How to Make a Messenger bag out of Trash Bags
Plastic bags are one of modern life's most determined pollutants. By reusing and recycling plastic bags and giving them new purpose in the shape of a new stronger more durable bag can only be a good thing. Below are guidelines for constructing a messenger bag out of plastic grocery bags.
Instructions
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Download the design for a messenger bag from the cachefly website (see Resources). This is a shareware design you can safely utilized for your messenger bag outline. Of course, the final bag design is up to you.
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Place a piece of wax paper on a smooth heat resistant surface and heat up an iron. Set the iron on the polyester or rayon setting depending on your individual iron. The wax paper needs only to be a few inches longer than the bag you will use for your construction.
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Place grocery or drug store plastic bags in a neat pile on top of the wax paper. The thinner the bag the better and a pile of about four or five bags is a good place to start on choosing your preferred messenger bag thickness.
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Lay a second sheet of wax paper over the top of the pile of plastic bags before ironing. The paper should be in the same position as the lower paper and is used to protect the plastic from the iron's hot surface.
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Run the iron over the length of the plastic bags along the wax paper. Be sure to keep the iron moving and sweep across the entire surface of the bags to seal the plastic together. Check that the bags melt securely by lifting the corner and checking that it stays intact.
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Peel away wax paper and remove your new thick plastic perfect for your messenger bag. Remember you can make as much melted plastic as you have plastic bags to melt. It's fun to count just how many plastic bags you use throughout the process.
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Sew the plastic together and lay messenger bag pattern on top for cutting. Sew everything together for a completed recycled bag.
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