So....what's in YOUR dishwasher? A couple of days ago, mine was filled with a bunch of washed Capri Sun bags waiting to dry--great tip from my friend Donna. I have used many kitchen appliances for crafting, but I think that this is the first time that my dishwasher has played a part.
So, after all of the bags were washed and dried, I used 12 of them to make this bag. Not too bad for a first try, but I learned a valuable lesson--don't try to make a gusset by sewing the bags right sides together, sewing diagonal corners, and turning the bag inside out. It was a major PITA to turn it inside out! So, my next bag will be different.
I gave this bag to my 6-year old daugher, and now all of her little friends at summer school are requesting bags--oh my!
10 comments:
This is great what you've done with these. Very hip item for the kids! And to think they might have just ended up in a landfill. I keep thinking I'm going to come up with some really creative idea for plastic bottles!
Beena, I saw a cool craft for plastic bottles. You sew a zipper around two bottoms of bottles to make a coin purse. I was even thinking about doing that around the top of a bottle for a yarn holder. I think I saw this on Craft Stylish. Libby
Careful what you send off with your kids!!!!!! They will all be placing orders!!! VEry cute and so nicely done!! It is all about using what we have!!!
Love it!!
Elizabeth
Love this! Very fun idea.
I actually did make these for my daughter's second grade classroom. They saved 400 pouches from the landfill. Mine were slightly different and used 20 bags each. My questions for you is how did the dishwasher work out? I washed them by hand and and dried them out in the sun, but they smell sightly of juice - and I am worried about mold.....yeuch.
THanks - I love your site and your Etsy shop.
Hi Katie--Wow 400 pouches--that's amazing!!!
As for the washing, I cut a slit in the bottom gusset, rinsed it out, and then soaked and washed by hand in a big sink full of soapy water. Rinsed, and let dry in the dishwasher. I just used the dishwasher as a drying rack--which was nice, because all of the excess water just dripped down to the bottom of the dishwasher. Takes awhile to wash a bunch of bags! I am tempted to try the washing machine, but don't want to smoosh them up.
I love your bag. I purchased one like it at a fair trade store, that was made in the Philippines. It is a project that has put many people to work.
Hello There! I know this is old, but your link is still up on a Google Search ~ so I am hoping you get alerted to new posts! Here's hopin'!
So I am going to make these for a group of kids as well. And I have a couple of questions for you. In my Googling, I have found hundreds of sites where ladies are doing this ~ but yours seems the most simple. First, I noticed on the sides ~ you did not use 2 new pouches on both ~ but rather you sewed the sides of the fronts together. Have you chosen to do that differently since? Or do you still not worry about sides? Also ~ is that some sort of liner inside ~ or is this bag completely pouches only? Oh, and it has been a year so I am sure you found tips for this. But what works best for me with the pouches ~ if you do not want to cut them ~ is to soak them in soapy water (or a bit of bleach), then lay them on a towel, and use a rolling pin to remove any excess liquid and it flattens them perfectly! I hope to hear back from you! I will save your link in my favorites!
Hi Heather,
Sorry for the delay in answering--you posted your question the day I went into labor, and things have been hectic since! I wasn't able to e-mail you directly, so I hope you check back for this message.
I did just sew basically a front to a back--the pouches are stiff and a little bit difficult to work with, so I just did a simple pouch bag. I think that would be an easy way to have the kids do it too.
I am working on another version, but don't have it all worked out yet. This bag is not lined, it is just the back sides of the pouches on the inside of the bag. That makes it easy to wipe out any spills or crumbs since my daughter does use it daily for her lunch bag.
Hope this helps, and let me know how yours turn out!
Hello Elizabeth!
I love the bag! I have made a few that have square edges and want to round the edges for a more polished look. The problem I have run into are the handles. I made a big bag out of 36 pouches and the handles are starting to rip. How did you secure the handles? Would you take a close up picture so that I can see? I have ordered ribbon for my new bags and hope that will work out better since I used the Capri Suns for the handles on the others. Please toss some suggestions my way, they would be much appreciated!
Krissy
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