How to Make a Necklace Out of Plastic Bags

Plastic bags can be recycled and transformed into jewelry.

Creating jewelry from plastic bags is a frugal way to help the environment. Plastic grocery bags can be fused together with heat to create versatile fabric. The basic process consists of ironing over a folded plastic bag with an iron to fuse the layers of plastic together. Plastic texture sheets can be placed on top of the plastic layers to add a pattern of your choice to the necklace. Do-it-yourself enthusiasts can experiment with different color plastics and patterns to create custom plastic jewelry.

Things You'll Need

• Iron
• Plastic grocery bags
• Scissors
• Plastic pattern sheets
• Clear plastic sheets
• Computer paper
• Thin wire
• Sewing needle
• Needle-nose tweezers
• Necklace clasps

Instructions

1. Plug the iron into an electrical outlet. Turn the iron on to its highest settings. Do not use the "steam" option on your iron.

2. Prepare the plastic grocery bags. Cut off the handle of the plastic bag by making a horizontal cut directly below the handle. Turn the plastic bag inside out if there is print on the bag to prevent the ink from melting and making a mess.

3. Fold the plastic bag to form eight layers of plastic. Begin by folding the grocery bag in half. Fold the bag in half a second time to create a total of eight layers. The plastic bag can be folded widthwise or lengthwise.

4. Place a sheet of patterned or textured plastic on top of the folded plastic bag. Cover the patterned plastic sheet with a clear plastic sheet

5. Place the pieces of plastic between two sheets of computer paper. Ensure that no plastic is sticking out around the edges. The final layering should include a piece of computer paper, the folded grocery bag, the patterned plastic sheet, the clear plastic sheet and a second piece of computer paper.

6. Iron over the entire surface of the top sheet of computer paper five times. Flip the layers over and iron over the other side five times. Allow the layers to sit and cool for two minutes on the ironing board.

7. Peel away both pieces of computer paper, as well as the plastic patterned sheet and plastic clear sheet. Only the plastic grocery bag should be left, as this will be the fabric used to create the necklace.

8. Cut circles from the plastic grocery bag in a variety of sizes. Create one large circle for the center of the necklace, 10 medium circles and 20 small circles. Poke two holes in the center of each circle with the tip of a needle to resemble a button.

9. Measure and cut a piece of thin wire to fit around your neck. Leave an extra 2 inches of wire to leave room for the necklace clasps. Add the largest center circle onto the necklace first. Insert the wire into one of the center holes and out the other.

10. Add the remaining medium-size and small circles to the necklace. Create a pattern with one medium circle followed by two small circles. Continue until all of the circles are on the wire, with a total of 15 circles on each side of the large center circle.

11. Use needle-nose tweezers to attach the necklace clasps to each end of the necklace. Wrap the excess wire around each clasp several times to prevent the clasp and fabric circles from sliding off.

Tips & Warnings

• Each of the materials used to create a plastic bag necklace can be found in most craft stores.

• Set up the ironing board in a well-ventilated area, such as in front of an open window with a fan blowing the air outdoors.

• Use caution when working with the heated iron as it will become very hot. Do not touch the layers of plastic until they have had time to cool.

• Avoid ironing the layers for too long, as this cause holes in the plastic. Not ironing enough will result in weak plastic that may bubble.

References

• Curbly: Fusing Plastic Bags: A Tutorial from Etsy Lab