Call everyone up, break out the lite fare {they have dresses to wear}, blend delicious smoothies, crank up your favorite tunes and enjoy! as you churn out these eco-friendly + functional totes. They make wonderful containers for holding all of the gems + gifts for your out-of-town guests.
The technique is called 'upcycling' and the following video provides step-by-step instructions.
If you prefer step-by step pictorial instructions, here they are::
What you'll need:: Plastic bags (thin + flimsy = best) , Parchment paper, iron surface, scissors, freezer paper (or copier paper)
Making it:: {Please do this in a well-ventilated area.}
Flatten out the bag and trim the bottom seam and handles off. This allows the bag to be opened up into a larger rectangle of plastic.
Turn the bag inside-out if it has printing on it. Once the ink heats up, it comes off the bag and makes a huge mess. If the bag has an interesting design that you'd like to preserve, try using a clear plastic bag layered on top of the printed one.
We find that between 6-8 layers of plastic gives the best results. So, you can either fold your bag twice until it is 8 ply thick, or use three or more bags layered on top of one another. Trying to fuse less than 6 layers often results in little holes forming in the finished piece and a generally weaker material.
Sandwich your plastic bags between the parchment paper
Next, run a hot iron (we set ours to "rayon," but you will need to experiment a little to see what works for you) and keep the iron moving constantly. Make sure to get the edges, and after about 15 seconds, flip it over and iron the opposite side for a few seconds.
Peel a corner of the paper back to see if the plastic is fused together. It should be fairly smooth and "one sheet" to the touch (watch out, its a little hot). If the layers are not all melted together, iron it some more.
Peel the parchment paper away from the finished plastic sheet. Voila! Now, you can use this stuff to make a million things.
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