In the Spotlight - Morsbags

Several weeks ago we received a lovely email from a lady called Tracy who is involved in the Morsbags movement, and who asked if we would like to get involved. We think this is a fantastic idea so, of course, we wanted to try and help spread the word. Many of you may have already heard of Morsbags but, for those that haven't, here's a little bit about them.

Morsbags was founded by Claire Morsman who lives in London, when she was shocked by the devastating effect plastic bags have on marine wildlife. She created Morsbags.com, a non-profit project aimed at eliminating the use of plastic bags by making and distributing reusable fabric bags - for free.

People are encouraged to get together in sociable sewing groups, or "pods" to make the bags and to then go out into the community and distribute them to the general public - ideally in places like shopping malls, supermarkets & train stations etc when people may be on the verge of accepting yet another plastic bag, but they can of course also be given out to friends, family, neighbours, popped through letterboxes or even used to wrap gifts. They call this approach "social guerilla bagging" and it is making an impact. To date, Morsbaggers in more than 400 pods worldwide have made and distributed over 50,000 fabric bags, potentially replacing more than 25 million plastic bags! Each bag is labelled with an iron-on patch with the project's web address printed on it, so the project self-perpetuates.

The bags themselves are very simple, unlined tote bags, made with French seams for strength and they can be made from cast off fabric such as sheets, duvets and pillow cases, old shirts or dresses etc. There is a great tutorial on the website together with loads of information about the project, hints and tips on making and distributing the bags and, of course, info about the pods. You can create your own pod with your friends, you could join an existing pod, or you could even do it on your own - just by making a few bags and giving them out to your friends or neighbours could still make a big difference.

Here at TLBG we wholeheartedly support this project so, in order to try and help spread the word even further, we would like to make next week's TLBG Wednesday topic - Morsbags! We'd love you to write a post about the project and maybe you might also consider creating or joining a pod and making a few bags. Perhaps you could even do a little giveaway or P.I.F. for your blog readers? Maybe you're already a pod member - let us know how you have been involved or how many bags you've donated so far.

Don't forget to have a look at the website at http://www.morsbags.com/

Emma & Rachel x