Re-using plastic grocery bags...

A few posts ago I joked about how back in the day crocheted hats were the thing to make with saved up plastic grocery bags. I'm not exactly sure how it started but the thought of repurposing plastic bags was kind of new then.

When stores started using plastic bags instead of paper bags it was like, yayeeeee, we're saving trees! Well, we all know how that turned out. I've never been a fan of plastic bags, sure, they have handles but sometimes they're just plain useless. You often have to do the double bag thing so then you're stuck with one more bag to dispose of.

Anyway, after that last post I decided to see what other things people were making with plastic bags. Some are actually kind of cool. I'm not affiliated with any of the links, or any links, (my family does claim me sometimes, though).

I searched the webs for plarn crochet projects (plarn is basically plastic yarn), there were tons to choose from. There's also knitting and weaving projects as well.  

If you have an overabundance of plastic bags and are looking for something crafty to do you might check out a video or two on how to cut the bags. It might seem like a no brainer, cutting bags into strips, but there are a few secrets to it that allows you to cut the bag into one long strip so you're tying fewer strips together. 

Dish scrubbies...

Fmelted coasters (felted + melted)

Plastic bag sandals

Plarn basket...this one is braided and a wee bit of sewing

Giant plarn rug - pattern

I wasn't able to find the owner of these cushions but if you can crochet you will most likely be able to find a pattern for a ball and scale it up a wee bit.

Wrapped baskets - a tutorial

Plarn flower - a tutorial

Plarn bag - pattern

 Plarn sun hat

Had to include the hat!

Reusable produce bags

My daughter and I often do our grocery shopping together and an issue that we face, like millions of other people, is what to do with the plethora of plastic bags we've collected over time. I remember about 20 years ago when older women started crocheting hats from strips of plastic grocery bags. I made the suggestion to Loren but she wasn't too excited about reliving that fashion statement.

The bags we've collected so far will probably go to the closest recycling bin but we've both decided it's best for us to avoid bringing it into our homes in the first place. Our goal, reusable bags of all sorts.

Yesterday I spent the evening making 18 reusable produce bags for both of us, they ended up costing about 25 cents each.

Fairly straightforward technique. Netting sewn into squares or rectangles with a drawstring. Yes the netting is made out of some sort of plastic but I hope they last for a while. I also plan on recycling them into dish scrubbies once they start falling apart. They should be fairly easy to keep clean, hand wash in hot soapy water and hang outside to dry.

Similar bags can be found on Amazon and/or ebay and they seem fairly inexpensive.

I am looking for a different, more eco-friendly, fabric for next time but these bags are weighed with the produce/bulk items so it needs to be a lightweight fabric. One of the larger bags I made from the netting weighs just over a quarter of an ounce, very light indeed. It will most likely be used for celery, kale, leafy greens and they're not usually sold by weight so it shouldn't be a factor in the cost.

Next week I'm hoping to make reusable grocery bags from these cotton fabrics...

I'm going to line the bags with muslin to add strength. I'm hoping to get at least 6 nice sized bags, possibly with enough bits of fabric to add pockets either on the inside or outside of the bags.