How To Make A Mat Out Of Old Plastic Bags
500 700 plastic shopping bags for a person sized mat but can vary depending on what you re using the mat for 10mm or larger crochet hook.
How to make a mat out of old plastic bags. If you don t want your rug to follow a pattern you can skip sorting. The bag ladies as they call themselves also specialize in making large tote bags out of the plastic. To make creating the colored rings in the rug easier i took my bags of bags and sorted the various bags into separate colors. Flatten the plastic bag to best you can and straighten any of the bags creases.
A word of forewarning when putting out the call to action for collecting plastic bags be prepared for an avalanche of plastic bags. Parents can teach about recycling in the house and how plastic bags take years to decompose. Kids should then weave the bag in and out of the frame adding new bags as they go. Meanwhile in norwalk iowa the mighty mat makers meet once a week at st.
Regardless of who uses it it s a great way to recycle. These sleeping mats make great supplies for the homeless population allowing them to sleep comfortably wherever they need to. John the apostle catholic church to create their own mats using about 700 plastic bags apiece. Instead of becoming landfill plastic bags can be used for fun craft projects.
One easy project appropriate for ages six to adult is weaving a doormat from left over bags. How to make plarn. Gather the plastic bags. It also makes a great addition to any camping trip.
When the kids get to the end of the frame ensure the last plastic bag is secured and prepare to remove the mat from the frame. Younger children can help turn the bags into a plastic yarn known as plarn the sturdy plarn can also be used to make placemats market bags and coasters. This is a great way to involve your local church group knitting or crochet group youth group or scout organization with collecting and sorting the bags. Remember to push each bag up to make the weave as tight as it can be.