Noelle - Day 107 (Paper Bag Tutorial 1)

So um...paper bag?  What?
I was really bored the other day, so I decided - "you know what, I'm going to make a bag out of all recycled materials.  That sounds fun."  Well, it didn't really happen that way, but you know, we're just going to gloss over that part.

I made a purse out of three sheets of paper, 15 little Zits comic strip daily-calender thingies, roller glue (I suppose you could use tape but that wouldn't be as strong) and some other supplies.  Click the link below to the first part of the tutorial!

How to make a recycled purse (Step 1)

You'll need:

• Scissors
• Roller glue (or some other quick-drying adhesive)
• Paper (you'll need a bunch to make the weave, maybe 10 sheets? and then three for the rest of the bag)
• A ¼ inch hole punch
• String
• If you want a special strap, that too.  I just used string.

Step 1: 

1. 

   So I'm using these little Zits comics thingies, so let's cut those into halves, then strips.

   
   

   

   The strips turned out to be about a ¼ to  a ½ in tall and three inches across.  If your paper has particular colors, cut and sort them by those colors.

   
   

   

   That's a better look at the strip length.

   
   

   

   That's all the various piles.  The ones to the right are one intact comic

   
   

   

   So for the "base" of your weave, use just some regular printer paper.  You'll probably only need one for every "sheet"" of weave that you do.

   
   

   

   So these just ain't long enough to go across a sheet of paper or even down.

   
   

   

   I made it so that it's two of these babies across and three down.

   
   

   

   See?

   
   

   

   I will warn you, when cutting paper, it will tend to splay if you do more than one at once.  And that will make you very mad.

   
   

   

   Three across for vertical strips, and two across for horizontal.

   
   

   

   Don't be a perfectionist!  It's better if its not totally accurate.

   
   
   
   
   

   

   Cut a fairly wide base, then set the rest of the paper aside.

   
   

   

   I would suggest NOT doing what I did and putting the strips right up against the edge.

   
   

   

   And now the next one...

   
   
   
   

   

   And now continue on till you're done!  (Mine was ten across)

   
   

   

   Now start gluing down the other ones.  I would suggest NOT doing it like I did actually.  Do one at a time, weave, then move on the the next one.  It makes things SO much easier.

   
   

   

   
   

   
   

   

   And begin weaving...

   
   

   

   It's paper, so it's not going to want to cooperate.  Work with it and keep weaving.  It will eventually work, I promise.
   
   And...fudge.  My camera battery died, so now you're going to have to wait for the next part of the tutorial.  Sorry!
   
   *I would like to add that Zits and all associated characters are @2013 of the Zits Partnership, and that I used their artwork to create this bag.  :)