Making crafts from scrap materials is an easy way to transform your interior. An example is crocheted rugs made from trash bags. And with the current prices for finished products in stores, such creativity will help you save significantly on purchases for your home.
To make such a practical thing as an original home rug, you don’t need a lot of available tools. The materials are publicly available and are already available in most farms. In a sense, such a product is reminiscent of a grandmother’s rug, but made essentially from waste.
Ideas for knitting from bags
You can knit a huge number of things needed for the home: floor carpets, napkins, handbags, slippers, baskets for small items or children's toys and many other items that are no less important in everyday life. More creative and inventive needlewomen create unique and very fashionable creations from this unusual raw material, for example, costume jewelry and fashionable evening bags.
At the beginning of your work, knit a sample for yourself to see what the texture of the product will be. For inexperienced needlewomen, it is better to take garbage bags with a volume of up to 50 liters. They are softer and easier to create with. But do not use very thin plastic bags for knitting bags - the products will not be able to maintain their shape.
Savage costume for girls
For a Papuan costume for a girl, you need to make a bright skirt (the tulle version looks good) and the top of the outfit with your own hands. For the top use:
- Top or upper part of a swimsuit.
- Sew artificial or homemade tropical-style flowers onto the upper half of the clothing and on the elastic of the skirt.
- For decoration, use jewelry, but there should not be too much of it, literally 3-4 bracelets.
- You can make a headband or elastic band from bright colors on your head.
- So that the child does not feel discomfort in the Papuan costume, under the bottom of the clothes you need to wear tights or a T-shirt with flesh-colored tights.
If the image of an African woman is chosen, then the underwear should be the appropriate color. To make the outfit ready in the shortest possible time, you can make it from New Year’s rain or dissolve a bath sponge and make a skirt from the resulting material. You can sew a T-shirt using tiger or leopard print fabric.
Interesting License for waste management (hazard class I-IV)
“We spin” polyethylene thread
Regular garbage bags and T-shirts from the supermarket are also suitable for creativity. They are all different in color, density, and hardness. To create a thinner fabric with a softer texture, use thin bags for bulk products. Bags of large volume and rigidity are better suited for thick items - this is necessary so that the products retain their shape better. The methods of knitting from plastic bags are not at all different from ordinary ones - using knitting needles or crochet.
In order to build something, you need to divide the bags into strips. You will need a sharp paper knife or scissors. If the package is thin, then we cut the strips wide and vice versa. Let’s say the package indicates a volume of 30 liters. We cut such bags into strips of 2.2 - 2.5 cm. It is better to divide thin T-shirts into strips of 3.5 - 4 cm. Also, do not forget to take into account what product we are preparing “yarn” for, what loads the finished item will experience. The rule for selecting its thickness is the same as when knitting with regular threads: the thinner the polyethylene tape, the softer and more elegant the finished result. Therefore, we knit baskets and rugs from “threads” about 5 cm, and for decorative items we take a width of 2 – 2.5 cm.
We cut the packages, now we connect them along the chain into one long “thread”. There are 2 options for connecting strips. In the first case, we tie everything together at once; in the second case, we put the strips in a box and just start knitting, attaching each next one as we knit the previous one. With the second method, knitting from plastic bags goes faster.
Start
Your first step in creating a wrapping mat of any size will be to fold one of the inch-wide strips right down the middle so that it is only half an inch wide. Then lay the hook down and pass the end of the strip under and around the widest part of the handle or shaft of the hook and tie the strip securely with a double knot.
The tape is not actually tied to the shaft, but instead the handle is used as a "spacer" around which the carpet start stitch loop is formed and tied.
Once you have knitted the first loop at the end of your first plastic ribbon, lift the hook in your right hand, hold the broken plastic ribbon to the left and slide the newly formed loop down the tail of the tool until the ring is about an inch from the hook end of your tool . Catch the plastic strip using the winder tool and pull the strip through the knotted ring (thereby forming a second loop). Slide the hook forward for another ribbon bite and pull it back to form a loop. The ongoing series of interlocking stitches you make is called chain stitch, and you can extend the procession indefinitely.
When you have snagged within a few cm of the end of your "yarn", open the folded plastic flat, lay the end of the new strip on it (with about three cm of overlap), fold the two strips together and continue with chain stitch. This way there will be no knots in your finished work. This is the yarn, also called plastic thread, that you will use to knit or knit a plastic mat. The plan is constructed from plastic bags and will be used in the same way as using yarn in crochet.
Basket with lid for storing small items
To knit a small basket for small items, we need to stock up on five 80-liter garbage bags, thin wire or a rigid rope and a crochet hook. The basket will be shallow - about six cm, it all depends on the length of the wire.
We begin our knitting from plastic bags; a master class on creating a basket will be presented below.
Let's knit a round bottom post. without nak., picking up the wire and tying it. We create a circle as usual when crocheting, adding columns in the right places according to the pattern. Next, we move on to the walls of our basket - we simply continue knitting without adding anything. We knit in height 6 – 8 cm, continuing to pick up the wire.
The lid is made in exactly the same way, only when knitting a circle we increase the number of rows by 2 so that the basket can be freely closed.
We tie the edges, the lid can be decorated with flowers, beads - depending on what purpose you plan to use your product for.
This method is suitable for baskets of any size and purpose, you just need to change the color, density of the bags and the final size.
Why are plastic carpets needed?
Plastic bags are one of the worst offenders of wasteful products that pollute the Earth's oceans and take up limited space. This isn't new information, but Australians still produce around four billion recyclable plastic bags each year. The equivalent of 429,000 plastic bags are dumped into landfills every day; or 7250 are ejected every minute.
Opting for eco-friendly canvas bags for grocery shopping is an effective option, but many people still have excess plastic bags lying around. Instead of throwing them away, you can reuse them by investing them in multi-purpose mats.
In particular, plastic carpet can be used as sleeping mats for people who do not have access to shelter. As sleeping mats they are more hygienic, waterproof, easy to carry and provide protection against concrete. Several charities in Australia have taken up this initiative and have enthusiastically agreed to accept donations of plastic mats that will be redistributed to the homeless. So crocheting improves your quality of life.
Polyethylene clutch - a fashion accessory
Skilled craftswomen can create a huge number of things needed in the household, fashion accessories, as well as products for interior decoration, practically at no cost. Such things are very durable, are not afraid of sunlight, and can be washed without fear that they will lose their shape. Using a crochet hook, imagination and knitting patterns, you can knit a wonderful clutch - this is a small women's handbag without a strap.
We cut the prepared bags and put them in a box. We take a hook of a suitable size (if it is too thin, it will be very difficult to knit the loops; if it is thick, the holes will be too large). To determine the optimal thickness of the hook, we knit a sample. We collect a chain of air. loops 20 cm long. According to the pattern, we distribute the pattern and knit 30 cm. The result should be a rectangle with sides of 20 and 30 cm. We continue to knit the flap, decreasing one loop at the beginning of each row (knit and purl). When the resulting triangle disappears, we make a buttonhole. We tie it using the “crawfish step” method. We sew along the sides so that we get an envelope with sides of 15 and 20 cm. We trim it with beads, rhinestones or decorate it with flowers. We sew on a beautiful button - and that’s it, a fashionable unique handbag is ready!
Bright beach bag
A crocheted bag can also be useful for trips to the beach. It can be made very interesting and convenient. The most important thing in its execution is accuracy. Let's try to knit a white and green beach handbag. We buy green and white bags, there should be 2 times more white ones. We connect the cut strips in the following sequence: 1 green strip, 2 white, etc.
First, we will need to knit 2 identical oval parts for the bottom. We cut out a thick lining, put it between the bottoms and connect them together with half-columns.
We continue to knit with single crochets in a straight line of 26 - 30 cm. By sequentially connecting green and white stripes, we will get a very interesting marble pattern. On the sides we make tucks in the form of counter folds - not very deep - and knit another 2 - 3 cm. Divide into two parts, add rows separately another 4 cm and sew on a lock. We will tie the handles and attach them to the bag. Decorate to your taste with whatever you like! We have created an easy-to-care and very practical bag.
Tools and materials
You will need the following tools:
- Plastic bags.
- Wax paper.
- Iron.
- Scissors.
- Direct contacts.
- Collection of amounts.
You simply save your plastic bags after purchase. If you want a colorful rug, you should collect bags of different colors. The easiest way to do this is to shop in different places. Sometimes the store changes the color of their bags, but this is rare. If you use reusable bags, collecting the bags can be quite challenging. If you really want to do this project, you can ask your friends and neighbors about bags, or you can "borrow" some from the recycling bin at your local grocery store.
The carpet shown in this picture may not be 15 cm long and 17 cm wide, and contains approximately 151 bags. Obviously, for a larger rug you need more bags, and for a smaller rug you need fewer bags.
While blue or yellow bags may be mostly sorted together, white bags tend to have accent colors that can appear in the finished rug.
If you decide to make a carpet with a pattern, then sorting the bags is mandatory. You should look at how many bags of each color you have. As the carpet grows, you will need more bags to go around. Each rug should therefore be different, so use your imagination and your knowledge of your supplies to develop the pattern.
The number of bags needed for each ring varies depending on its size and how tightly you braid it. For example, the inner brown ring has 9 bags, the middle brown ring has 29 bags, and the outer brown ring has 33 bags.
To make comfortable strips, you must cut and fold each bag. The bags are cut along both side seams through the handles. This is the easiest way to get the bag to lay flat, and it also requires the least amount of cutting. Once the bags are cut, you lay the bag open with the original outside (cute side) of the bag facing down. You then fold the long cutting edges inward until the entire strip is about an inch wide. The bags will try to unfurl, but laying them over the back of a chair helps keep them in the correct shape.
If you have very large bags or bags that are thicker material, you can split these bags lengthwise (parallel to the original side seams) to make additional strips.
Knitted slippers for guests
Slippers knitted from bags will come in handy everywhere. You can wear them to the bathhouse, they will come in handy in the pool and at home. It is advisable to buy packages in a more cheerful color. Choose a style of slippers and go! First we make a pattern for the leg. We knit the oval sole according to this pattern very tightly, post. single crochet or half-stitch, and then we knit the top of the slippers, focusing on your preferences (clogs, flip-flops, flip-flops, etc.). Decorate or not is also up to you.
Finally, we sew the slippers to the soles and wait for guests!
Process
First, start tying the first three strips of bags together. Then place a fairly heavy layer on the knot and then begin braiding. There are only three stripes (bags) in the center, so it won't take much time.
Don't forget to leave a tail for each stripe. This is where you get attached to the next bag. It's actually better if the tails are different lengths because this will force the continuous nodes to be in different places.
To begin shaping the braided bags into a mat, you must lay the braid in a spiral pattern. When you place the braid, use straight pins to temporarily hold the braid together.
You may be better off practicing this step first. Once you have attached the bags to the proper spiral, you are ready to fuse the backing.
The backing is just another plastic bag that has been split apart. You need to have a sheet large enough that everything overlaps. First, place the spiral side down on an iron safe surface. Then place sheets of plastic bags on the back of the spiral.
Be sure to iron only on wax paper. Then wet only on wax paper for a short time. (Time will vary depending on the thickness of each bag). After you separate the iron and wax paper, give the rug a minute or so to cool and harden. If you try to move it while the plastic is still melted, you may ruin the fusion.
As you continue weaving, pinning and merging, there are some things you should be aware of. When you reach the end of the bag, tie the next bag with a square knot (otherwise known as a reef knot). The bags will be tightly compressed so most knots will work.
It is much better if the tails of each bag are tied at different times. When you go to knit the next bag, your knot will make a tiny knot along the braid. This node is very invisible unless all three nodes occur simultaneously. If necessary, cut the strips of the bag so that the tails have different lengths. After the initial cutting, the nodes should fall at different times.
Once you reach the end of your rug, you simply pull the last tails under the rest of the rug and continue the merging process. Once you have merged the rest of the spiral and the final tails, you can trim off the excess support.
While this rug should be quite durable, it is still mostly a showpiece.
Polyethylene flowers for decoration
To decorate things created from bags, you can take flowers knitted from the same material.
To make a poppy flower we need red and black bags. First, the “Irish berry” for the box. We wrap 10 - 17 turns around the finger with black thread and tie them with fifteen posts. without a crochet. We knit a row of posts. without a crochet. In the next row there are 20 columns. without a crochet. We form 20 arches from five air. loops Continue with red thread and knit 20 stitches. with a double crochet on an Irish berry. In the next rows there are 2 columns. with a double crochet in each loop, a total of 40 in the second row, and 3 stitches. with a double crochet in each - in the third. Again we take the black thread and tie the edge of the flower in reverse.
Pattern for knitting from plastic bags of chamomile.
Flowers made in this way will decorate your finished products. You can also knit any others using patterns for ordinary threads.
Crocheting rugs from plastic bags
The “Sheep” carpet for a children’s room is a great idea. It will add comfort and warmth. For the rug we will need beige and dark brown bags, cardboard, and strong threads.
We cut out a ring from cardboard, the diameter of which is 3 cm on the inside and 7 cm on the outside. We make pompoms (43 pieces) from beige bags, tying them with thread. From brown polyethylene yarn we knit a square with fillet mesh to the size of the body of our sheep. Attach the prepared pom-poms (42 pcs.) to the net. The closer they are to each other, the thicker and denser the rug will be. We also knit the tail, head and legs from brown yarn. Attach the last pompom to the tail.
Knitting rugs from plastic bags can be turned into a fun activity. Invite your child to participate in assembling such a fun accessory, and he will be very pleased!
Let's look at knitting an oval rug from plastic bags. This rug is good for the bathroom because it does not slip on the floor, does not absorb water, dries quickly and is easy to clean. We will create it according to the scheme shown in the photo.
Wonderful things made with your own hands from polyethylene are very original, unusual and, certainly, unique! They fit perfectly into almost any interior - from the bathroom to the hallway!
Requirements for hand-knitted rugs
Everyone who makes something for themselves tries to ensure that the product turns out to be of high quality and durable . The same goes for rugs made from trash bags.
- polyethylene mats must be durable;
- if the product is intended to be used as a bedding in front of the front door, then it must retain all the dirt;
- all types of rugs should not collect moisture and dust;
- the product should be such that it can be easily washed, not to mention just shaken out;
- environmental safety is an important point, and therefore bags with odors cannot be used;
- price is an important point, since this was originally intended to be a low-budget product;
- the thing should be beautiful, it all depends on the imagination and skill of the knitter, that is, on her own.
