How to make bracelets from chip bags
Hey there, eco-friendly homies! You are in for a special treat today, because this post is all about how to make bracelets from chip bags!
Reasons to Make Bracelets from Chip Bags
There are plenty of reasons to make bracelets from chip bags, but they will only make sense to the coolest of the cool!
First of all, they’re cute. Secondly, crafting them is fun. But, the biggest reason to make bracelets from chip bags is because chip bags cannot be recycled at a recycling facility.
Why Can't Chip Bags Be Recycled?
Many eco-friendly people are overly ambitious, meaning they throw items into the recycle bin that simply cannot be recycled. Chip bags are a good example of this and cannot be recycled for a couple of reasons. First of all, items sent to recycling facilities need to be clean. While it is possible to clean chip bags, people usually don’t. But, even if you did clean the bags, they still cannot be recycled, because they are made from a few different permanently fused materials like aluminum foil, plastic, and paper.
Once different materials have been mixed together and bonded so thoroughly, it is impractical, if not impossible, to separate them for recycling. Other examples of mixed material packaging that cannot be recycled include milk cartons, broth cartons, and liquid laundry detergent cartons. Basically, if the carton looks and feels like cardboard, but it is shiny and waterproof, then it is usually made of mixed material and cannot be recycled.
If too many non-recyclable items end up in a recycling facility, the entire haul will be considered contaminated. If contamination is considered substantial, there is a good possibility that none of the haul will get recycled, because it doesn’t make economic sense to sort through tons of trash to find a few recyclable items. On top of that, contamination can cause significant damage to recycling equipment.
A good rule of thumb to go by can be summarized in this easy to remember saying; “If in doubt, throw it out.”
In other words, if you’re unsure, it’s better to throw a recyclable item in the trash than it is to throw a non-recyclable item in the recycling.
Materials
To make beautiful bracelets from chip bags, you will need the following materials:
- Potato chip bags, cookie bags, or snack bags of choice. Picking out colors is the most fun part!
- Buttons. Try sourcing these from a resale store like Goodwill to keep this project as eco-friendly as possible.
- Ribbon. Again, try to source this from a resale store if possible. (Leather lace is also a good option instead of ribbon.)
- Lighter or matches if using ribbon
- Leather hole puncher
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Box cutter, X-Acto knife, (OR a marker that will mark on chip bags). See directions below!
- Cardboard
How to Make Bracelets from Chip Bags
1. Clean the Bags
When you open your chip bag, use scissors, and take care not to crinkle and wrinkle the material while snacking. When the bag is empty, cut the end off, cut down the center, and spread the bag open for cleaning. Remove any extra crumbs with your hands or a paper towel before washing the bag with dish soap and a sponge.
If the bag is still a little greasy after cleaning, wash again with fresh soap. Some bags require 2 cleans.
You’ll need at least 5 chip bags, (maybe more), for your bracelet.
2. Create a Template
Get your cardboard, marker, ruler, and box cutter, (or scissors), ready. Using your ruler, measure a rectangle from the following template size choices. Choose only one to start with!!! (I highly recommend choosing the large size for your first bracelet, so your fingers can get used to the weaving!)
Small Template Size (not recommended for first bracelet): 2.25 inches by 1 inch
Medium Template Size: 4.5 inches by 2.25 inches
Large Template Size: 9 inches by 4.5 inches
After drawing your template, double-check that your measurement is even throughout the rectangle.
Cut the template out using your box cutter. Be very careful always to cut away from your hands and body to avoid injury! Try to use scissors if working with a box cutter makes you nervous.
After you have cut your template out, verify that it is the correct size again by measuring it.
3. Cut the Rectangles
Place your template onto your clean chip bag, and use it to draw the lines needed to measure out your rectangle. Cut the rectangle out with scissors. (Or, you can skip drawing the lines by using a box cutter or X-Acto knife around the cardboard, but be careful!!!) Repeat this process until you have at least 15 rectangles for a medium template sized bracelet. For a large template sized bracelet, you’ll need at least 8 rectangles.
4. Fold the Rectangles
- Take a rectangle and fold it in half, length-wise, (hot dog style). Use the corners of the rectangle to make sure you are folding your rectangle symmetrically. Once a nice crease has been made, unfold the rectangle.
- Make two more length-wise folds, but this time you will take the corners to the center fold crease that you made in step 1.
- Now that your corners have been brought to the center, make another hot dog fold.
- Fold the rectangle hamburger style this time to make a good crease.
- For the final fold, take the corners and bring them into the crease you made in step 4.
- Make sure your creases are tight and even. You should have a “V” or heart shaped piece to work with now.
- Make a few more folded pieces and set them aside using a clip board or chip bag clip to hold the “V” shut and keep the folds creased.
5. Weave the Rectangles
- Think of the folded pieces as a “V” shape. Take 2 of your folded pieces, and slide the top of the V into the top of the other V.
- Repeat this process in a zig-zag pattern until it is long enough to reach almost all the way around your wrist. (Leave about an inch and a half open.)
6. Finish the Bracelet
- Use your leather hole punch to make holes in each end of the bracelet. Be sure to choose a hole size that your ribbon or leather lace will fit through.
- Thread one end of the ribbon or leather lace through a hole, and then return the same end of ribbon or leather lace back through the way it came out to create a loop.
- Use a button to decide how big the loop should be before you tie it off. Your button should be able to fit inside the loop easily, but not loosely. It should be a snug fit.
- Tie the loop off. If using ribbon, burn the ends of the parts you have cut, so they don’t fray. Be very careful not to burn the actual bracelet when doing this! After removing from the flame, wait a couple of seconds, and you should be able to use your fingers to smash the melted ribbon helping it to not fray.
- Cut a piece of ribbon about 7 inches long. Cut each end of the ribbon at as sharp of an angle as you can. Using a lighter or match, lightly burn the very edge of the ribbon to stop it from fraying.
- Thread ribbon through the button holes making an “X” shape leaving an even amount of extra ribbon to dangle from each end of the button.
- Thread both loose ends of the ribbon through the hole in the bracelet, and tie a large knot on the other side, so the ribbon doesn’t pull through. Knot as many times as needed to make sure the ribbon doesn’t pull through when wearing the bracelet.
- Cut the extra ribbon off, and seal with a flame as before to prevent fraying.
Make More Bracelets!
The first few times you make a bracelet from chip bags might be difficult. It takes the hands and fingers time to develop the dexterity needed for this craft. But, the best way to get better at it is to make more bracelets!
Don’t get your chip bag bracelets wet, because water could get trapped in the seams and potentially mold.
Have fun picking out different color schemes. Your taste preferences for snacks and imagination are the only limitations!
Thanks for reading. See you next week!
