Beautiful recycled bags from St Mary’s Isles of Scilly WI
Throughout the year of no physical meetings, members of St Mary’s Isles of Scilly WI have been keeping in touch with weekly emails from President Pam on behalf of the Committee. A buddy system was put in place early on ensuring that all members had a regular contact friend.
However, there were no monthly speakers and, after consideration, members decided not to hold Zoom meetings. Therefore, as another March rolled around, with Annual Meeting business to be done, the idea to present all 39 members with a ‘Meeting in a Bag’ was mooted. The Committee voted unanimously to allocate some funds and every member of the still thriving Craft Group got on board.
The members had discussed making reusable fabric bags when the Resolution to reduce plastic waste was first being voted upon. The bags, all different, were 100% recycled from pillow cases, shirts, skirts and curtains. Contents included useful items like hand sewn notebooks, pencils, tissues, throat sweets, a nail file in a holder and lip salve. Three artistic members hand painted individual bookmarks, one off cards were created and lavender bags stitched.
The goodies the lucky members received.
Local businesses were supported wherever possible, including Scilly Maid Chocolate and commercially printed cards and postcards by a range of local artists.
One member designed a lino cut sunflower to adorn packets of sunflower seeds, another cut compostable seed labels, and a resin sunflower-etched keyring was designed especially for this project. Final inclusions were a jar each of marmalade, homemade cake or flapjack, a selection of cosmetic samples and some games, colouring sheets and a quiz.
The bags were given out in early March with a bunch of scented daffodils to every member, as a thank you for supporting each other through a difficult year, and as a treat to raise spirits.
Judging by the delighted faces, emails and telephone messages, it has done exactly that!