My Amazon order arrived the other day and I was very excited to check out my latest books. Knowing some of the projects already inside Handmade Beginnings, I opted to check out Upcycled Accessories: 25 Projects Using Repurposed Plastic first. Overall, I have to say the book is cleaver – other than making a tote or wallet, I never would have thought to repurpose a plastic bag into so many different items (hats, shower slippers and caddies, lunch sacks, and even plush toys). With that said, a majority of the items in the books still look like you’re wearing a Target checkout bag. Not that I have a problem looking a bit ‘kitch’ at times, but honestly, some of the projects looks as if you’re a hobo and you’ve made some makeshift shoes out of the plastic bags you found in a dumpster. In many cases, embellishment does not detract from the fact that your sewing material was once a carryout bag.
Now I’m not giving this book a thumbs down entirely. Even though a majority of the projects look ‘meh’, I think the look of your finished projects are dependent on several factors: 1) what project you choose – some of them are cute (like the shower caddy – I would have never known that this was made from plastic bags while the shower shoes are probably the ugliest things I have ever seen) and\or have ‘possibilities’ (like the bags inside the book), 2) the plastic bags you have available (if you have a store that has interesting logos, unique colors, etc. you could definitely make something that isn’t as distinctive as the Target circles), 3) how you choose (or not to) embellish the end project. It might also be worth a look if your organization, school, etc. is participating in some sort of Earth Day style activities, you’re looking for some original ideas to take to craft shows (because let’s face it, these would at least grab your attention if you saw them), or just wanting to do something original to do with your (older) kids. However, if you’re really looking for some cute projects that go beyond the plastic bags, I still recommend Betz White’s Sewing Green -I wonder if she’ll write another like this?