How to Make Juice Box Bags
A juice box or juice pouch purse is one that is made from empty juice boxes. This is a fun and easy way to reuse something that people normally throw in the trash. These purses are stylish and you can make them to coordinate with any outfit by using different colors or styles of juice boxes. If you have children, this is a project that can get them thinking about unusual ways to reuse everyday items.
Things You'll Need
- Empty (clean) juice boxes
- Sewing machine and thread
- Iron and ironing board (optional)
Instructions
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1
Cut a slit in the bottom of each juice box and empty the juice into another container to drink. Alternatively, poke the straw inro the juice box and drink the juice.
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2
Widen the slit so that it goes across the entire bottom of the juice box.
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3
Wash each juice box in warm, soapy water and prop it open overnight to dry.
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4
Flatten all of the boxes. You can carefully iron them to make sure that they are all as flat as possible.
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5
Lay two boxes side by side with the fronts facing up, and overlap the edges by ¼ inch.
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6
Sew a zig-zag stitch down the overlapping edge to join the boxes together and make the front of the bag. Do the same to two more boxes to make the back of the bag.
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7
Lay two more boxes in a vertical line with the graphic up and the tops of the pouches facing each other and overlapping by ¼ inch.
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8
Sew a zig-zag stitch across the overlapping seam to join the two boxes.
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9
Cut the piece from Step 8 in half lengthwise and sew a straight stitch down both long edges of each piece to make the handles.
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10
Sew one handle to the back side of one piece from Step 6 and the other handle to the back side of the other Step 6 piece using a zig-zag stitch.
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11
Overlap and zig-zag stitch two more boxes to make the bottom of the purse. The bottom piece should be the same length as the width of the front and back pieces.
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12
Lay the bottom piece so that the back side faces up and use a zig-zag stitch to sew one juice box to each short end of the bottom piece. This attaches the sides of the bag to the bottom. Make sure you sew it so that the colored side will face the outside of the bag.
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13
Sew the vertical edge of a side piece to the vertical edge of a front piece using a zig-zag stitch. Leave ¼ inch unsewn at the bottom so you can attach the bottom of the purse later.
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14
Sew the vertical edge of the other side piece to the vertical edge of the back piece, again leaving ¼ inch unsewn at the bottom. When you finish this step all of your pieces should be connected in a Z shape.
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15
Fold your purse into the correct shape and attach the remaining edges of the front and back pieces to the corresponding side pieces. Again leave ¼ inch unsewn at the bottom. At this point the front and back pieces of your purse are not attached to the bottom piece.
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16
Sew the front of the purse to the bottom piece with a zig-zag stitch. Sewing straight across this seam will close the openings that you left. Do the same with the back side of the purse.
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Tips & Warnings
You can embellish this purse with ribbon, edging, feathers or any other type of decoration. Attach the decorations with hot glue or by sewing them on.
You can change the size of this purse by using more juice boxes for the front and back panels and overlapping the side and bottom pieces to fit.
Be sure to wash and dry the juice boxes thoroughly before you start. If the boxes are not clean and dry, you could have issues with bugs or mildew in your finished product.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
