Reusing Vintage Clothespin Bags For New Purposes

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Clothespin bags are not as common and in frequent use today as they were in the past. How they were constructed and designed may vary slightly from one to another, but they all have the same purpose, to store clothespins and to hang from the clothesline for easy access.  My particular favorites are the ones made from wires attached to a simple fabric bag.  “Cute” is the word I often use to describe them.  The project to transform these vintage, stained, and worn out clothespin bags into something new was fun to do.  It’s also great to find new purposes and uses for them.

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Filling the clothespin bag with fresh flowers is a simple way to add country charm to your decor.

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Display it on the wall or hang it on the door, a hook or a drawer knob.

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The before and after pictures of a clothespin bag.

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The pattern to make the bag is basic.  I took the original bag off the wire frame, took measurements and made a pattern with ½ inch seam allowance for the two sides and the bottom of the bag. In addition, I added contrasting fabric trim {known as flat piping} to the sides of the bag. This step is optional, purely decorative. For further instructions, click here.

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Lay the two pieces of fabric {I used cotton canvas} on top of each other, right sides facing each other {optional, add flat piping to the two sides}, pin the fabric pieces together and follow the basic steps on how to sew a clothespin bag.

1.  Sew simple straight stitches with ½” seam allowance around 3 sides, stopping two-inches below the top edges.
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2. Below the top edges of one of the fabric pieces, on the 2-inch portion of the fabric where you did not sew, press the half-inch raw edge seam allowance flat, stitch into place.  Repeat these steps for the other three side edges.
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3. Finish the raw edges with a zig-zag seam finish around the three sides, stopping two-inches below the top edges.
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4. Fold down the top fabric edge one-inch and sew along the bottom edge, repeat another row of stitches next to the first one to form two rows of simple straight stitches.  Repeat these steps on the other side of the fabric.
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5. The bag is now ready to be put on the wire frame.

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A few simple details.

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One clothespin bag and two more to go…

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An Easter basket is another idea.  The pretty little Easter bunny gift tag attached to the bag is available for you to print here.

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Here are the finished projects.

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A holder or storage for my twine collection.

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This particular one will be used to store my clothespins.

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Have fun finding new uses for vintage clothespin bags.

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Posted by Kay