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Denim Eyelet Tote Bag

Cindy11 Comments

This is my new denim eyelet tote bag. I am so excited about how it turned out. I bought this big piece of denim from a yard sale and set out to make a nice new purse for myself.

It is my first time using eyelets on a tote bag for the handles. In the past I’ve always found it tough sewing the heavy denim handles or straps to the bag. Most of the time your sewing machine doesn’t like sewing through the thick layers of denim so I wanted to try putting in eyelets. They worked out great and I just threaded my denim handle straps through the eyelets and tied a knot at the end to secure each side.

I did take lots of pictures as I created this tote bag and will detail them below for anyone who would like to make their own denim tote bag.

Picture Tutorial for a Denim Eyelet Tote Bag

Materials needed:
One piece of denim 28″ long by 16″ wide
Two denim strips 3″ wide by 38″ long for strap handles
One scrap piece of denim for flap
One piece of lining fabric 28″ long by 16″ wide and extra scrap pieces if pockets are added to lining
One magnetic closure
Thread for denim and lining
Four 7/16″ eyelets
One hammer

Camo Plarn Ditty Bag

Cindy7 Comments

I’m here to introduce my camo plarn ditty bag. My camo plarn is made from green, tan, brown, creme, white, grey and orange recycled plastic bags. Making camo plarn is a wonderful way to use up your odds and ends of plastic bags. I used just one or two bag strips of the same color together and as I worked the ditty bag then I added more bag strips as I crocheted in an effort to create a staggered camo look.

Here is my first sample of the camo plarn after 6 rounds complete of the ditty bag pattern. I used Dot’s Ditty Bag pattern found here.

I did have to change the pattern a bit to make it work with recycled plastic bags. First I used a N (9 mm) crochet hook as I did in this plastic ditty bag version. My finished camo ditty bag is 7 inches tall and about 7 inches wide.


Then I did another experiment and made a winter or snow camo ditty bag. For this recycled bag project, I used only black, white, and grey plastic bags. While I like both of the camo plarn bags, I think I prefer the snow camo bag best.

My plan is to crochet a few more of these camo plarn bags and donate them to soldiers for Christmas. Hopefully some soldiers will find it useful for toiletries or just as a little storage tote.

All American Plarn Bag

Cindy4 Comments

I present my All American Plarn Recycled Bag! It is crocheted using red and blue newspaper bags and white grocery bags that were recycled into plarn. Here is my plarn making tutorial and I use the same method for cutting and attaching the newspaper strips together. They are much shorter strips but it’s the same loop method as regular plastic grocery sacks for making your plarn.

I got these nice wooden handles from a local thrift store for just 99 cents. This is my first recycled purse project using round wooden handles and I wanted to make sure to attach them firmly to my bag. I ended up working two rows of single crochet stitches around the handles and into the bag. I have explained the process below and hopefully it’s understandable to everyone. You could work this same pattern with bulky yarn and end up with about the same sized bag. Either way I hope everyone enjoys my free crochet pattern below.
Happy Crafting!

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All American Plarn Recycled Bag Pattern

Materials needed:
Plastic bags cut into 1 inch wide plarn strips in red, white and blue.
(Approx. 17-18 bags in each color.)
1) pair of 7 Inch wide wooden handles

Hook: N (9 mm) size metal crochet hook
Description: Red, White and Blue Plarn Striped Bag
13-1/2″ wide by 12″ tall with 9″ at top opening

Directions:
Using salmon red plarn, Ch 26.

Turtle Mats

Cindy1 Comment

I want to share with you a unique company I came across on the web. Turtle Mat is a creator of all types of mats for the home. Not just useful by the door, Turtle Mats are now widely used in kitchens, bathrooms, boats, RVs, dorms, offices, and utility rooms. Turtle Mats are manufactured by one of the world’s largest and most eco-friendly textile groups. The group has achieved carbon negative status by planting one million trees every year and by producing green energy in its own hydroelectric plants. The group is also at the forefront of initiatives to reduce waste, cut water usage and use fewer chemicals.

Turtle Mat also supports the Marine Conservation Society, the only charity in the UK dedicated to caring for our seas, shores and wildlife. Through their Adopt-a-Turtle campaign, they are working to save marine turtles from extinction. In the last year, Turtle Mat customers have helped raise over £5,000 through their adoption scheme. To find out more about adopting a turtle, visit their website at Marine Conservation Society.

So should you need a new doormat, you of course could crochet your own recycled rug like this plarn round rug. Plarn rugs are fun to make and are very durable. But maybe you aren’t a crafter and want to shop for beautiful and practical doormats from a green eco-friendly company. I recommend you check out the collection of lovely mats and rugs that Turtle Mat offers.

T-Yarn Flower Baby Bib

Cindy5 Comments

Crafting with recycled materials is so addicting. I’m back with another green crafting project using a thrift store t-shirt I got free as it had a bleach stain. It was a pretty pink so I thought it would make a nice baby bib. This baby bib is crocheted from the t-yarn I created from the old t-shirt. Here is my tutorial on how I create t-yarn and how I curl it before crocheting. This baby bib uses about half of an adult sized seamless-sides t-shirt which has been cut into 1/4″ wide strips.

I had shared another t-yarn baby bib before but this crochet pattern has been simplified and makes for an even quicker project. I added flowers as an extra embellishment. I hope you enjoy this free baby bib pattern.

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Free Crocheted T-Yarn Baby Bib Pattern

Materials needed:
1) T-shirt cut into T-yarn approx. 1/4″ wide
2) Straps 12″ long cut from hem of T-shirt
Scrap piece of yarn for flowers

Hook:
H (5 mm) USA size crochet hook

Description:
Baby Bib measures 9 inches across and 8 inches long from neck edge to bottom center
Straps are 12 inches long each

Directions:
Ch 18