5 Crafty Ways to Upcycle Mesh Produce Bags

There are two times each year (once when the local onions are at their peak (and therefore at their cheapest), and once when the non-local oranges are also in-season somewhere) when our family seems to have plastic mesh produce bags coming out of our ears. Unlike the paper or even the occasional plastic bags that end up with us that we easily re-use or recycle, these mesh produce bags seem to have no other destination but the trash.

If you do a little research, however, which I was eventually fed up enough to do, you will discover that plastic mesh produce bags are an excellent crafting material. They’re versatile, easy to craft with, and can be used for a variety of durable and useful projects. There are tons of projects around that use these bags, and tons more that I know you’ll invent for yourself, but here are five exceptionally good craft projects to get you started:

My little girl was desperate for one of those puffy polyester clown wigs before I made her this colorful yarn clown wig from a mesh produce bag. She was thrilled! With a latch hook and the right color of stash yarn, you can make a wig for your own little Rapunzels and Pippi Longstockings, and every other hairstyle in between.

I have a friend who upcycles plastic grocery bags into dish scrubbers using her crochet hook, but dish scrubbers crocheted from mesh produce bags, like these from Christi at Going Green Crafters and Artists, are even scrubbier, while remaining scratch-free and safe on all your cookware and countertops.

[This image is the property of Christi at Going Green Crafters and Artists.]

Mesh produce bags are produced in colors that are often quite lovely, especially if paired appropriately with other materials in complementary colors or textures.

The D.I.Y. gift wrap ideas using repurposed mesh produce bags, courtesy of Creature Comforts, are all simple to create and gorgeous to look at.

[The image on this page is the property of Creature Comforts.]

Since mesh produce bags are sturdy and washable, they’re also a terrific choice for kids’ crafts. When Let’s Go Fly a Kite made ballerina finger puppets, mesh produce bags were the perfect material to use for the ballerinas’ tulle tutus.

[The image on this page is the property of Let’s Go Fly a Kite.]

At The Mother Lode, when a kid wants a tree house, a treehouse is what the kid gets–a magical mini tree house, that is!

One of the reasons that this mini tree house is so magical is that it includes natural and recycled elements, from the real tree branches that make up the house to the garage sale toy fence and the doll’s hammock made from a mesh produce bag.

[The image on this page is the property of The Mother Lode.]