Tips and Instructions – Page 5 – My Recycled Bags.com

How To Use Vcr Vhs Tape As Yarn

June 3, 2007April 13, 2016Cindy15 Comments

Tutorial Using Vcr Vhs Tape

Materials Needed:
Two vcr vhs video tape cartridges (long play t-120 preferred)
N (9 mm) crochet hook (metal preferred)
Small and large screwdrivers
Scissors

Rewind two old vcr tapes that you don’t have any further use of to begin.

Using two vhs tapes for this project, open up the cases by using your small screwdriver to unscrew the screws in each corner and the middle of the cases. Some varieties of cases do not have screws which you can take out. If you have that type of cartridge you will need to pry open the cases. A large flathead screwdriver works well to get the case open to reach the vhs tape reels.

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Once you have the cases open, remove the reel that is holding the tape. Cut the tape off at the end of the leader tape with your scissors. Now you have two reels with vhs tape on each of them for your crafting project.

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Holding two strands of the vhs tape together works well for crocheting. Leave the tape on each reel and as you work your project it will just unwind.

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Crocheting with vhs tape is a bit hard on the fingers and joints because it isn’t real smooth to work with. Using ribbon yarn as shown below does help in the smoothness of your crocheting and allows the hook to move easier.

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Ribbon yarn shown with two strands of vhs tape

Enjoy your project using vhs tape and you can find all my free patterns here for making items with the recycled tape. Please email me if you have any questions.

Instructions for cutting plastic bags & creating recycled plastic yarn

February 17, 2007February 18, 2019Cindy175 Comments

Each photo below is thumbnailed, click on photo to view larger size

This process is a great way to recycle those old plastic bags into something useful. You can crochet or knit a cool tote bag similar to reusable totes that are sold.

Cutting
Lay recycled bag out flat

Fold in half lengthwise then fold in half again

Cut off top handles

Cut bag in strips about 1 inch wide or as desired

Set aside the end of bag where bottom edge was glued. The ends and the handles can be recycled either as stuffing for other projects, packing material for shipping, or taken to your local recycling bin for plastic bags.

Tying strips together
Take two strips and inter-twine together as shown

Gently pull on ends to knot two strips together

Connect next strip to last strip in the same manner

Continue connecting strips until you have a large ball of plastic yarn

Tips:
Pull ends evenly to create a smooth and flat strip.
If you find your strip doesn’t lie flat between knots, you didn’t pull
evenly which creates a bunched strip. Just make sure your strip is
even before you pull your knot tight between the two connected
strips. To fix a bunched strip, just loosen your knot between the strips
then pull on the ends again to make your strip flat and smooth.

Tips for Crocheting and Crafting with Recycled Plastic Bags

February 3, 2007April 15, 2016Cindy12 Comments

Obtaining bags for your projects

Crafting with recycled plastic bags requires lots of bags. Make sure the plastic bags that you use are NOT biodegradable as they will turn to shreds over time. Save all the bags you receive from grocery and retail stores. A few ideas on how to obtain more plastic bags are:

Ask your family and friends to save bags for you. It’s an excellent way to encourage recycling with other people and provide you with the additional plastic bags you need. You will receive bags from stores that you don’t normally shop and this provides a great opportunity to get new colors of bags to add to your creativity.

Check with your local stores that have recycling bins for plastic bags. Most don’t care if you take from these bins as this is the purpose of these collection sites. But ask first so you know it is okay. Also some stores will even let you take the whole big bag of recycled bags if you want them all. Just be aware that not all these bags will be usable and clean.

Remember depending on your product you can use bread wrappers, dry cleaning bags, grocery bags, clothing store bags, tire bags, plastic caution tape, unused garbage bags, packing or shipping plastic bags, plastic tarps, and many other plastic materials make wonderful plarn yarn.

Width of strips

The width of your strips will vary but some tips are:

If using very stiff plastic or plastic store bags, cut your strips about 3/4inch or less in width. This makes it easier to crochet with the yarn that is created.

If using lightweight plastic bags, cut your strips 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide. Don’t pull too hard when making your yarn as they tend to break. If the strip does tear in half, just tie the ends together. You can always hide the knot in your work.

Cutting the strips

You can cut the strips with scissors or for a quick cut, use a paper cutter.

Cleaning plastic bags

In most cases, use only clean plastic bags for projects. Throw away any bags that smell or have something sticky or dirty in them. Should you find that you need to clean a plastic bag that has a small sticky or soiled area, use a warm damp towel or sponge. Wipe the area off and make sure it is completely clean and odor free. Once the bag is clean then air dry the bag before you use it in your project.

Hiding loose ends

To successfully hide loose ends, use a small crochet hook. Weave the loose ends under on the inside or backside of your projects. Bury those loose ends by going under stitches and in the same direction as the loose end lies. Then cut the end close to your work to get rid of any excess loose ends.

Minimizing and hiding knots

After you have intertwined two plastic bag strips together, sometimes the knot is big or […]