Crochet Plastic Bag

This project takes a very long time to make. (too many hours to count) The main downside about this project is that you need a crochet hook. But the good part is that you can buy one from your local craft store.

I have not tested the amount of weight this bag can carry, but I'm fairly certain it is a very sturdy bag. Make sure you don't put any hook-like materials in the bag because it might catch on a loop. Also, sharp objects can cut the plastic, so try and think before you put various items in the bag.

Materials:

-Lots of plastic bags you get from places like grocery stores (I used about 16)

-Scissors

-Crochet hook (I used a size K)

Process:

In order to prepare the plastic bags, you have to cut it into 1.5 inch strips. Cut in a spiral to make it into one long strip. Cut off the handles since they are in the way.

As said before, I used about 16 to make my bag, but you can always cut more later.

Now, you take the strips and crochet them into a bag. First of all, here's the pattern. It makes a bag with about a 7.5 inch base (diameter) and about a 9 inch height. (if your stitches are a little larger than 1 inch each)

1: Make 4 chains

2: Make 10 double crochets in the first chain (you may want to use a colored piece of yarn or twist tie to keep track on where the row starts)

3: Make increases until the row is completed (if you want your bag's base to be smaller, then omit this row and continue to the next one)

4: Make 2 increase stitches, then a double crochet and repeat this until the row is completed

5: Make an increase stitch, then a double crochet and repeat until the row is completed

6-14: Make double crochet stitches until 9 rows are completed (you can add or decrease more rows to control how tall you want your bag to be)

At the end: Make a single crochet, make a slotted stitch, then end the piece

Here are some videos I made that explains parts in more detail than I can type out:

-Beginning the bag (Includes how to make a chain, double crochet, & increase)

-Continuing the bag with a new strip

-Ending the Bag (Includes how to single crochet, slotted stitch, & end)

To make the handles of the bag, there are many styles you can do. There is the one long strap you can have and put over your shoulder like a messenger bag or two shorter ones you can use like the grocery bags. It's all up to you, but here's the pattern to make the strap:

1: Make three double crochets on the bag as if you were continuing to build up on the bag's sides (if you want your bag's strap fatter or skinnier, then you can add or subtract the amount of stitches)

2: Turn your work around. Make 3 chains, then make 2 double crochets

Repeat the above row until your strap is as long as you want it

At the end: Make 3 slotted stitches to join the strap to the bag (where ever you want it)

Here are some videos I made that explains parts in more detail than I can type out:

-Making the strap (Includes how to make a chain, double crochet, and slotted stitch)

This is the final product:

First Paper Bead Workshop

I went to the Luke Center and waited for Luke Leaders to come, so I could teach them how to make paper beads. The Luke Leaders have many tasks to do like calling clients, so the first two people who arrived didn't have time. But luckily since the list dwindled down, the next group of three people sat down and helped me make the beads.

It was really fun to talk to them while making the paper beads and the designs they thought of were very interesting and unique.

I want to make another workshop time, but maybe on a different day since I want to teach more people. I hope the Luke Leaders will continue to make paper beads for the Sustainibility Fair because I think it will be a good idea because you can make a lot of them, so many people will buy them and have a token to remember to reuse, reduce, and recycle. (trash to treasure items usually sell out fast, so having many products will make sure more people who want one will have one)

I feel as though, however, that I need to take a bit more responsibility in this idea for the Sustainibility Fair in order to make sure the idea gets through and finishes.

Paper Beads

These beads not only show you are dedicated to recycle, but if given as a gift it can remind others to reuse, reduce, and recycle.

Materials:

-A paper material (could be anything from regular paper to magazines to paper bags to gift wrap!)

- White glue

- Gluestick

- Water

- Small paint brush

- Toothpicks

- Ruler

- Pencil for marking

- Paper cutter or scissors

- Optional: Pens for decorating

Process:

These beads are quite simple once you get the hang of it. First off is the prepping!

Get your piece of paper material. As mentioned above, it could be any type of paper! You're only limited to what you can think of. Apparently brown paper bags make beads that look kind of like wood and magazine pages as well as wrapping paper are pre-decorated, too. If you don't have these things, then you can use printer paper you printed on but don't need. In order to get pre-colored printer paper and you don't have any, ask around. Teachers or copying centers (at schools or your business) may have some sheets they used but don't need.

Now, draw lines the long way of the paper to use as guides when you cut the paper. One strip should be 3/4 inches wide then taper to 1/2 of an inch. The second strip should be from 1/2 of an inch wide to 1/4 of an inch wide. (see the picture for a better explination) If you want to decorate your bead, use a pen and scribble on it, make stripes, or do what ever you want! I used a ball point pen, a highlighter, and the bottom is a gel pen.

Now cut the paper and get the 3/4 inch to 1/2 inch strip. On the 3/4 side, fold it a bit over a toothpick (see picture) and secure it with glue from your gluestick. This will be the start of your bead. Make sure the print is on the outside! Now apply more glue from the gluestick and roll the paper. Try and keep the paper in the middle, so your bead isn't lopsided (unless you want it to be).

After you're done with that strip of paper, move on to the 1/2-1/4 strip. Get the 1/2 inch end and overlap it with the strip you just used up on the bead and continue to roll.

Once you're done, it's time to glaze the bead. There are different materials you can use to glaze the bead, but I decided to use white glue because it isn't too toxic. Put the glue in a cup/container you don't mind never drinking or eating out of again. Mix about three parts glue to one part water. When in doubt, don't less water is better. Now, take the paint brush and apply the glue mixture on the bead. If you don't have a brush, you can buy a really cheap one and it won't matter. If you had watercolor sets when you were a kid, they have brushes in them you can use for this project, too. That's what I did. Don't put on too much glue because when it dries it'll drip and not dry in an even coating. Just coat the bead until the whole surface is covered.

Dry the bead in a rack. I made mine out of a sheet of regular paper. Just fold the paper once the long way. Then fold it into thirds and take the outer thirds and fold a small flap for the toothpicks to rest themselves on (see pictures). The gel pen ink kind of ran but not too much.

After they dry, you can add more glue coats, but I don't think this is necessary. Remember, the glue glaze isn't water proof since white glue is water based. Don't get them too wet! If you want to glaze them with something better, then apply clear nail polish and let them dry again.

Now that you know the basics, you can play with the size of the strips and make beads of various sizes and shapes. Experiment with different materials, too! (if you want to make a cylindrical bead, just make the width of the strips constant)

Luke Leader Meeting Feedback

I shared my ideas (so far, they are only the trashcan v.1/v.2 and the paper beads) with the Luke Leaders (students who are invovled with various community service projects) at my school.

They said the tried to teach how to make paper envelopes without glue to others at our school's Sustainibility Fair during a previous year, but it was chaos and left a large mess. So they were against letting people make their own paper bead, since that will probably make an even larger mess (because it requires glue to make). However they thought having pre-made beads and stringing them on bracelets (or something) would be a great idea, so that's the current plan.

Even though it took about three hours to make a trashcan out of magazine pages, the Luke Leaders showed a great ineterest in them. Maybe I might have workshops on how to make those instead of the paper beads (especially since they made paper beads during a previous year, but I don't know which type of paper beads)--I'm not too sure.

However I do know that they are willing to spend time making these objects out of "trash." I know some of the Luke Leaders have made tedious works before and they sold out very quickly. I hope to get some positive feedback when workshops are open.

Magazine Trashcan (version 2)

I was brainstorming on what objects/items people commonly use around the house. Then I thought: Trashcans. Do you receive or know people who receive magazines or catalogs? Well then save them up because you can make them into trashcans. They could be made for gifts as well. And I must say, the process pictures explain a lot better than I can.

Pro's and Con's to Version 1 vs. Version 2:
-v.2 uses more magazine pages
-v.2 does not have holes on the sides
-v.2 may not have the structural capabilities to be very tall
-both versions should not hold wet trash without a plastic bag (see finished product at the end of this post)

Materials:
-A lot of magazines (I used about three magazines that were a little less than 1/4 of an inch thick)
-Hot glue + hot glue gun (make sure you don't burn yourself or others)

Process:
First of all, I must warn you: This project took me about three hours to make, so make sure you are willing to devout your time. But once you are done with your product, you will be amazed at how much it grew and what it became.

First, tear out a magazine page. Then fold it in half the long way (see figure 1) four times (or until it gets to about 3/4 of an inch in width). It doesn't matter if your tear is crooked or not perfect because when you fold it, the tear-line isn't shown. You will need a lot of these sheets because they make the base of your trashcan.

In order to assemble these sheets together, you will need to glue them into a giant spiral (see figure 2). I would pre-bend them in the spiral shape, so you do not have to waste extra time while the glue is quickly drying. Then apply hot glue to the magazine in dots spaced about an inch apart or so because if you hot glue a continuous line, you will use a ton of glue. By making dots, you reduce the amount you use by about half or more! In order to add another sheet to the spiral, put it inside the current piece’s end (overlap by about 3/4 of an inch) and attach it with a dot of hot glue (see figure 3). Continue until the spiral is about 9 inches in diameter (from one end of the circle to the opposite end of the circle). But don't glue the last piece all the way down; leave a small tab because you will add to it later.

Now you have to fold more magazine pages, but fold it in half three times instead of four. Try to use the pages with lots of color or cool pictures because these will make up the walls of your trashcan. Some of these sheets will also help stabilize the walls of the piece.

Fold about a 1 inch tab on one end of the newly folded sheets (so the ones folded in half three times) and glue the tabs to the bottom of the base (see figure 4). Glue them about 1/3 of an inch apart from each other until you went all the way around the base. Then get more of the tabbed sheets and glue them on the outside of the current ones to fill up the spaces between them (see figure 5). Also, glue these new strips to the current ones (where they overlap) at the top, so they stay in place. Now in order to fasten them, glue more of the skinnier magazine sheets (the ones folded four times) and continue the spiral of the base, but this time on the outside of the wall (see figure 4). Continue to spiral until you go all the way around the base. Now you can glue the base-strip of magazine down and finalize the base.

If you want to make the wall higher, then you can add another magazine sheet to the vertical ones using the same method you did when you made the base (see figure 3). I didn't make the sides higher, but it's up to you. I would suggest leaving the height where it is because you can use a plastic bag you get from grocery stores as a shield for the trashcan against wet trash items (see finished product pictures at the end of this post).

After you extended (or didn't extend) the walls of the trashcan, it is the time to make the rim of the trashcan. Get more of those sheets folded three times (without the tab) and pre-bend them in a circle since they will be covering the rim of the trashcan (and you don't want to waste time bending them in shape while the glue is drying). Then glue the sheets, so they cover the edge of the trashcan (see figure 6). Make sure you overlap them, so it's more cohesive.

In order to reinforce the bottom, use the bottom of the trashcan to stencil a circle on cardboard. Then cut the cardboard out and hot glue gun it to the bottom of the trashcan.

Here's the finished product! (version 1 is on the left; version 2 is on the right)

Magazine Trashcan (version 1)

I was brainstorming on what objects/items people commonly use around the house. Then I thought: Trashcans. Do you receive or know people who receive magazines or catalogs? Well then save them up because you can make them into trashcans. They could be made for gifts as well. And I must say, the process pictures explain a lot better than I can.

Pro's and Con's to Version 1 vs. Version 2:
-v.1 uses less magazine pages
-v.1 has holes in the sides
-v.1 can be tall if you desire
-both versions should not hold wet trash without a plastic bag (see finished product at the end of this post)

Materials:
-A lot of magazines (I used about three magazines that were a little less than 1/4 of an inch thick)
-Hot glue + hot glue gun (make sure you don't burn yourself or others)

Process:
First of all, I must warn you: This project took me about three hours to make, so make sure you are willing to devout your time. But once you are done with your product, you will be amazed at how much it grew and what it became.

First, tear out a magazine page. Then fold it in half the long way (see figure 1) four times (or until it gets to about 3/4 of an inch in width). It doesn't matter if your tear is crooked or not perfect because when you fold it, the tear-line isn't shown. You will need a lot of these sheets because they make the base of your trashcan.

In order to assemble these sheets together, you will need to glue them into a giant spiral (see figure 2). I would pre-bend them in the spiral shape, so you do not have to waste extra time while the glue is quickly drying. Then apply hot glue to the magazine in dots spaced about an inch apart or so because if you hot glue a continuous line, you will use a ton of glue. By making dots, you reduce the amount you use by about half or more! In order to add another sheet to the spiral, put it inside the current piece’s end (overlap by about 3/4 of an inch) and attach it with a dot of hot glue (see figure 3). Continue until the spiral is about 9 inches in diameter (from one end of the circle to the opposite end of the circle). But don't glue the last piece all the way down; leave a small tab because you will add to it later.

Now you have to fold more magazine pages, but fold it in half three times instead of four. Try to use the pages with lots of color or cool pictures because these will make up the walls of your trashcan. Some of these sheets will also help stabilize the walls of the piece.

Fold about a 1 inch tab on one end of the newly folded sheets (so the ones folded in half three times) and glue the tabs to the bottom of the base (see figure 4). Glue them side by side until you went all the way around the base. Now in order to fasten them, glue more of the skinnier magazine sheets (the ones folded four times) and continue the spiral of the base, but this time on the outside of the wall (see figure 4). Continue to spiral until you go all the way around the base. Now you can glue the base-strip of magazine down and finalize the base.

In order to make the walls of the trashcan united, weave in a magazine strip (that has been folded in half three times) horizontally in the middle of the strips that are vertical (see figure 5). Continue to go around the wall with the same method you did when you made the base (see figure 3 if you forgot). Make sure you glue them down, so they stay there.

If you want to make the wall higher, then you can add another magazine sheet to the vertical ones using the same method you did when you made the base (see figure 6). I attached half more of a sheet to the height of the wall, but it's up to you. I would suggest leaving the height where it is because you can use a plastic bag you get from grocery stores as a shield for the trashcan against wet trash items (see finished product pictures at the end of this post).

After you extended (or didn't extend) the walls of the trashcan, weave in another row of horizontal magazine sheets for stability. If you extended the height of the wall, glue them about one inch below the first set of vertical sheets (see figure 5) and then weave another row of horizontal sheets every half-of-a-vertical-strip and then at the top of the last one (see figure 7). Whether or not you extend the height of the wall, glue another row of horizontal sheets right at the top of the vertical-sheet-wall (see figure 7).

After you finished the sides of your trashcan, you have to finish the rim of it. Get more of those sheets folded three times and pre-bend them in a circle since they will be covering the rim of the trashcan (and you don't want to waste time bending them in shape while the glue is drying). Then glue the sheets, so they cover the edge of the trashcan (see figure 8). Make sure you overlap them, so it's more cohesive.

In order to reinforce the bottom, use the bottom of the trashcan to stencil a circle on cardboard. Then cut the cardboard out and hot glue gun it to the bottom of the trashcan.

Here's the finished product! (version 1 is on the left; version 2 is on the right)

Choices

There were a lot of objects I could have made out of various materials. So why did I pick what I chose to do?

Materials:
I wanted to use materials that people would throw away. If I used items that people recycle and ultimately reuse, then it would not be as much of an impact. The average US citizen threw away about 4.6 pounds per day in 2006. (US Environmental Protection Agency) That's about 1,700 pounds per year! Our landfills are becoming filled up and we should to do something to reduce the amount we put out.

Products:
Creating items you would use often would not be a waste. I know I sometimes buy products that I only use once or twice. But I consider that wasting because you are not using the item to its full extent. You did not need to buy it and it ends up in a landfill.
So keeping that in mind, I racked my brain and came up with many products ranging from belts to slippers to purses.

In the end, I chose three products that seemed the most practical:

a crochet plastic bag made out of strips of plastic bags,

a trash can made out of magazines,

and a necklace made out of can tabs and paper beads.