Reusable lunch bag...foul tip?

A couple months ago I attempted to make a reusable lunch bag by fusing together the many plastic grocery bags I've accumulated, and then sewing the pieces together. I had seen this tutorial and thought it seemed like the perfect way to make more permanent use of what otherwise would be thrown away. And while the project technically worked out okay, it was a little too small, and not the most aesthetically pleasing. In fact, it kind of looked like a diaper.

Over the weekend I made a second attempt.

Much better, I think! However, it still is not perfect.


For one thing, while it is now large enough to actually fit a lunch (including tupperware), it is not quite the right shape. It would be more effective if it had a larger, flat bottom so that the containers can sit level, something that had not occurred to me before. (As Dave has said, it's fine unless he wants to bring some soup...that would definitely leak if turned on its side.)


More importantly though, I had covered the colorful plastic with a layer of clear plastic for fear of the inks running all over the place, and I found that the clear stuff really didn't work that well. It was difficult to fuse and when it finally did it melted quite a bit and tore when I tried to remove the piece of paper that I had placed between the plastic and the iron. (See next to the man's head.) This tearing makes it a little less sturdy, but also looks kind of crappy.

So with all that I have learned, I think--hope--that the next attempt will be a winner. But this one certainly works for now.