DUCK tape...L.O.V.E.

Alright.  There's a whole lot of celebrating the boy happening on the Intra-net...which is fine.  But the only boy in my house is my husby and he refuses to let me craft for him.  So I am celebrating the boy...GIRL style.



I'm not crazy.  I promise...but I was at Target and since our Target is being remodeled, I began to wander.  Usually I have a purpose, but on this day, I didn't.  I suppose that's why I came home with this...

Yep.  That's right.  Damask duck tape....it may have irked the gg, but it got my brain ticking.  And here's what I came up with:

A DUCT TAPE BAG!


Oh yes...it's awesome...it's lovely...it's my new favorite thing and I spent only $3.89, since I used some of my STASH that I had lying around to make the bag.

Here's what you will need to make the bag:

1 1/2 yards of clear plastic bag material (found mine on clearance at Joann's)
1 roll of duck tape
scissors
regular tape
some type of rope for the handles


Here's what I did:
1.  First, I decided how big I wanted my bag.  I cut out a piece of clear plastic that was 25 inches wide by 36 inches long.  Next, I began to cover the plastic with my duck tape.  Here are the measurements and the process I used to cover the plastic:

I did this because I wanted my pattern to go in the same direction on both sides.  If you are using duck tape that does not have a pattern, just run duck tape the entire length of the clear plastic.  You will want to be sure to overlap the pieces just a tiny bit.  It won't be perfect.  Just looky here:

2.  Once my sheet of plastic was covered, I began to fold it into a bag shape.  This was a little bit difficult to get pictures of, but I'll do my best!  First, I creased and creased on the pink fold lines from the pictures above, just to make sure my folding would be easy.  

3.  Turn the duck tape "fabric" wrong side up and vertically facing you.  Starting on the right side, fold the sides of the base in about 2 1/2 - 3 inches.

4.  The next part of the process is kind of like folding wrapping paper for a present.  Starting with the side closest to you fold it up into a triangle and use clear tape to tape it in place.

Repeat with the other side. 

Once I was done, I covered the triangle with 2-3 pieces of duct tape to secure it.  Follow the same process with the other end of your bag, and you will see it start to come together!

5.  Next, you will notice (DUH) that the ends of your bag are still flapping loose in the wind.  Not to worry!  Take out your ironing board and place your almost bag over the end like so:

 

6.  Run a piece of duct tape down the outside and inside of this seam.

...outside...

...inside...

7.  Do the same for both sides.  Now you are VERY close to being done!  The next steps are easy.  After I bound the bag together, I trimmed around the top to make sure everything was even.

8.  Then I cut out a piece of cardboard the length and width of the base and covered it with duck tape to make it sturdy.

9.  Next, I outlined the top in the turquoise.  I recommend cutting a small bit of tape at a time and going around the edge.  The longer the tape, the easier it is to mess up.  

10.  Then I folded over 2-3 strips of tape that were about 2 inches long and put them where I wanted my holes for my straps.  I marked the spot where I would cut with an X.  

...sorry about that glare!...

11.  Then I cut out a square.  Why a square?  It was just easier!  I suppose if you had grommetting capabilities, this would be a good time to put them to use.

12.  Then I strung my fun yellow cording through and double knotted the ends.  I added some sticky velcro for a closure.  All done!

This isn't the end of our handy tutorials, however.  Next, I will show you how I did 2 pockets on the inside, and then lastly...FLOWERS for the outside!

I love my bag.

I shared this craft HERE, and HERE.