Today I made this...
Hmmm, yes... you may well wonder what it is!
I used this tutorial to melt together some plastic carrier bags, it kind of worked but it wasn't what I was expecting (although I don't know what I was expecting, my brain seems to have melted with the snow... not sure why.) I thought it might be a good use for the contents of the plastic bag mine in my kitchen, because although this year I have managed to acquire only 2 new plastic bags (I've been using cloth bags and reusing plastic ones) I still have a massive stash...
But I'm not convinced. Perhaps I had the iron set wrong or something, but its all a bit wrinkly and well, rubbish looking! (And the fumes made my mouth taste funny)
Oh well, I think I'll try and make it into a bag anyway, you never know, it might be a magical transformation...
6 comments:
I've been halfway through a similar project for half a year now, and I found that the iron temperature and the bags used made a difference (Sainsburys are wrinklier than M&S, for some reason). I'm not sure if recycled/recyclable content in UK bags makes a difference, or if they have this in the US.
Iy looks good, though!
ah-ha! bow down to my teacher-knowledge!
i did a project like this with some year 9s. here is a summary of what our experimentations found:
- only ever use the iron on heat setting 2 (max). any hotter and the fumes that are given off can be harmful & disgusting. (nb. bags that don't melt very well tend to be the stronger ones that are good for reusing anyway)
- keep a window open whilst you iron
- a thin piece of fine fabric works better than greased paper (cotton is good, it can be a recycled sheet if you like) and the plastic peels right off if it gets stuck.
- bubblewrap is an excellent base. you can collage colours/shapes right on top of it really well (plus it makes an excellent popping noise) you can use it to sandwich colours/pictures together as well.
- keep the iron moving! that's more than likely why you got shrinkage in some parts
- don't iron for too long at once or you get that rough, scruffy appearance. you can iron again when it's cooler.
- cutting the bags into strips and weaving them first makes for fun experiments.
xxx
Ta miss! I'll have another go on my next free day and put your knowkedge to the test... It sounds like sound advice indeed. And I think I definitely need to pay attention to the bit about fumes :)
Hmmmm, interesting experiment!
Wow, I never though of melting the bags together, sewing maybe...
I have a friend in Los Angeles, California who uses plastic bags as her media for her work. Thought you should check it out... they are amazing. May inspire you!
http://diannacohen.com/_portfolio/gallery.html
I used this tute as well. My first try was pretty dodgy, but it just takes a bit of experimentation in finding the right heat setting. I started off low and worked up the heat gradually until I found what worked with my iron.
But hey- yours actually looks good I think! I like how you've used different colours.
I've been sewing mine up into post parcels. I haven't tried anything else yet.
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