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Crocheted Plastic Eco Tote

This crocheted Eco tote features a granny square motif and recycled materials to create an unique look. I used yellow and grey plastic grocery bags, vcr vhs tape, and white plastic retail bags in this project. My goal in creating this Eco tote was to crochet a bag that would be strong enough to use as a book bag and could be used for an everyday carry tote. I also crocheted this bag as a Crochet-a-Long (CAL) at one of my favorite craft website forums Crochetville.

My Eco tote measurements are 12″ wide, 13″ long, 1-1/2″ deep at sides with strap that is 1-1/4″ wide and 28″ long. I have included some closeup pictures below to help you in this project. I must warn you that I did have problems keeping my tote bag square. I believe it’s because of the different materials that I used and because the plastic tends to stretch a bit during crocheting.

Closeup of edging on bag

Click to view full-sized

Closeup of handle attachment

Click to view full-sized

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Plastic Eco Tote Pattern

Size: Approx. 12″ square bag with strap that is 1-1/4 inches wide and 28 inches long.
Hook: N (9 mm) metal crochet hook used in this Motif pattern.
Materials: Plastic bag yarn and 2 partial reels of vcr vhs tape.

Crochet a Recycled Handbag from Plastic Grocery Bags

Crochet this cute eco-friendly handbag from recycled plastic grocery bags. It’s a great size for an everyday handbag purse. Handbag features a roomy oval bottom and comfortable handles.

Here is a closeup of the bottom and handles.

I want to show these closeups so you can see how the bottom has been made oval by adding increases at the sides. The handles are shown laying flat to show how each side is done to matched each other so that the bag is evenly formed.

I have explained this further in the pattern below. If you have any questions while working this crochet pattern, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

As always enjoy this recycled bag project!

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Crocheted Hand Bag Using Plastic Grocery Bags

Materials needed: One large ball of plastic bags cut into strips and interlocked to create a ball of yarn or Plarn to crochet with.

Hook: M (9 mm) size metal crochet hook

Description: Small handbag tote purse –
Bag measures 10 inches wide at top and 9 inches long with 6 inches oval bottom and 5 inches handles.

Directions:

Crocheted Plastic Bag Patterns

Welcome to plastic bag pattern headquarters! I am building a library of patterns here for crocheting with plastic grocery bags and other recycled materials. Currently I have free patterns available for purses, a plastic bag keeper, shoulder bags, coasters, and other bags.

If you are new to crafting with plastic bags here is the tutorial on how to create yarn from plastic bags.

You may also want to read my tips on crafting with plastic grocery bags, just click here.

I love to share my free patterns and recycling ideas with others to promote recycled crafting. My plan is to continue building this website blog into one of the best resources for crafting with plastic bags as well as covering other materials that can be used. More patterns are being added all the time so please make sure you check back often.

September 2014 update:
It has been over 7 years since I first wrote this post and over the years I have added many new recycled plastic bag patterns to my blog. You can find a list of all the patterns with thumbnail photos of each project at my free patterns page.

Thanks for visiting My Recycled Bags!

Crocheted Plastic Bag Keeper from Recycled Bags

Plastic Bag Keeper

Here is a crocheted plastic bag keeper made from recycled plastic and bread bags. This is the second installment of my to-do list that I promised you all that I would work on. I had never crocheted a bag keeper so last week I tackled this project. I had to experiment a bit with the pattern to figure out how big it should be and also how I was going to create my bag holder. Many bag keepers or holders that I see have elastic holding the bags in. I wanted to keep this a completely recycled product so I tried a few different things before settling on using some pretty red bread bag strips to weave between my stitches. I then gently pulled on my bread bag strip to clinch it up and tied a bow in the front which created my bag holder. You can untie the bow should you need to put in or take out plastic bags without it being clinched up.

Anyway here is my completed recycled plastic bag keeper that you can crochet from plastic bags and bread bags. You could also use ribbon or strips of fabric rather than bread bags to make your bag holder. As always, here is the free pattern to crochet your own recycled bag keeper.

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Free Recycled Plastic Bag Keeper Pattern

Finished Bag Keeper measures 4 inches circular wide and 18 inches long.
Strap holder length is 10 inches.

Material: One large ball of plastic bags cut into 1 inch strips.

Hook: Metal N (9 mm) crochet hook

Crochet a Recycled Plastic Shoulder Bag


Recycled Shoulder Bag

This is one of my all time favorite bags that I have created. It’s a crocheted shoulder bag made of recycled tan plastic grocery bags. It is a quick and easy crochet project to try if you are just starting out doing recycled crafts. If you need to know how to create yarn from plastic bags, here is my link to the step by step process to make the plastic bag yarn. If you want a larger bag, just add more stitches to your beginning chain and if you would rather have a deeper bag, just increase your rounds as desired. This pattern is worked in rounds and you do not join at the end of each round. Because of this you do not need to sew side seams together. As you work the first few rounds, the bag will turn up at the sides. Just continue working one Hdc in each stitch around and it naturally forms your purse without having to sew any side seams.

Enjoy this fun eco-friendly project!

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Crocheted Recycled Plastic Shoulder Bag Pattern
Purse measures 9 inches wide and 6 inches long.
Strap length is 42 inches when not tied.

Material: One large ball of plastic bags cut into 1 inch strips.
One button 7/8 inch button shown on bag.

Hook: Metal N (9 mm) crochet hook

For complete pattern just click on read more link below.