Favourite backpack

Happy Monday again! The weeks just seem to race by lately!

I spent the weekend mending this favourite backpack.

We have had it for about 10 or 11 years now. My husband bought it way back when at target. It is super comfortable. Even when full to burt with groceries it doesn't hurt your shoulders. When you walk everywhere, even grocery shopping, a good backpack is worth gold!

My husband recently got a new-to-us one at the thrift store and passed this one down to our son.

With covid, we wash everything we had on/with us when out and about. This includes shopping bags/backpacks. So they see a lot more wear.

Holes towards the bottom of the grey backpack.

A big hole in one of the straps of a grey backpack. The sides of this strap have previously been fixed with green binding tape. Which has since frayed a little.

A hole on the top of the grey backpack, where the lid goes over the bag part.

I fixed the backpack once before, but the inside edges of the straps were getting frayed again, and the bottom had an honest to goodness hole in the bottom this time.

Out came my fabric scraps. Thankfully I save every tiny bit lol.

I patched the bottom hole from the outside, as well as from the inside with some cotton fabric. I will.most likely reinforce it on the inside with a scrap of old jeans fabric, once my sewing machines work again. (Not going to sew through heavy backpack AND Jean fabric by hand. I am crazy, but not stupid.)

One little hole at the top, I fixed by weaving over the strands still there and adding a few more with the mending thread I got at the thrift store. Just so happens to be almost the perfect cour for this backpack.

All patches have been hand sewn, since my sewing machines are still out of sorts. Now the backpack can carry on a few more years. Zero waste.

Zero waste is not about getting the newest reusable whatever. Zero waste means predominantly and most importantly to make do with what you have. Make the stuff you have last longer. Keep it out of the landfills one more year, or all together if it is recyclable, or compostable. Fix things, reuse things, find new uses for old things.

That is Zero waste. That will reduce your carbon footprint. That will help safe our beautiful planet.🌎❤✌☮

Try it out. Zero waste is not expensive. Actually it will help you save money!

Sending lots of hugs your way.

Xo,

B. 🐝