Book Review- Upcycled Accessories

Upcycled Accessories ---> 25 Projects Using Repurposed Plastic by Tracie Lampe is my kind of craft book. Repurposing is always a better idea than sending something off to be recycled and this book is all about fusing plastic bags to make a tough sewable fabric to make accessories out of.
The basic process is explained well on the internet, this book takes it up the next step. The author explains how to use different types of plastic and other materials to create some very sophisticated effects, her new directions with the idea will inspire more ideas for most crafters and upcyclers. She also explains how best to paint your new creations and how to sew the plastic. The 25 projects include toys, coasters, wallets and lots of other ideas including patterns for some really neat looking hats.
I think my favorite project in the whole book is the Shower Essentials Caddy, it's a waterproof caddy for the shower which would make a great spa type gift for a friend. It's very easily customized to the colors and preferences of whoever you are making it for and utilizes my favorite of the authors techniques.
My daughter, who is an avid repurposer, loves the cute silver robot toy which is stuffed with more bags which makes excellent use of scraps too small to work with, it's an adorable blocky robot with a bright red heart.
Great book for using with small children as long as you do the fusing and sewing, they can paint the finished items to make special items for family. For teens like my daughter, it's a great thrifty and green alternative for crafting and learning sewing skills. Some of the projects can use the things she finds when we walk in the summer as well, combining upcycling with found art very nicely.

I do recommend using a thrift store iron for fusing bags. It's what I do. If you're like me and have been using cloth bags since before it was popular, friends are a great source of plastic bags.
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