!
For us here it’s strange to hear about spring and Father’s Day :))
Hope the flu has gone and all of you are well
xx
such a great idea! And that newsprint fabric is fab – great job!
Love it. Thanks for another great idea.
That is a fanatastic gift idea and it looks great. You are so clever. I hope you all feel better soon.:)
What a fab idea – will definitely be keeping this in mind for next year – every dad loves a clean car! Happy Fathers Day to your dad – hope you have a lovely Sunday xx
Great idea, thanks for sharing!
That is a great idea!
I’ll have to see if I can find something that would work instead of the margarine tub. This would be so great for my dad for Christmas!
I’m going to try sturdy plastic planters
That is sooo clever, Lisa! Sheerly brilliant idea…wow…My Dad would love something like this. Happy Dad’s Day to all there! Hope you feel better very soon–be taking good care.:o) ((HUGS))
What a wonderful idea!
S.W.A.K.
Terrific project and fabric. Feel better soon.
I am SO making one of these! Very clever idea.
Feel better soon!
What a great idea! I have to remember it until we have fathersday in June. hope you feel better!
perfect fabrics and tutorial! thank you for the awesome craft idea.
Such a great idea! That newsprint is very cool, and perfect for this project.
What a great idea! thanks for sharing it. Get feeling better soon.
This is beyond marvelous!!! Thanks for sharing your CLEVER idea! It’s been too long, I’m off to read previous posts I’ve missed.
Hope you are better soon!
What a super idea!
I think I need one of these for my car. Thanks for the tute!
Great project! I need to whip one of these up…the floor boards of my car are so full of kid snacks you could get trapped in the car for a week and be just fine.
Hope you are feeling better soon!
Oooh, such a cute and useful idea! Hope you’re all feeling better soon!
what a great idea I love the recycled container opening feature! Great work.
What a wonderful, creative idea.
Wow, that bag is great. Love the newsprint fabric, love the bag. What a nice gift!
For sooo many reasons, this is such a GREAT idea…thank you for sharing…off to the shed (my sewing room) NOW!!….oops better find an empty container first 😉
lzilulu
lzilulu.typepad.com
Very, Very, CLEVER!! I love it!
what a great idea and so nice to be washable!
Oh, my hsiband would lOVE htis. He always complains when anayone leaves papers behind in “his” car!
This is very nice indeed!
What a lovely present! And what a great inventive idea. Thank you, Lisa for sharing the pattern with us!
Hope the flu is out of your home now!
Great present thanks for sharing the how to part ;)Hope you get better soon! x
Awesome!! I posted a link to your project on Craft Gossip Sewing:
http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-hanging-trash-bin-bag-for-the-car/2009/09/06/
–Anne
Well, that is just the bestest idea! Love it!
So clever! I am going to be a copy cat and make some for my family and friends. I love them. Thanks. Enjoy your weekend.
This looks like a great project! One question, what keeps the margarine container from slipping down and not staying up at the top edge?
Lyn – in answer to your question – the margarine container is a fairly firm fit which prevents it from slipping down. You could sew the side seam on a slight angle so that the top was slightly larger in circumference than the base, thereby preventing the margarine container from slipping down.
Not sure about fathers but if you could see my car I definitely need one of those.
I love this. Using a margarine container as a form is brilliant. I don’t have one… but I’m sure I have something else round and plastic.
Another great idea!!
This is a cute idea I may have to try it. I would love to know where you found that newsprint fabric? My daughter is a journalism major in college and I have been looking for newsprint fabric to make her a skirt.
This is great! I love the newsprint fabric.
I gave you a little mention in my latest blog posting:
http://lisa-handmadeinisrael.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html#4529346957997807784
Hope you like it!
It is a great idea, Lisa! Beautiful fabric! Hope you are getting well soon, having the flu really puts one down.
Hope you all feel better soon x
I’ve decided to make one to put under the sewing machine to catch all the threads. Awesome as always Lisa.
another inspired idea. i haven’t quite been able to figure it out yet, but i will. i think these would make great gifts for anyone with a car!
Good idea to put a container in it.
I ve made a lot of “dustbin car” but with hard fabric on the top …
I find it long to make ….
Camille (France)
Hope you are all feeling better. We’ve been sick too.
You could use these as thread catchers for a sewing machine too – maybe not so long, but the same idea for sure!
This is a really good idea. My husband is such a neat freak he would love something for Father’s Day to help us all tidy up!
Wow! What a fabulous and useful idea
What an awesome idea! I love the newspaper print fabric.
Great idea!
I`ve made it too: http://mojezielonewzgorze.blogspot.com/2010/01/podreczny-pomocnik-smietniczka.html
Thanks for sharing :)))
Nice idea’ I am sure my dad gonna love that, I will try to make something like that. Looking forward for your next post.
-pia-
Great design and tutorial! Just featured this on my blog at http://www.craftbuds.com/free-pattern-features-for-the-car/
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This is exactly what I need for my always-messy minivan! I found you via craftbuds. Thanks for this quick and easy and well explained tutorial!
Everyone laughs at me because I actually have a small bin in my car – even my grandchildren ask why I have a bin in the car! But my car doesn’t have junk floating all over the floor! This would be much better. Will attempt to make it.
Love this idea. My family laugh at me because I have a small bin in my car – my grandchildren ask why I have a bin in the car. However at least my car is free of rubbish on the floor. But this would be better – will attempt to make it.
I love the idea! but can we have some more pictures on how you cut out the fabrics and make it? Thank you! ♥
It would have been easier to understand if there were pictures of each step!