Crochet Plastic Bags into a Durable Shopping Tote

JoAnne Russo is a real basket case. She’s also a bag lady. No, she’s not messed up and destitute, and I’m not insulting her. She’s a professional and highly talented basket maker and artist from Saxton’s River, VT.

She’s been weaving baskets for  over 20 years, and just last summer began teaching folks how to crochet durable purses, zipper pouches, and shopping bags from used plastic bags.

We hope that you are saying “neither” when asked the “paper or plastic” questions. But if you have a supply of those lightweight plastic grocery bags and want to “Upcycle” them into a really neat, durable reusable shopping bag - JoAnne will show you how.

Start with a nice clean bag- these things are everywhere!


Fold it in half, then in quarters,


Cut off the top and the bottom and fold again into eighths and then sixteenths…..


Then cut the bag into one inch sections.


You’ll have little bag loops that you can then loop together into long strands, like you would if you made a rubber band chain…

This becomes your “yarn” for the crocheting project. You can even roll it into balls!

Get a crochet hook and go to town.

For detailed instructions on how to crochet, we’ve included this video:



Once you’ve crocheted a nice flat piece like this, you can fold it in half and crochet the sides together, add a zipper or crochet handles for it.

Pretty soon - or after 42,367 hours, you’ll have a whole collection of bags. Better get started now for holiday and birthday gifts. Note how different colored bags are woven together for patterns, just like yarn. These bags will last a long time, but in use, rather than in a landfill. Another waste to resources success story!  Check out JoAnne’s blog or her basket website. Those holidays are closer than you think!

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