Wallpaper Purse

Rachel, of Rayela's Fiber Focus, made this amazing purse--a true work of art.

It is created using the traditional method for weaving candy wrappers or chip bags, except she utilized sample pieces of wallpaper.
The blog post includes how-to information.

I hope you're inspired to try this method.
Call it folk art, or tramp art, or a rediscovered recycling craft...
I just call it gorgeous.

If you're interested in purchasing a how-to video on weaving candy wrappers, one is available by The Candy Wrapper King.
He says, "I just used upolstery thread and a homemade plastic "flat" needle. It's actually fairly simple once you know how."
(note, I have not seen the video, so am not endorsing it, but am giving you the information if you are interested)

Candy wrapper (or chip bag) Purse tutorial!

Thank you to Nannybird Crafts for the heads up:
Mylinda has been kind enough to provide a tutorial for making woven bags out of potato chip bags. Excellent information!
Find it here.

More ideas

Before I get to other ideas with fabric and what might inspire you to be creative with your tea towel, I need to pause and continue my info about gum wrappers.

I love to edit my posts. I tend to go back to them and add more details, and I have done that with the gum wrapper post...until I realized you guys who have read it probably won't realize I do that...
So take a glance at that post again, and I'll just add some more details here.

I was cruising ebay and came across this (by seller zaz4300)

Isn't it cool?
Not woven, but oh so fun--it's package tape and gum wrappers!

She says, "It was made by making a pattern from paper, then making each side separately, fitting them together, re-enforcing everything, and then putting in the grommets for the strap, and other details."

She sent me a pic of other bags she has made:


Along the same lines, I love this bar code bag (by Uncommon Goods, or sold by Gifts.com



Okay, now let's get back to the theme at hand.
I figure maybe designs out on the market might get your juices flowing.
Like this:

Cute satchel from J Jill.
I like the idea of mixing fabrics like this--of using more than one tea towel design and or calendars.

Perhaps combine tea towels with different fabric scraps--it's a great way to use your stash.
Maybe add funky texture with chenille, flocked fabric, cordoroy, etc.
Or in my case, this is the perfect model for a bag made out of neckties.
But that's yet another theme down the road.
Boy do I have themes swirling around in my head...

I'll post more ideas for working with tea towels soon.

Purses made from candy wrappers, etc

I was going to wait to post this until the challenge involved unusual materials, but I've had a couple requests to post the information now.

One of the ultimate recycling projects, is utilizing things like potato chip bags, magazine pages, or candy wrappers to construct a purse.
There are several techniques to do this, even as simple as basic decoupage.

Or the next step would be a simple weaving technique.
Most of you have probably seen simple ribbon weaving in projects, so just take this idea but use paper.
This technique may have originated from Mexican paper weaving, or from Polynesian weaving of palm fronds, etc.

Some fun examples:

A purse made from woven magazine strips, for sale at Wonders of the World.


Awesome tote woven from newspaper by Uncommon Goods (this site so totally rocks).

Newspaper and Duct tape bag on craftster.

Small wallets woven from junk mail, available for purchase at Junk Mail Gems.

Same technique here, but Carol Duvall made placemats and napkin rings, using wrapping paper.

But take this all one step further, with folding and more intricate weaving, and you've moved into the realm of folk art.

Silver Utra bag by Ecoist, made from woven candy wrappers.
Hard to believe, huh?
Ecoist constructs these by hand, using recycled materials used to make candy wrappers, food packages, and soft drink labels--stuff that would normally wind up in a landfill.
With each bag sold, they plant a tree.


Checkered baguette from Sweetie Purse.

This technique of weaving cigarette packs or candy wrappers into objects is referred to as Tramp Art, or sometimes Prison Art.


Purse woven from Kools cigarette packs, by Leland Dodd.
More info here.


(click photo to enlarge. Note the tramp art link above carries this same image, along with another from a different booklet)
This how-to is from a vintage booklet called Gum Wrapper Sculpture.

Or the same info is here.

Or, if you prefer an online tutorial, here's one from Cut out and Keep, for making a candy wrapper bracelet.

It's interesting to note that the word 'trash' in Spanish is basura. Basura Bags makes bags woven from chip bags off the streets of Honduras.

More info here.

The organization Grupedsac is helping poor Mexican families become self sufficient through selling purses woven from candy wrappers, potato chip bags, and cookie packages.

More info here.

Similar product by Georger Vargas.

Candy wrapper purses also available at It's our Earth, Global Folks, Nahui Ollin, and a multitude of other places, including any of stores within the Museums of Modern Art.