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Story by
anda,
EtsyLabs
Published on January 25, 2008 in How-To |
Photo by Anda |
I realized this afternoon that I basically explain this technique to an Etsy Labs visitor at least once a day, but had never put the instructions online. So, here it is. Fusing! Plastic! Bags!
Do you have one zillion plastic drugstore and grocery bags under your sink, or perhaps smushed into a drawer? Ever wanted a cheap and easy use for them? One that leaves you with an intriguing and useful homemade craft supply? Do you have an iron? Why don't you fuse them together?
What you'll need
Plastic bags (thin, flimsy ones work best)
Parchment paper, freezer paper or plain old copier paper
Iron (and your favorite ironing surface)
Scissors
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. We've made re-usable grocery totes, wallets, and floor cushions; I think its an inexpensive way to make waterproof linings for beach bags and make-up clutches.
Fused plastic makes fun and easy-to-clean bibs! Download this pattern and cut out two pieces (one from the plastic and another from a pretty cotton fabric), pin together with 1/4" bias tape (you'll need about 48") and run a zip-zag stitch around the edges with your sewing machine.
| Tags | Earth Tones, Etsy Labs, fusing, fusing plastic bags, green, HOW-TO, plastic bags, recycling, shopping bags, upcycling, video |
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64 comments Login to add your own!
tuftyhedgehog
abitabite
I used this technique, as taught by Anda, to make a dress for costumecon
bemyshark
i also have to explain this to someone probably once a week. people LOVE it, and are so excited to try it. it's a great activity to do with kids--i went into a 5th grade classroom to talk to them about making recycled crafts, and with one class we just spent about an hour fusing plastic bags [which they made the coolest things out of] because they could NOT get enough of it. i cannot endorse this process enough!
yumiyumi
this is fantastic! this will help me with my "be as green as possible" new year's resolution.
AnneHolman
so glad to find instructions on how to do this! i had seen a tote bag and a quilt made this way a while ago and didn't know how it was done. thanks... have a stash of bags i need to repurpose!
pookeh
bemyshark
p.s. turning the iron up way high and allowing those "little holes" to form yields interesting results, too:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?...
qwynwyn
vanillalotus
bigbluebed
tinarice
great article! thanks!
i love the 'related items' too! and bemyshark's necklace. now i'm feeling all inspired!
happydaystudio
Wow interesting!! I have a MILLION of those plastic bags hanging around. Thanks, I think I'll try this idea :)
kibblesnknits
Thank you! I put all my items in plastic baggies when I mail them out. I think this would be better packaging!
Meowstro
so neat! and waterproof too, I imagine.
Nice Ikea ironing board by the way - I have the same one. On a side note, I found it nice to lay a tea towel underneath the cover(which slips right off) to make a cushier surface, since otherwise I was getting grill/mesh imprints when I ironed delicate things.
hobbledehoy
great tutorial! I think I'll sew "fused" patches together to create an emergency blanket for the trunk of my crappy old car.
yaelfran
eclipse
vaniallalotus- yes you can sew through it! It sews up great, I just use a longer stitch length because a short stitch makes a perforated line and could be prone to tearing. I don't use any special needle or presser foot. On smaller items it can be easier to have the seams on the outside (sew wrong sides together) because the "fabric" is stiff and hard to turn inside out. It won't fray, so exposed seams aren't a big problem.
katelynjane
Seriously love this idea! I'm going to have to try it this weekend!
zebby
I am so, so happy I found Etsy, for these kinds of invaluable information..Thank you so much!!!All those bags I have to now save in all those colours.
Luceee
This is a great idea, but does anyone know if the plastic bags release icky vapors when heated?
I tried it tonight, and I felt a little dizzy afterwards...
eclipse
I fuse plastic all the time and never smell anything chemical and have never gotten dizzy. I don't get the plastic hot enough to smell, but I think if you burn it, then it will efinitely smell and give off fumes!
Well actually sometimes I smell the food item that was inside the bag, for example I smelled cinnamon when I fused bags from red hots candies. And then I was sad the bag was empty! Even when you wash the bags before fusing, I think plastic is slightly porous and can absorb strong food aromas.
anda
I get a headache sometimes but I always do it somewhere with good airflow.
There was a forum thread that I can no longer find where someone's husband who works with plastics said there should not be any toxic fumes.
anda
I just found this (wow, the old blog made AskMetafilter! Fame!)
http://ask.metafilter.com/78080/Ironi...
SusyJack
This is so cool. I thank you. And my Duane Reade bags thank you. :)
OhSewHannah
iworkartwork
TiffanyTeske
bungaloe
i cannot wait to get home and try this! i have a HUGE plastic bag collection because i HATE throwing them away, very exciting!
SteppingStones
This is a great article, but... the name Slutbag for a business is the most amazingly brilliant thing I have ever seen!!!!
pillowhead
wow it is so easy! why did I not do this before? Thanks for posting this tutorial! :)
PopTopLady
I love this! Can't wait to try. Just be very careful with the Target bags (read this: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/05/13/tr...) that a friend shared) It talks about how Target is giving people a hard time when they upcycle their bags and show their TM bullseye
birdsandswings
cocoondesigns
pinkshowercurtain
that is so cool! thanks for sharing. i'm totally going to try that today. :)
raghousenternational
patricewright
CopperFrogStudio
KMCdesigns
PamperMePlease
LagunaLane
themefragrance
pompompurses
leoneill
can you use produce bags from the grocery store in this technique?
polar8888
warmhart
WOW! I had made crocheted shopping bags from plastic bags now I have another way to recylce those plastic bags into something re-usable. THANKS!
ImogensGarden
this is fantastic! note worthy tidbit...waxed paper does NOT work. stick with freezer, parchment, or copier.
Sanguinaria
QUESTION: can you fuse number 2 plastic with number 4 and so on or do you have to keep within the same plastic recycling family?
fernfiddlehead
galinav
How interesting!!!
I always am very enthusiastic about new technologies and new crafts. I certainly will try to make fuse plastic. The more we recycle the greener we are.
THANK YOU!
DebiDesigns
wow, I have to make some for my customers who purchase from me at the Arts festival this weekend! I was gonna buy some clear ones from a plastic bag store.
Thanks so much for explaining this for us, oldies but goodies!
greenriverstudio
littlegemcrafts
IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO TRY, GREAT IDEA! I LIKE EVERY WOMEN HERE HAS A MILLION AND ONE PLASTIC BAGS IN MY CUPBOARD IM GONNA TRY IT. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
BECKIE X
lovebugstudios
Ok, eliminate freezer paper for this too - at least check if your freezer paper is coated. Mine is coated with a thin layer of... I guess PLASTIC so now the bags are fused to the freezer paper & now are a complete mess....
clothpaperstitches
I'm so glad I found this article!! I have been wondering how to do this for a while. Thanks for sharing.
JadeRoseBoutique
What a great idea! Can't wait to start playing - thanks.
TurnitoverTreasures
Very cool (hot) idea! I will try it! Thanks for being so detailed in your description!
myJellyBean
LOVE, LOVE, this idea!! I have been looking for this to try, have ALOT of bags and ideas! Thanks so much!
tootsweethandbags
Trio
I did this about twelve years ago for a university project. I put those tiny glitter stars between the layers and made some really decent tealight candle holders and low wattage globe lamp shade boxes. I also incorporated some photo transparencies into the boxes so the light shone through those too. It was a lot of fun!
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That is so awesome! I'd been trying to figure out what to do with bags (since I can't crochet for the life of me). Thanks very much :)