How to Make a Hello Kitty Duct Tape Tote |Duct Tape Girls

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We’re delighted to have a guest post today from a girl who sells her duct tape bags on Etsy.

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So before I start a duct tape project, I usually have an idea of what I want it to look like. I think about what theme I’m trying to convey, what colors would go best, and how much of each color I should use. Don’t misunderstand me, though, because I’m not a very organized person. A few sketches here and there are usually all I need to get started.

My most popular bag is always my Hello Kitty bag. The inspiration for this one isn’t very hard to figure out.

This bag starts like most duck tape bags do—as a sheet
I make a sheet at the desired length with my Hello Kitty duct tape, and trim the rough off the side using a utility knife and a ruler (that way the edges are nice and straight and clean). Then I fold it in half and tape the edges together so that it looks like a giant pocket. It’s important that both sides of the edges get taped together, because with one strip of tape securing the seam of the bag, it could get ripped very easily.

Before putting the handles on
or anything else you want to put the front picture on (in this case, I have Hello Kitty’s face on the front of my bag), I accomplish this by layering strips of duct tape sticky side down on my mat. Stick them so that they just barely overlap each other to form a sort of one-sided sheet with one sticky side and one regular side (like a giant sticker). I want to cut out a shape that looks like Hello Kitty’s face, so I use white. Once I’m done forming my giant sticker on my mat, I draw out the desired shape (kitty face) and simply cut along the lines I drew with my utility knife, therefore making it not just a giant white duct tape sticker, but a giant white kitty face sticker. I don’t actually draw the outline of Hello Kitty’s face every time though. Because I make a lot of these bags, I made myself a traceable template out of card stock which just makes things way easier each time I do a Hello Kitty bag now. To finish her face I use all my handmade templates to carve out her eyes, bow and whiskers (using different colors, of course). After I’ve assembled Hello Kitty’s face, I slowly peel her off my mat and center her onto my bag that still only looks like a giant pocket.

Now that the decorative part of the bag is done
I cover it (the Hello Kitty face) in clear duct tape. You don’t have to cover it clear, but if you don’t, than the little pieces (i.e. whiskers, eyes, nose) will most likely curl up after time and fall off, which is disappointing, and could get creepy (one-eyed kitty with two whiskers).

To add handles to the bag
I cut slits on either side of “the pocket” and make sure they’re an equal distance apart for evenness. I create the handles by following the steps to making a sheet, but only using two strips. I usually feed the handle through the slot I cut and make a loop, taping it off around the top to ensure sturdiness. Then, to really make sure the handles stay put, I tape back over the loop part on the bag with the color (Hello Kitty pattern) I used on the bag. You may also see in the picture that there’s a pocket in the front of the bag. This optional, but I always like having a front pocket for smaller things.

Doing a pocket is really easy
All you have to do is cut a slit in the front where you want the pocket, and then tape a duct tape sheet inside the bag right under that slit. Make sure all the sides of the duct tape sheet are taped securely because these are the sides of your pocket.

Now that the handles are on and the pocket’s in place
The only thing left to do, is make the giant flat-looking thing into a three-dimensional tote. I take the edge of the first corner and flatten it so that the two edges of the 90 degree angled corner are now touching each other. It still looks like a triangle. Then, I just fold the triangle under to make the side of the flat bag now have an edge. I do the same to the other side making sure the side edge is the same length as the other. Now the bag is a three-dimensional tote. I like to cover the bottom in a different color just to make it look fancy.