This project is a combination of recycled plastic techniques. I combined crochet with plarn and fusing plastic.

The photos are showing the basic steps. The first photo is the finished item showing how it almost has a stained glass effect (sorry for the lousy photo).

1) create the crocheted object- in this case stars (using the Ellen Bloom, Garland of Stars pattern. This pattern was easily adaptable into creating either a five point or six point star). Place newspaper and then a white sheet of paper on the surface you will be ironing on. Arrange the motifs so that the right sides are face down.

2) Cover the motif with the sheet of plastic. Using a newspaper bag here, which has been folded. This gives 4 layers to fuse onto the motif.

3) Place a white piece of paper over the plastic bag. (You are sandwiching the plastic between paper to prevent damage to the iron and the surface). I use a small travel iron set at medium. The ironing only takes a few seconds (less than 30). Make sure to keep the iron moving across the motifs. Don’t iron too long or the motifs will melt. (Better to iron a short period and check, then iron again if you need the plastic to adhere better). Let things cool a bit before you start to handle them. Peel away the top paper.

4) On the wrong side of the motif you should be able to see where it has adhered to the plastic bag.

5) After it has cooled a bit, flip it over. Peel away the bottom sheet of paper. If you have not ironed too long, you should be able to see crocheted motifs clearly. They should not be too flat.

6) Cut the excess plastic bag away and you will have a nice ornament. Once fully cool they should be stiff. The plastic will shrink a little. If they shrink and curve, place them between the paper and iron briefly (10 seconds), then set a book or another flat heavy object on top and let them cool completely. They should be nice and flat after that.