There are plenty of tutorials out there that talk about how to reuse plastic bags. These videos usually talk about making decorative items and school craft projects.
The problem is at one point you are bound to lose interest if you cannot craft something truly useful. You want to make things you can use in your daily life and gift others so that they can use them in theirs. This is where the knowledge of plastic bag weaving comes into play. Once you learn how to weave plastic bags you can start creating things like rugs, shoes, bags, flower pots, and other items that you can really use.
After you acquire the weaving skills and get hooked, you will never see plastic bags the same again. Forget about throwing away plastic bags, you might end up knocking on your neighbour’s door to collect all the building material (unused plastic bags) you can find to craft your next project.
Making a Plastic Bag Mat
If you are just getting started with plastic bag weaving, then your first project should undoubtedly be a rug or a mat. These are relatively easy to craft, and you can use the acquired knowledge to make other more complex items. For example, if you make two small mats of equal dimensions you can join them by their sides to craft a bag.
Another reason to make plastic bag mats is that they are incredibly useful, and they have more than one advantage over fabric mats. They are supremely lightweight, and they do not get wet. Plastic being a bad conductor of heat, these mats also provide great insulation.
Step-1: Make a Loom: Start by taking a rectangular piece of cardboard. Now, all you need to do is cut small slits using a scissor along the two longer sides of the board. Space the slits equally apart. Also, make sure the slits on the two sides of the board line up perfectly with each other. Once you are done, you should have a cardboard board with slits on its two sides.
Step-2: Make Plastic Bag Strips: To prepare the plastic bags for weaving, you need to cut them to make long strips. To make sure the strips are consistently sized use a ruler for guidance. When you are done with this step you should have long strips of bags with two untied ends.
Step-3: Start Weaving: Take one strip of plastic and run it through the first pair of slits on the board and then tie the ends tightly. Make sure there is little to no slack. Keep on repeating the process until you run out of slits. If you have 12 pairs of slits on the board, you will have 12 plastic bags parallel to each other and tied individually.
Now take a long plastic bag strip and go over and under the 12 strips of bags. Tie the two ends and keep on repeating the process. Once you run out of space, tie the loose ends. Congratulations, you just made your first mat from plastic bags.
Feel free to watch video tutorials online to learn more about plastic bag weaving. Also, let us know in the comments below about your personal plastic bag weaving experience.
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