**Upcycled Bag Making: A Fun and Creative Project**

When it comes to reducing waste and living sustainably, there are many creative ways to reuse and repurpose materials. One such project is upcycling bags, specifically making a tote bag from recycled materials. In this article, we will guide you through the process of creating a stylish and functional tote bag using recycled plastic bags.

**Materials Needed**

To get started with this project, you will need a few basic materials. These include a long rectangle piece of fabric (you can use old clothes or purchase one specifically designed for bag-making), scissors, a sewing machine, and some thread. You may also want to add additional materials such as a lining fabric, stabilizer, or interfacing to give your bag extra support and structure.

**Creating the Base of the Bag**

The first step in making the tote bag is to create the base. To do this, simply sew two long sides together, leaving one side open for turning the bag right side out. Once you have sewn the sides together, fold the raw edge over twice to create a casing and press it in place. This will give your bag a clean finish and prevent fraying.

**Adding Additional Features**

Now that you have created the base of the bag, it's time to add some additional features. One popular option is to line the back side of the bag with a piece of fabric, such as an old pant leg or a cotton voile. Simply sew along the edges of the lining and attach it to the bag, making sure to match the seams carefully.

**Adding a Closure**

Next, you will need to add a closure system to your bag. This can be a simple drawstring or a more elaborate closure system using fabric or leather. For this example, we will use a simple drawstring made from two long pieces of corduroy fabric. Simply sew the ends together and attach them to the top of the bag, making sure they are secure and evenly spaced.

**Adding a Strap**

Finally, you will need to add a strap to carry your bag. This can be a simple piece of fabric or a more elaborate strap using leather or suede. For this example, we will use a simple strap made from two long pieces of corduroy fabric. Simply sew the ends together and attach them to the top of the bag, making sure they are secure and evenly spaced.

**Tips and Variations**

One of the best things about upcycling bags is that you can customize them to suit your style and preferences. Some ideas include:

* Adding pockets or compartments for storing small items

* Using different fabrics or textures to create a unique look

* Adding embellishments, such as buttons or appliques, for extra visual interest

* Creating a bag with multiple compartments or sections

**Recycled Materials: Reducing Waste**

One of the most important aspects of upcycling bags is using recycled materials. By reusing old plastic bags and other waste materials, you can help reduce your environmental impact and create a more sustainable lifestyle.

**Celebrating Sustainability: DH Love Life's Eco-Friendly Campaign**

The actress Daryl Hannah has launched an eco-friendly campaign called DH Love Life, which aims to raise awareness about the importance of sustainability and reducing waste. The campaign features videos showcasing creative ways to reuse and repurpose materials, including upcycled bags.

**Forums Section: Share Your Upcycled Creations!**

We want to see your upcycled creations! Check out our forums section where threadheads share their own unique projects and ideas. From pencil cases made from plastic bags to knitted purses, we have seen it all!

**Happy Crafting!**

Upcycling bags is a fun and creative project that can help reduce waste and create something truly unique. With these simple steps and tips, you can get started on your own upcycled bag-making journey today!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey what's up Robin kin here welcome to threadheads so earlier this week we got an email from Lisa who told us about a website called mores bag they inspire people to set up sewing circles make reusable shopping bags then give them to people for free outside the stores this was so inspirational we decided to do an entire episode dedicated to reusable shopping bags so we're here at Buffalo Exchange they have an amazing program setup that's saved 5.3 million plastic bags from going to a landfill let's go check them out hi welcome to Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg Brooklyn so we have a program here called tokens for bags which gives our customers the option to not take one of our bags in doing so they get a token which represents the cost of our bags which is a nickel and they get to choose one of three Charities that we have to donate to and this summer we're really excited because once we run out of these bags we're going to start carrying bags derived of corn which is biodegradable um hopefully more companies will take a queue from us and do the same wow this is an awesome program for more information check out Buffalo exchange.com the truth is you can make a shopping bag out of anything this week we're hanging out with Becca who's going to show us how to do just that my name is Rebecca Potter and I'm the owner of AR Potter designs I'm a painter I was interested in sewing and felt this compulsion to so and so and so and so and so I did I like feeling attached to certain things especially you know shoes and clothing and bags and I like to feel like I have expressed myself through things that I make So today we're going to make a super cool long perfect for your baguette shopping tote so the basic shakes going to be kind of a long rectangle that way you can carry more stuff it'll hug to your body nicer so you're just going to keep adding pieces one after the other you can go ahead and put them together I'm going to sew this one so now that we've done one stitch we're going to kind of fold it over make sure one of the sides is flat I'm just going to run another stitch on the top now that you have all your pieces sewn together you can go ahead and line the back side of it so what you're going to do is you're going to get a piece of fabric kind of like so we're going to lay it down what we can do is go ahead and attach it by sewing along the edges and then cut off the excess so one of my favorite things to do is to sew and draw at the same time using the sewing machine most of you should have a reverse function on your sewing machine you're just going to reverse kind of pull even just a nice plain old Loop so at the same time we're also attaching our lining just a little bit better give it a little bit more support so if you have some old pants and you need a bottom for a bag pant leg's perfect thing to use just going to go ahead and cut this beautiful pant leg up so to attach it I'm just going to lay the base of my front panel to the base of the nice little bottom here which is our pant leg and I'm going to attach it and then I held it to the bag try to see between the two spaces how much I was going to need cut the appropriate size and then attached it much like I did to make the each panel on the front so once we've attached it to the front I just attached it to the other side and then I decided to put a nice little zigzag stitch for a little detail I'm going to go ahead and Tuck the corners like this because I know I'm going to go ahead and attach the sides of the bag our last and final step is we need a way to carry the bag so obviously we need to make a strap again old corduroy pants nice and durable so now I'm gonna go ahead and cut two even strips I'm G to just flip this onto this then I'm gonna run a line attaching them up each side cut off any excess that's unnecessary and then we'll run some more lines down the middle and that'll give it a nice look also give it a little bit more strength we're going to go ahead and kind of fold it in half cuz we're going to place it in the corner that way we only have to have one strap so and place it right here go ahead and pin it where it basically needs needs to be so your last step is just to sew your straps to your bag so now you're ready to go to the store with your fancy new bag that you made yourself out of recycled materials and pick up your goods wherever you shop Rebecca that's definitely going to come in handy when we return more ways to recycle those old plastic bags stick around hey there welcome back so it's great that we're going to stop using disposable shopping bags but what about all the ones that are still here the actress Daryl Hannah has an amazing Eco Vlog called DH love life we found this clip where she meets up with a French artist who does some pretty amazing stuff plastic bag it's very easy to find when you you see in the street and everywhere because I was in the street in Paris I start to bre plastic bag because it was cheap I made the dress and uh some of my friends see this dress of a famous fashion designer this and I meet him and I propose him to use his fashion show as a the world of exhibition and he say yes to watch the entire segment and to check out the rest of Daryl's videos head over to DHL life.com now on to the forums where some of our very own threadheads show us their take on recycling plastic bags Capal Chelsey gets an a for her pencil case kezza made a sweet fused plastic bag belt and glass on wins with her knitted plastic bag purse and I love knitting plastic bags pin have you got something you've made send it to us at thread banger.com well that's it for this week but next week is our Valentine's Day special and we're going to mention the unmentionables and celebrate our show's oneye anniversary got a special Valentine's Day message for somebody email it or text it to us and we'll put it on next week's show until then see youhey what's up Robin kin here welcome to threadheads so earlier this week we got an email from Lisa who told us about a website called mores bag they inspire people to set up sewing circles make reusable shopping bags then give them to people for free outside the stores this was so inspirational we decided to do an entire episode dedicated to reusable shopping bags so we're here at Buffalo Exchange they have an amazing program setup that's saved 5.3 million plastic bags from going to a landfill let's go check them out hi welcome to Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg Brooklyn so we have a program here called tokens for bags which gives our customers the option to not take one of our bags in doing so they get a token which represents the cost of our bags which is a nickel and they get to choose one of three Charities that we have to donate to and this summer we're really excited because once we run out of these bags we're going to start carrying bags derived of corn which is biodegradable um hopefully more companies will take a queue from us and do the same wow this is an awesome program for more information check out Buffalo exchange.com the truth is you can make a shopping bag out of anything this week we're hanging out with Becca who's going to show us how to do just that my name is Rebecca Potter and I'm the owner of AR Potter designs I'm a painter I was interested in sewing and felt this compulsion to so and so and so and so and so I did I like feeling attached to certain things especially you know shoes and clothing and bags and I like to feel like I have expressed myself through things that I make So today we're going to make a super cool long perfect for your baguette shopping tote so the basic shakes going to be kind of a long rectangle that way you can carry more stuff it'll hug to your body nicer so you're just going to keep adding pieces one after the other you can go ahead and put them together I'm going to sew this one so now that we've done one stitch we're going to kind of fold it over make sure one of the sides is flat I'm just going to run another stitch on the top now that you have all your pieces sewn together you can go ahead and line the back side of it so what you're going to do is you're going to get a piece of fabric kind of like so we're going to lay it down what we can do is go ahead and attach it by sewing along the edges and then cut off the excess so one of my favorite things to do is to sew and draw at the same time using the sewing machine most of you should have a reverse function on your sewing machine you're just going to reverse kind of pull even just a nice plain old Loop so at the same time we're also attaching our lining just a little bit better give it a little bit more support so if you have some old pants and you need a bottom for a bag pant leg's perfect thing to use just going to go ahead and cut this beautiful pant leg up so to attach it I'm just going to lay the base of my front panel to the base of the nice little bottom here which is our pant leg and I'm going to attach it and then I held it to the bag try to see between the two spaces how much I was going to need cut the appropriate size and then attached it much like I did to make the each panel on the front so once we've attached it to the front I just attached it to the other side and then I decided to put a nice little zigzag stitch for a little detail I'm going to go ahead and Tuck the corners like this because I know I'm going to go ahead and attach the sides of the bag our last and final step is we need a way to carry the bag so obviously we need to make a strap again old corduroy pants nice and durable so now I'm gonna go ahead and cut two even strips I'm G to just flip this onto this then I'm gonna run a line attaching them up each side cut off any excess that's unnecessary and then we'll run some more lines down the middle and that'll give it a nice look also give it a little bit more strength we're going to go ahead and kind of fold it in half cuz we're going to place it in the corner that way we only have to have one strap so and place it right here go ahead and pin it where it basically needs needs to be so your last step is just to sew your straps to your bag so now you're ready to go to the store with your fancy new bag that you made yourself out of recycled materials and pick up your goods wherever you shop Rebecca that's definitely going to come in handy when we return more ways to recycle those old plastic bags stick around hey there welcome back so it's great that we're going to stop using disposable shopping bags but what about all the ones that are still here the actress Daryl Hannah has an amazing Eco Vlog called DH love life we found this clip where she meets up with a French artist who does some pretty amazing stuff plastic bag it's very easy to find when you you see in the street and everywhere because I was in the street in Paris I start to bre plastic bag because it was cheap I made the dress and uh some of my friends see this dress of a famous fashion designer this and I meet him and I propose him to use his fashion show as a the world of exhibition and he say yes to watch the entire segment and to check out the rest of Daryl's videos head over to DHL life.com now on to the forums where some of our very own threadheads show us their take on recycling plastic bags Capal Chelsey gets an a for her pencil case kezza made a sweet fused plastic bag belt and glass on wins with her knitted plastic bag purse and I love knitting plastic bags pin have you got something you've made send it to us at thread banger.com well that's it for this week but next week is our Valentine's Day special and we're going to mention the unmentionables and celebrate our show's oneye anniversary got a special Valentine's Day message for somebody email it or text it to us and we'll put it on next week's show until then see you\n"