T-shirt: life after shrinkage

via Dabbled » Blog Archive » Quick Project – Kids T-shirt Mod!.

First, hit that link and find a little tutorial for turning 2 too-small shirts into one shirt that fits.

Second, the bits of shirt left over have tons of uses, too, which I know I’ll hit in the near future.  I’m clearing my own shirts out.

Third, I think this reuse of shirts can work for adults as well as children, and for more than just shirts that don’t fit.  I found this shirt from thehungersite.com and have loved it, only to have it click in my head one day that this is FINALLY how I can make my tall body and arms fit into “normal” shirts I love.  And it looks cool to boot. 🙂

reusable snack bag tutorial » whip up

reusable snack bag tutorial » whip up.

What a perfect way to cut down on waste—and on purchasing items over and over again to use just once—with this reusable snack bag!  How fun would it be as a kid to have fun fabric bags in your lunch?  I’m loving it.

Plastic bag crafts: monster-sized round-up

Update: Since this is consistently my most popular post (cool!), I thought I’d specify that I didn’t make these crafts. I just put ’em into one place for you. Please note the links at the bottom of the images; they go to the origin, or at least back to where I found the crafty goodness. Ok, carry on! Please continue thinking I’m a crafting virtuoso, by all means.

Oh lordy.  Someone said they were looking for items made from plastic bags.  Why?  How about Africa‘s war on plastic bags? Maybe they wanted to know about Craftster.org’s 2007 plastic bag challenge, inspired by Morsbags.  I dunno.  But I went out and found just one bit of the tons of cool fused, knitted, and sewn reused plastic bags out there, none of ’em clogging up landfills, blowing down streets, or choking wildlife anymore.

Here.  You.  Go.

Bags and some other things like coasters, chairs, and gift wraps:

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/02/quilted_plastic_bag.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
http://www.greatgreengoods.com/2008/03/27/this-bag-is-garbage-fair-trade/
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/04/nationals_opening_day_bag.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
http://craftgossip.com/blog/mahkacrafts-plastic-bag-creations/2008/05/16/
http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/06/16/plasticbagstory/
http://www.threadbanger.com/post/8219/weekly-diy-roundup-reusable-shopping-bags
http://greenupgrader.com/3953/bag-another-day-the-best-ways-to-reuse-plastic-bags/
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net//projects/plastic_bag_drinking_coasters
http://garbageofedendesign.blogspot.com/2008/10/diy-friday-fused-plastic-bags.html
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net//projects/plastic_bag_drinking_coasters/versions/1
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/10/recycled_plastic_bag_chai.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/11/how_to_french_knitting_tools_t.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954 (good tutorial)
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2009/01/02/the-green-shopping-bag/
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net//projects/reusable_christmas_gift_wrapping
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2008/11/woven-fused-plastic-handbag/

Wreaths, bows, and rugs made from plastic bags:

http://whipup.net/2007/12/13/recycled-plastic-bag-wreath/
http://creaturecomforts.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/11/diy-eco-happy-pom-pom-gift-topper.html
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2008/12/weekly-wrap-up-diy-wreath-project.html
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2008/09/27/recycled-round-plarn-rug/

Artwork:

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/01/art_made_from_plastic_bag.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2008/07/virginia_flecks_plastic_bag_ar.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/08/04/joshua-allen-harris-inflatable-plastic-creatures/
http://hautenature.blogspot.com/2008/08/toni-de-roover-plastic-bag-bricks.html
http://hellejorgensen.typepad.com/gooseflesh/2008/09/the-new-generation.html Seriously check this out. She’s knitting a whole coral reef to highlight the “rubbish vortex” floating out in the Pacific.
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2008/11/plastic_bag_mandalas.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890

 

Clothing:

http://www.threadbanger.com/post/5599/recycled-plastic-bag-dresses
http://indiefixx.com/2008/10/20/guest-blog-indie-is-the-new-green-by-jessica-gonacha-wearable-recyclables/
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2007/08/plastic_bag_crafts.html

Jewelry:

http://www.greatgreengoods.com/2008/04/18/recycled-plastic-bag-bangles/
http://indiefixx.com/2008/09/12/studio-spaces-garbage-of-eden-design/

Yarn:

http://whipup.net/2008/05/10/an-experiment-spinning-plastic-bags/
http://whipup.net/2008/07/22/crochet-plastic-bags/

Want more?  Things recycled from other things, loosely related to plastic things and bags:

http://craftingagreenworld.com/2008/02/27/no-limit-holdem-make-a-playing-card-bag/
http://www.myrecycledbags.com/2008/06/12/my-greenie-pot-scrubber/
http://www.greatgreengoods.com/2008/08/20/back-to-school-recycled-lunch-bags/
http://ecoetsy.blogspot.com/2008/12/eco-tutorial-shopping-bag-to-shipping.html

Software portfolio remake/recycle

Oh, man. If only I’d hung on to more of that crap they’d send us for software demos or full installations. Or not. I mean, I’d be drowning in it by now. This is pretty great, but I might change it a bit and use old neck ties for the fabric. At least all that crap the 80’s and 90’s churned out can be remade into something useful.  Found this over at Evil Mad Scientist.

Nice re-use of otherwise wasted water

And my plants won’t die, to boot. Works nicely for bachelors or other people who might just wash one or two dishes at a time. Shoot, I’d just keep my plates there all the time. Of course, I’ve kind of got a bachelor attitude toward cleaning, anyway. Wonder where the plastic for the sculpture/rack came from, though. For anyone who uses paper towels to dry their dishes (eek!) it would cut down on that, too. And for the folks using dish clothes, well, maybe it’d make you feel like you had to wash them less frequently. I know at my house, I’ll use one, hang it up, then find it in the dirty clothes seemingly within moments. Ah, perceptions of cleanliness!