There is a way to reuse the disposal plastic bags from So She Sews. This adorable, practical owl coin purse was made from a special fusing process using recycled plastic bags.
The thing you need for this special fusing process are the following:
1. Ironing board or flat surface to iron on.
2. Parchment paper. You may also use wax paper, but I prefer the parchment paper as I have found it to last many more uses than the wax paper.
3. Scissors
4. An iron which allows you adjust the temperature or heat settings.
5.Plastic bags. You can use ANY kind of bags when you are fusing… but the thin grocery bags are the most abundant and they are the best to learn on since they are an average thickness. Once you have mastered the fusing, move on to thicker plastics.
Tip for the Fusing Pros:
Achieving different colors is easy when you layer things. Try putting a bold color behind another colorful transparent bag to see what happens! One time I layered a light pink see-through plastic ontop of a black bag and I got this really neat splotchy purple!
Step one:
Cut the bottom off of each bag amd Cut the handles off each bag, making nice rectangular pieces perfect for ironing!
To do this quickly, don’t use your scissors like “chompers”. Hold the scissors open and then use the sharp edge of the blades to “zip” along the plastic. This will only work for scissors that are very sharp… but once you’ve got it, it’s easy to save time this way!
You can recycle those little pieces you just cut off! Just shove them into another bag and drop them off to be recycled!
Step two:
Smooth out each bag so that the layers are nice and flat. Then cover your ironing board with a big sheet of parchment paper. Don’t worry! You can use this parchment paper over and over again! And when you are done using it to fuse, you can use it to wrap gifts, as scratch paper, etc.
Step three:
Lay two plastic bags (one on top of the other) down onto of your parchment paper. This creates 4 total layers of plastic for the first bit of fusing (because each bag was 2 layers). I find it’s best to start with no more than four layers for the best first fuse.
Lay another piece of parchment paper on top of your plastic layers.
Step four:
Set your iron to the lowest heat setting possible to begin with. Place the iron on top of the parchment paper and move the iron around. Do not let the iron directly touch the plastic and do not leave the iron standing still in one spot for too long.
There’s really no “one” technique for the movement of the iron… whether you’re moving it in wide, broad strokes or just wiggling it around on the parchment paper like it was a snake slithering around really makes very little difference. You will notice after a few tries at this that you will be able to see the plastic “react” through the transparency of the parchment paper as a result of the heat.
Step five:
Lift up the top layer of parchment paper to check on your plastic. If you are able to separate the two layers like you would do to a fresh, sticky trashbag you just pulled off the roll, then they plastic hasn’t fused properly.
Turn up the Heat! Then repeat the step four.
Turn that layer over and have a look! The layers don’t separate, it feels solid and strong… it’s good
Add another bag to the backside of your fused piece by laying it on top, placing the parchment paper over it, and ironing again just like you did the first fuse.
Just keep adding layers until you get the thickness you like!
Final step:
Examine your plastic sheet for areas where it may not have fused well. If it all looks good, you are ready to use it!
Just behave as if this cool, fused plastic sheet were a regular piece of fabric! It sews right through on a regular machine (won’t get stuck or not feed feed properly… it will smoothly go through just like any piece of fabric would!).
When you are cutting shapes out of it, I recommend you draw your shapes on the backside of the fused plastic using a permanent marker (so that it won’t smear and get all over you), and then cut them out. Do this instead of pinning pattern pieces to it because wherever you put your pins is going to leave a tiny hole in the plastic.
Just use a regular or universal needle, no leather needles needed… this stuff is actually quite soft and easy for a regular sewing machine to pierce right through!
And if using a sewing machine isn’t your gig, try your “hand”… haha… at hand sewing through your fused plastic! I’ve made some wonderful little accessories by “whipstitching” or “blanket stitching” around the edge with colorful embroidery thread and even yarn!
There are so many possibilities for what to do with this new eco fabric… dream up something useful for your new recycled fused plastic!
