Dog-faced Pants-legs Gift bags

Every year, my two adult step-daughters give me the clothes they no longer want.   I'm a grateful recipient of many, many (way too many) hand-me-ups.   Fortunately, they both know that there will be a bunch of clothes that never make it into my closets, and that my home is largely a stepping stone along the path to a donation center.  

However, every year I do manage to snag a bunch of new-to-me outfits . . .  ooh, right now I'm wearing a sweater they gifted me three years ago and a pair of jeans from ¿some year?, so, --> Evidence <--.   Also, exercise clothes are fabulous.  

Gos and Sizz seem not to wear their clothes out, but I do.  A pair of sweatpants that I've been wearing for running for a half a decade or so has finally worn out: grown significantly hole-y in the mid-sections, and so of course I've been grateful that I've received just-in-time replacements from the snoughlings, so I can retire the hole-y pants for something less breezy.  

One of our conversations during the holidays this year was about trash (because somehow, I always seem to bring the conversation around to garbage, apparently).   In particular, we were discussing wrapping paper.  Gos noted, "well, at least you can recycle it", and I explained that wrapping paper has such a high plastic content that our recycling center won't take it.  We then turned to potential alternatives:  Gos suggested aluminum foil, and Inkling -- who knows me much better -- suggested that cloth bags could be an even better alternative.

All of this explains why I'm making gift bags for Gos out of the pants she once gifted me.

Gos is the one who loves dogs: she fosters rescue labs, writes books about the rescues, dresses her dogs for the holidays . . . if you see dogs on this blog, it's either Prewash or it's (more likely) Gos's furry friends.  I searched for "lab silhouette" on the web, traced my favorite version onto some precycled paper, and then cut out some cloth heads.  I loved the floppy ears of this particular silhouette enough that I sewed them separately, and those cute ears now flop around appropriately.  Add a button for an eye and ribbon for a collar, and the dog-face is good to go. 

Also, the hem at the bottom of the pants leg is now the top of the bag, making a perfect channel for the drawstring.  

I'm using one of the bags for Gos's birthday present (some books she kind of asked me for), and I'm saving the next for future presents, either from me or from Inkling.  So I guess we've got a leg up -- so to speak -- on next year's holiday shopping.

One more photo.
(The color looks different, but it's the same bag, different light).