Quarantine Activities: Macrame Produce Bag DIY

In this quarantine series, I have a ton of fun at-home self-isolated DIY activities that will hopefully make social distancing a little more productive/rewarding/aesthetic. All craft materials can be found online so no need to scour the store for these items (though I highly doubt they’ll be the top of most people’s quarantine grocery list). If you have one, grab your isolation buddy/roommate and let’s get crafty (:

There is nothing I love more than a good reusable bag. When macrame produce bags became trendy (both functionally and fashionably), the first thought that crossed my mind was I could totally make that! For this tutorial, I followed a Youtube video by Emily Faith- I found this to be an easy way to get an idea of the pattern/how to make a square knot. Once you get a hang of it, feel free to modify the instructions as needed (longer/wider/smaller bag). For the straps, I used twine and for the body of the bag, I used cotton string.

Tips & Tricks

• if you don’t have handles handy, consider braiding the cotton string or twine to create a thick handle. anything works! i almost used scrap fabric from pant hems

• the tighter you make the first row of knots, the smaller the mouth of the bag will become

• the further apart you space each row, the wider the body of the bag will become

• i used a plant pot to anchor the straps to the table like the video suggested. however, as it got longer, i hung the bag on a lamp because it allowed me to rotate around the bag which ensured that i wasn’t twisted when i made each knot. this is essential for creating knots without extra slack/pull that you might get from only facing one side of the bag

• if you want to get jazzy, feel free to add shells/beads throughout the rows

• to further customize the bag, you can dye it since it’s 100% cotton! hint: tie dye

to secure the knots, i used liquid stitch in the knot. you can also use hot glue!

hanging the bag on a lamp allows for 360 accessibility!