Recycled Plastic Messenger Bag or Purse

Step 6 Making the Strap

You can make a good strap out of a trash bag. This is the only part of the project that's not recycled, but you really wouldn't want to wear a USED trash bag.

I like black straps, but if you're adventurous, a white or blue trash bag could make for an exciting strap. And don't worry, these straps are surprisingly comfortable.

If the trash bag has some sort of handles or ties at the top, cut them off. Then fold the bag in half lengthwise and iron it. Once it's fused completely, fold it in half lengthwise again. Keep folding in half and ironing until you're left with a long strip that's twice as wide as you want the strap to be. Cut this piece in half lengthwise, making two long strips that are each about two inches wide (for a purse, you might want the strap to be slightly narrower).

You fuse the ends of these two strips together to make a nice long strap. Make sure the ends overlap by a few inches, and that you fuse them very securely! You don't want the strap falling apart...

Then fuse the ends of the strap into the seams on each side of the bag. Figure out exactly how long the strap needs to be, then stick the strap inside the bag and fuse it to the side seam.

I've found that the weakest part of the bag is where the strap joins the top of the bag. Over time the strap may begin to rip at this point. What might help is if you don't iron the strap to the very top edge of the bag - instead leave just a little bit of space below the top.

Comments

[nixFixr]

A thought on the weak point where the strap connects to the bag; you could try making the strap a bit longer and running the two ends that meet the satchel bag into the layers for the bottom. My thought is to included the strap into the steps when you are making the bag body and fuse it into the middle layers. This way the strap would be part of the bag and the whole item would support the weight of what is being carried.

[emattrose]

That's a good idea, to layer the strap between the two tabs on the side. But unfortunately, I don't think it would solve the issue. The connection between the strap and the side of the bag is very strong, it's the part of the strap just *above* the top of the bag that tends to weaken. If you try to fuse the strap to the top edge of the bag using lots of heat and pressure, you're going to make the strap above that edge a little bit thinner and weaker. That's why I suggest you don't fuse the strap all the way to the edge of the bag.<br/>