Working With Cereal Bags

There have been some questions about cereal bags and how they can be used. I will try to both show and explain how this found material can be reused in crafty projects. 

In a previous blog post I showed a way I made pockets for use in a junk journal. Here is a link to that post.  https://madelinesthoughts.blogspot.com/2020/08/junk-journal-my-way.html

Several years ago I had seen an article in the magazine, Cloth,Paper, Scissors using cereal bags for journals. There also have been articles and videos around for some time showing the fusing of plastic bags for repurposed projects. Some ideas still can be found on the web, so search away to see what you can find. For myself, after reading and watching what I could, I felt it was just time to experiment and see where it leads me. 

READ FIRST BEFORE WORKING WITH CEREAL BAGS:

Now there are tips to working with materials like the cereal bags that need to be considered before beginning. 

• Always cover ironing surface with something like a non-stick, heat resistant sheet of some type when fusing cereal bags, no matter the content layered inside. 
• Use a non-stick material to cover the cereal bag layers for fusing. I use parchment paper or backing sheets from fusible products for sewing or release sheets from double sided adhesives.
• Open the seams on the bags and wipe the inner surface with a paper towel to remove any residue from the product. 
• Trim away any raggedy edges with scissors or rotary cutter or utility knife.
  
  
  
  
  
• I have an iron designated for projects like this. Never place the iron directly onto the top layer of he bags. IT WILL MELT AND STICK TO THE IRON. 
• Temperature settings could vary, but using the wool setting is a good starting point. After some experimenting and depending on the iron itself the temperature might need to be increased or even decreased. (Techniques like these sometimes just need some “trial and errors”.)
• IMPORTANT: These cereal bags are a plastic product. Plastic can emit fumes! It would be a good idea to work in a well ventilated area and wear a mask when fusing. 

Almost any items can be inserted between the sheets for fusing. Again, search for information online. A good article is the one I mentioned above that is found in the summer 2013 issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors. It was by Kristen Robinson.

To add color also took some experimenting. Experiments can be messy! I have used a variety of coloring products to the bags before fusing. I’ve used different paints an inks. Crayon shavings are a possibility that I have not yet tried but were suggested in some info I found. ***I have stayed clear of using alcohol inks.***

As mentioned above, adding the paint for color can be messy! The mess comes from the amount of paint used onto the inside and how it spreads when encased in the two layers. TIP: I placed the layers cereal bags between paper towels to press out excess paint before fusing. TIP: The paints can be brushed or moved around the surface of the bottom bag before covering and allowed to dry slightly before fusing.  It’s best to spread the paint and not have any puddles.

These two photos are examples of adding and mixing colors and different paints. The process of fusing the paints between to layers of bag ended with a piece with a good amount of color BUT much of the paint was pressed out around the edges of the entire piece. Like I mentioned it can be messy!

Here is another fused colored piece showing the difference in the amount of paint and coloring added and the fused results. Still somewhat messy, but not as bad as the yellow sheet.

 It seems that I haven’t been able to find detailed instructions on adding color between the layers of the cereal bags. Most instructions are for adding snippets of paper and threads.  When it comes to adding color it was left to experimenting.  I tried various paint products. It’s probably best to brush it on or sponge it on and possibly allow it to dry some before fusing the layers together.  If using too much paint, it can spread too much and leaks out around the edges. 

When pressing the layers together with the iron, allow it to cool slightly before lifting. Expect wrinkles after fusing and uneven movement of the paints. After the layered pieces cool and stiffen, they can be die-cut.

 If it happens that any of the edges of the die-cut pieces seem to come apart, place them between non-stick materials and press again lightly with an iron.