This post is going to show you how to use a dollar store purse for a plarn purse lining. This hack is a great way to use this cheap purse for a crocheted purse lining. Turn the dollar purse inside out so the colorful flowers are on the inside and it becomes a quick and easy purse lining.
I crocheted two recycled plastic bag panels out of plarn using a J (6 mm) crochet hook. I worked increases and decreases with the plastic bag yarn to create a similar shape to the dollar store purse. Here is one panel as I began to crochet the opening for the purse handle and a closeup of the stitching around the opening. I just worked in a circle around the opening crocheting until I had a circular opening to match the dollar store purse.
Put the two panels together and using a strand of plastic bag yarn, stitch down one side, across the bottom and back up to the top. Using a H (5mm) crochet hook, I added some novelty yarn to trim out the circular opening and along the top edge. This completes the recycled plastic purse shell.
Once the plastic shell is done, I inserted the dollar store purse inside my crocheted plarn purse. I hand stitched the lining in place
October is breast cancer awareness month. Everyone is going pink, donning pink apparel and displaying pink everywhere. So what better time for going pink with plarn and showing off the pink here at My Recycled Bags!
Recycled Newspaper Plastic Bag Bucket
Maybe you are looking for a pink recycled plastic purse crochet pattern. Check out these plarn purse projects below.
Are you looking for free patterns to use recycled plastic bags? Maybe you already know that you can make plarn by cutting plastic bags into strips to create yarn that you can craft with. Whether you are new to crafting with recycled materials or a veteran who has made recycled tote bags, plarn purses, plastic bag rugs, or any of the other many items that can be made from recycled plastic, I hope you will enjoy seeing this roundup of plastic creations.
Recycled Plastic Fat Bottom Purse
Recycled Plastic Trash Rug
Plarn Reusable Produce Bag
Gingham Plarn Purse
Round Recycled Plastic Bag Rug
I’ve had recycling a dog food bag on my to-do list for quite some time. I’ve saved several of the plastic webbed food bags and just needed to rinse them out and upcycle them into tote bags. The first step was to remove the dog food odor and clean them.
I opened the bottom seam of the bag as it was just taped closed. I washed them out in the bath tub and then rinsed once with white vinegar and let them air dry. There still was a hint of dog food smell so I sprayed down the inside of the bag using a homemade citrus-vinegar solution. After another rinse and dry, the bags smelled clean with no hint of dog food.
Once the bags are all clean and dry, I was ready to start cutting. For the larger tote, I cut the bottom off just above the writing and details of the bag. I did this to try and eliminate some of the boring part of the bag. I then cut part of the top off and folded over the top edge twice to make a nice hem. The finished size of the recycled dog food tote bag is 17 inches tall, 15 inch wide and 6 inches deep at the base. I used some webbing strap material to add the handles and just folded them under the hem before sewing the top hem in place. This secured the handles in place and hid the ends of the webbing. The finished length of the handles are 10 inches long on my bag shown.
Here is the inside of the tote bag with the bottom sewn
I’ve had this idea in my head for awhile on how to create a tote bag that fades from black to white using recycled plastic bags or plarn. Here is what I came up with. I used recycled black plastic bags to start and then grey bags to the dirty-white colored bags and ended with white plastic bags.
I used the ultimate plarn tote bag pattern to crochet the bag with just some minor changes. On round 3 at the curve of the ends, I crocheted 2 Half Double Crochets (Hdc) in the first stitch at the curve. Then I worked just 1 Hdc in next stitch and 2 Hdc in the stitch at the other part of the curve. Repeat for the other side’s end.
For round 4 curve, you want to identify the 4 stitches on the curve of each end. Crochet 2 Hdc in the first stitch, then 1 Hdc in each of the next 2 stitches and 2 Hdc in the next stitch. Repeat for the other end. This should give you a nice rounded corner on each side of your bag.
Now follow the original pattern directions, changing colors as follows:
Here are two plastic baskets I crocheted from recycled plastic packages and plastic retail bags. The red basket has several rounds from a large red hashbrown plastic package that I cut into plastic bag yarn or plarn. The blue basket has two large recycled toilet paper packages cut into plarn too.
All of the plastic package materials were cut into plarn using a single strand. I used the single strand cutting method as the plastic was so thick and it was easier to cut it about 3/4 inch wide in a single strand to crochet with it. For the plastic retail bags, I made plastic bag yarn using my plarn making tutorial which is done using the looping method.
I wrote up the pattern details and have listed it on my free pattern page. In case you aren’t familiar, I offer all my patterns and tutorials free of charge. You can find everything from recycled bag patterns, repurposed denim projects, to crocheted regular yarn items. I have a large library of free patterns available so check out the link above to see all my patterns.
Free Crocheted Plarn Basket Pattern
Materials needed:
Plastic bags cut into strips 1 inch wide (Approx. 15 bags)
and recycled plastic packaging from hashbrowns and toilet paper packaging cut about 3/4″
wide using the single strand method
All pattern details are written in US crochet terms.
Hook: K (6.5 mm) size crochet hook
Description: Crocheted Recycled Plastic Bag Basket –
Basket measures 6-1/2 inches tall, 6-1/2 inches base and with 3-1/2 inch wide handle openings
Directions:
Rnd 1
Starting with a magic circle, work 8 Sc into circle. Join with Sl St to first Sc.
I have tons of white plastic bags as many people do. Most people that craft with recycled plastic bags find it difficult to find pretty colorful bags. You can usually find a few unique colors but it’s almost impossible to find enough bags to crochet a complete tote bag. So I’m always on the quest to find new ways to embellish my white tote bags. Here is my latest crocheted recycled plastic bag. It’s a red, white and blue striped reusable tote bag. It uses around 30 white retail bags and only about 3 blue plastic bags and 3 red newspaper bags. As you can see, just a few colorful bags can dress up an otherwise boring white plastic bag tote.
To crochet this recycled tote bag you basically use my Ultimate Grocery Bag pattern and add the stripes using the red and blue plastic bags cut into plarn. I also changed up the handles a bit and will detail the changes below to explain how to crochet this recycled plastic tote bag.
I used a N (9 mm) crochet hook to work this tote bag. The finished size is 13 inches wide and 14 inches long with 9 inch handles.
Following the basic pattern link, crochet with white plastic bag yarn (plarn) for 19 rounds. End at side of bag with a slip stitch.
It has been over six years now since I started this recycled bags blog. When I first started out I wanted to share the idea of using plastic bags for craft projects. I wanted to promote the reuse and repurposing of plastic for useful items. Over the years, I have crocheted tote bags, rugs, scrubbies, purses, baby bibs, soap dishes, coasters, baskets, gift bags, water bottle holders and much more using recycled plastic.
You can find all of my crochet free plastic bag patterns here at my site. Over the years I have shared all my patterns free so that everyone could enjoy crafting with recycled plastic materials. I have used every type of recycled plastic such as retails bags, toilet paper packaging, hotdog and hamburger bun packages, frozen vegetable packages, paper towel packaging, bread bags, hashbrown bags, and taco shell bags.
Trash Rug from Recycled Plastic
Recycling plastic to create yarn has endless possibilities. I only named a handful of plastic items you can make plarn from. Plarn (PLastic yARN) is the term my friend Joy coined first over at Crochetville
I have been asked to crochet a recycled plastic soap dish holder so this is up I came up with. I crocheted this soap dish using about three recycled plastic bags so it’s a great project if you only have a few bags in a special color.
It’s just the right size if you have a large square bar of soap. Here is my plarn soap dish with a scrubbie also crocheted from recycled plastic bags.
Here is a plarn soap dish pictured with a oval bar of soap along with a crocheted dishcloth to match.
Here is one other crocheted soap dish with white plastic retail bags along with a scrubbie added with a cotton yarn trim. The cotton yarn edging adds a colorful touch to the otherwise boring white bags. You can also use the soap dish crocheted from recycled plastic bags as a scrubbie holder. Just rinse it out in warm water if it gets too soapy or dirty. Either way this recycled soap dish is a handy holder and provides a useful way to reuse those plastic bags you may have stuffed in your kitchen drawers and cabinets.
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Free Crocheted Plarn Soap Dish Pattern
Materials needed:
3 — plastic bags cut into strips 3/4 inches wide and interlocked to create plarn
Here is the link to my plarn-making tutorials should you need it
Hook:
J (6 mm) US size metal crochet hook
Gauge: 3 Sc = 1 inch; 3 rows = 1 inch
Description:
Recycled Plastic Soap Dish – measures 5-1/2 inches long by 3 inches wide
Directions:
Row 1
Ch 13, Sc in the 2nd st from the hook and in each st across.
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