It's Easy Being Green: Episode 4: Fused plastic bags

Here is a link to a past blog DIY post on fusing plastic bags.

Here is a link to past fused bag blog posts.

Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll have the video from the show on my youtube channel.

If you have any questions on how to fuse plastic bags, please feel free to ask. A good tip is to fuse 2 layers at a time. You should fuse at least 4 layers of plastic together for a sturdy new fabric.

Martha Stewart also showed how to fuse plastic bags on her show. They made a holder for doggie poopie bags.

Eco Craft Challenge Day 11

I have spent just under $10 so far. That is half of the budget. One of the items is actually to repair the couch where the seams are coming apart. I'm counting it, because I'll be able to use the supplies in my crafting as well.

For 3 days I made and spun plyarn. One ball was only blue newspaper bags. The other ball was Kohls bags & light blue, gray, clear, and green

newspaper bags. I then plyed the 2 balls together. I am currently crocheting this double spun ball of plyarn into a bag.

I have also been prepping for my show tomorrow night. I am taping 2 shows. One will have a guest, Melina Goodick, who will be showing how to sew your own reusable bag. The other show I will show how to recycle juice pouches for back to school supplies. A friend of mine's daughter might be joining me for one of the projects. I want to show people how easy it is. I've made that particular project with 1st grade girl brownies (girl scouts).

You can view my show on youtube under my user name textiles4you. There is also a video clip up of me cleaning juice pouches. I just finished cleaning 44 of them, and I have a headache as a result (Goo Gone & my sensitive nose).

How to clean juice pouches

Watch my new video on youtube on how to clean juice pouches. This is the first step that you need to take before you can craft with them. You can see other how tos with juice pouches in earlier posts & in future tv show episodes.

Bamboo yarn long scarf

It is day 7 for me of the eco craft challenge. My in-laws were here for the weekend; so, I wanted to choose something simple to work on. Why not work on a UFO (unfinished object)? I started knitting the bamboo yarn that I bought on my trip to Missouri last month while on the road. I haven't really touched it since I've been home. It is a simple garter stitch scarf on size US 9 needles. I used 2 long skeins to make it. I can wrap it around my neck twice and it is still nice and long. The yarn is very soft. This is the perfect scarf for New England weather.

This craft challenge is the perfect reason for all of you to work on your UFOs. What's holding you back from finishing them?

As a side note... I was zapped today. I wanted a little pick me up. I wanted to run to the fabric or the craft store to buy a little something to cheer me up. I was near both stores today, but resisted the urge. I want to keep my spending under the $20 limit for the challenge. Some how I got into the habit of buying craft supplies as part of an effort to lift my spirits. However when I finish a project and have a new product to show for it, I'm proud of myself. It brightens my day. Producing new objects, finishing UFOs, and decluttering my home by stash busting are my goals for this challenge. They are what keep me on track and motivated. There are so many projects that I want to tackle, but I need to focus and take it one project at a time. I did spend $2 of the budget on glue the other day. I needed it to line the inside of the milk carton wallets.

Milk Carton Wallets

Today is day 5 of the eco-craft challenge for me. I've been trying to create something everyday. This does not mean that I have a product made everyday though. Some days I do a lot of prep work. Everyday I knit a few rounds of my yellow plyarn tote bag. I am really trying to make a dent in my recycled stash (soda tabs, plastic bags, potato chip bags, juice pouches, etc.).

Today I wanted to make a dent in my milk and juice carton stash. A while back I made a milk carton wallet as shown in Family Fun magazine. Since then I have been saving my empty (and cleaned) milk & juice cartons. They take up space though. So today I printed the template for the wallet from the Family Fun website. I then opened up all of the milk cartons that I had saved.

I traced the template onto each one. Then I cut out the shape and the circle at the bottom.

Using a small crochet hook, I traced the fold lines onto the milk carton. Then I folded them with the help of a ruler. I want to line the inside with some nice paper or fabric. The problem is that I can't find any glue. That's why there is a small budget for the challenge.

One panel of the carton is not used. I thought about cutting them the same size, covering them, and making a book. It can either be for the outside of a book or all the panels can make a type of board book. Does anyone else have any ideas of what to use these panels for?

Another use for the milk cartons is making building blocks for toddlers. You open the top of the carton and clean it out. Stuff newspaper or other scrap materials inside of it. Fold the top so that it lays flat like the bottom, and tape it down. Then cover the carton with either contact paper or wrapping paper. You can cover that with clear packing tape to make it last longer (because kids like to tear the paper off).

Day 3 of Eco-Craft Challenge

Thank you to everyone who is participating in this challenge! I know the numbers aren't reflected in the poll right now. About 10 people in the Stash N Burn Ravelry group are doing this challenge.

I went into my scrap fabric bin and pulled out several green and blue fabrics. I pieced them together to make a larger piece of fabric. Then using my favorite pot holder for size, I cut 6 pieces of this new large fabric. I sandwiched 2 layers of batting in between 2 of the cut fabric sheets. I then quilted them together in a diagonal grid pattern. Later I will make a binding to finish it.

I think the pot holders will be fun and funky. I'm not sure if others will like them as much. I'm not sure if people would like them as gifts. Personally I like that I made something useful out of scraps. Even the batting was scrap from a quilt project.

I took my toddler to the library, because I had a book on hold. While he played in the children's section, I worked on my knitted plyarn tote bag.

Eco Craft Challenge: Day One

I am putting out a challenge for all of you crafters out there. For 30 days I want you to use what you have in your house to craft with. For this 1st challenge you have a budget of $20 for the 30 days. That is less than a dollar a day. Try to not spend any money. However you might need small items like snaps, buttons, a zipper, batting, etc. to complete your project. Thats why you get a budget.

The purpose of this challenge:

1. Save money!

2. Save gas = help the environment.

3. Get those creative juices flowing.

4. Decrease the amount of stuff that you have just sitting around.

I have so many things in my own home that I can use in a variety of different craft ways. Why then am I buying more things? I set this challenge not only for anyone who is interested in participating, but also for myself.

Today I worked on making plyarn. I also took the

scraps (the handles and seams) and fused them. I'll figure out what to make out of that at a later date. I have a few ideas though.

I discovered 4 produce bags with corn and yams on them. I fused them together. There was some white fabric in my stash that I used for the lining. I then used some corn fabric from my stash for the strap. I spent $0 on making a new bag.