FREEDOM PLASTIC BAGS INC. |
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| Plastic Bag - Crochet |
| from Paula Chaviz Make it with Plastic Bags! NOTE: First and Most Important - please do not use plastic bags that you bring meat home in. This is very important so no one will get sick. * There are 2 ways to cut plastic bags. 1. The first way is to use a J hook . 2. Lay your plastic bag down, leave the creases in and fold in half, long ways. (See Figure 1 and Figure 2. 3. Cut off the bottom and the handles (see Figure 2 and Figure 3. [Note: I save these for stuffing or to use as fringe for rugs, or making wreaths.] 4. Hold your plastic bag in your hand and cut at an angle. (see Figure 4. 5. Start cutting around the plastic bag (see Figure 5) about 2 - 3 inches wide, or just use your finger as a guide, they don't have to be perfect!! Just keep cutting around and around until you finish up with the plastic bag. Now you have a long strip and can start crocheting, or cut a lot of plastic bags, wind up the strips, and start crocheting!! # The second method is for a J hook or larger. * Lay your plastic bag down, leave the creases in and fold in half long ways. (See Figure 1 and Figure 2). [NOTE: You can cut more than 1 plastic bag at a time using this method, by putting the folded plastic bags on top of each other, not too many, they do slip and slid when cutting!!] * Cut off the bottom and the handles (see Figure 2 and Figure 3) [NOTE: I save these for stuffing, fringe on rugs, or making wreaths.] * Again, you can decide how wide you want your strips. I cut mine about 2 inches wide. Just cut the plastic bags across and you'll end up with loops, then connect the loops to make your strips as long as you want them. You can roll them up in a ball and start crocheting. You can also use this method with a cutting board and a rotary blade, the kind they use in quilting. When you're crocheting it's easy just to add another ball to it, just slide the beginning loop under the last loop and push the new ball through the new loop and pull - its attached!! (.For a Q hook use 2 of the strips together, as directions above. ) If you bought plastic bags - I hope you didn't, but if you did - to match your color in your kitchen/bedroom or whatever, cut these plastic bags 4 to 5 inches wide as they are really thin and will tear easily. You can also make stuffed animals, pumpkins anything! All you need to use is a hot glue gun to put it together, because the heat melts the plastic's together, but don't let children play with these, they are for decorative purposes only! When stuffing an item, place your stuffing inside two plastic bags; that will make it water proof, and the stuffing will not come out. Tie the plastic bags closed and tuck in the ends in the plastic bag. (These make great outdoor decorations!) I also make a lot of rugs, and yes they are washable, I usually wash them with my towels, but if you add bleach to them the reds turn an orange color, and please don't put them in the dryer, let them air dry. The more you wash them the softer the plastic gets, feels so good on your feet!! Plastic bags are fun to work with and are very sturdy, I didn't need to starch the angel I made as she stands all by herself!! Plastic will not give like yarn does, so you need to take more breaks until you get use to the feel of it. I crocheted a big plastic bag and two men holding the handles (one of them a manager from a grocery store) bet me it wouldn't hold this 6 year old boy without falling apart. I won!! He gave me an entire box of new plastic bags, it held the 6 year old and didn't do anything to my plastic bag! You can use just about any pattern you find, just let your imagination and plastic bags make a creations all your own!! |