Crafty Blogs

Wednesday 7 November 2012

But is it recycling?

I've been making sushi roll bags for many years, but I'm probably most known for my recycling crafts (especially my ever popular plastic bag basket weaving tutorial) so what's the connection?

From the outside my bags look like a finished product, most of the time the finished piece doesn't give much away about where it came from. In fact all my sushi bags start out as ordinary bags, sourced from local thrift and charity shops. I chose them based on shape and size and then customise them to bring out the inner 'sushi-ness'. I don't tend to take 'before' photos because when I first buy the bags they don't tend to inspire me much. I decided to make an exception to this to show all my readers that my sushi bags really are made from reclaimed materials, and how much love really goes into bringing them back to life.

First the 'before' picture. All the bags in this photo were bought on the same day when I went on a bit of a spending spree!

From left: a barrel handbag, a square handbag, a big cat handbag,
a cosmetic bag and a wallet.
 
 
It's not an inspiring collection unless you look at the shapes. Three suggested nigiri sushi to me, and two round sushi rolls. All were in a good condition with working zips and sturdy handles. I just hated the picture of the cats, but I could see the potential!
 
And now the 'after' picture.
 
 
One of the things I love about making sushi rolls is that I'm forced to be very creative with what I have. All bags are different and I try to think of new recipes and new techniques each time. The result is that each bag is unique and, as a crafter, I'm never stuck working a production line. By using pre-existing bags I also avoid the need to make use of sewing machines. The bags already have zips installed and linings reinforced leaving me to embroider, embellish and applique to my hearts content.
 
All the bags shown on this post are now for sale on my Etsy shop along with many more. If you have any recipes you'd like to see me try please let me know.
 
Have fun, stay lucky! LL xx

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