Making Paper Bags Out Of Book Guts

If you ever look in the back of an elderly person's closet (by elderly, I mean far, far, older than myself) you will probably find at least one (if not several) Reader's Digest Condensed Books. They were quite popular at one time and the older ones had really nifty designs on the cover.  They aren't hard to find and if you mention you're looking for them you may end up with a truckload so proceed with caution! *Special note, if you're a librarian read no further.  I took the covers off the books and made purses out of them which left me with a bunch of book guts....this meant I now had to come up with an idea for those! Well, as fate would have it I was trying to come up with an idea for a small gift bag for my jewelry that was completely green and my brain was churning. I think in my sleep sometime (I'm not really sure) I came up with what I thought was the most clever idea of all time....use the book guts!!!

The following is a picture guide as to how it is done...very simple, don't be intimidated.

 First get your friends to come help by bribing them with free cookies (I'm always a sucker for this one so I just assume everyone else is).

 Tear out the pages one by one - the ripped edges add charm so don't be picky.

Fold them in half.

Sew along one short side and the side opposite the fold with a zig-zag stitch. I used old thread that I found at one of my favorite secondhand store in Hamilton, MT. 

Use the chain method to save time and thread... I just learned this today from Chrie.

 Cut the bags apart. You can be done at this point but we print our logo on the bags by running them through the printer.

Finished product.... Taa Daa! 

These bags are small but can be made any size depending on the books you use.

Happy Christmas From Tumbled Trinkets!