Over the years I've seen lots of great recycled bags made from gum wrappers and chip bags. Some require folding modular units, which is more time than I'm willing to put in. But now that I've learned to sew, I'm able to attempt ones that don't require much more than a zipper, thread and maybe some edging.
I've been practicing making easy center-zip pouches for the past month using this tutorial (minus the quilting). I have lots of pretty fabrics to play around with, but there's something very satisfying about making something out of well....trash. I was about to throw this rice bag out this morning, but realized it was a nice thick sturdy plastic, not too dirty and had no holes. I cut it into 2 sheets, making sure to include as much of the graphics as possible, washed them and started sewing it like any other pouch. Make sure you're using a strong enough needle. I used a 1/2" seam allowance all the way around. Final dimensions are 7.5" x 6.75."
It's only slightly trickier to sew than regular fabric because it's very slick and might slip while you're sewing. I didn't want to use lots of pins or I'd make too many permanent holes. The other problem is your plastic becomes quite crinkled from having to turn it inside out. I may attempt to use a very cool iron with a piece of cloth on top to smooth it out, unless someone has any other suggestions. One benefit over fabric versions of this pouch is that it's rigid enough to have some dimension, even with nothing in it, instead of lying completely flat.
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