Discarded plastic shopping bags have become a
major environmental concern. When you're not re-using your bags, recycle them into beautiful and useful materials. Try these craft ideas.
Brightly coloured shopping bags can be turned into fabric that is used to make a pencil case, tote bag, cushion cover or anything your imagination can come up with.
Cut the handles from the bags and trim the remainder into two squares or a long rectangle, depending on your needs. Place about eight plastic bags together and layer them between two sheets of baking paper. Gently run an iron on low heat (the 'wool' setting works well) over the baking paper until the bags have stuck together. This activity works best with thin supermarket bags.
Alternately, you can make 'plarn' (plastic yarn) to use for crocheting and knitting. Smooth your bag out and fold the sides in so that you have a neat rectangle. Fold the bag in half lengthways, fold it again and cut the handles away. Lie the bag out horizontally and cut thin strips vertically.
Next, unwind the strips and tie them together using a
larks head knot. When they are all tied together, you can start knitting or roll the whole thing into a ball for future use. Plarn can be used like a normal wool, but because it quite thick you will probably need to use a larger knitting needle. For tips on how to use your plarn, check out
this gallery.
For more re-conditioned plastic bag crafts and ideas, check out
this blog.
