Capri Sun Tote

I saw this website on the box of Capri Suns: http://www.terracycle.net/ where they buy your empty trash to recycle it into different products.  I saw a Capri Sun pencil case and backpack.  I thought it was a pretty cool idea, and I love making something great out of trash, so I've been saving my son's empty Capri Suns to make my own little pencil case.

I thought of making a whole tutorial, but there are good pencil case tutorials already out there, and I'll show you how I made my trash into "fabric". Then you can use them for whichever pencil case you like the best.
Here's just a few tutorial to choose from.
http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/2007/11/post-92-pencil-case-tutorial.html
http://madquilter.blogspot.com/2009/01/humbug-pencil-case-tutorial.html
http://gluegunannie.com/?p=227
http://londonmummy.typepad.com/london_mummy/2008/10/sewing-tutorial---lined-pencil-case-or-pouch-with-central-zipper.html

First I cut of the top and one side, rinsed it out, and cut through the bottom.  I chose to just cut off the bottom of the pouch, so I could use the whole pouch front, rather than cutting it short.

For my pouch I needed a total of 5 Capri Suns. 

2 for each side

1 cut in half for the bottom

I sewed them right sides together, using 1/4" seam allowance. 

At this point I had a front and a back and the bottom.  But the other side that wasn't sewn, had the lip of the pouch sticking up.  So I laid the front of the pouch flat, folding the lip on the plain silver "back" of the pouch.  I zig-zagged each lip down, making the 4 sections one flat piece.

Rather than lining my pencil case, I just basted lining to each piece.  So I cut a piece of red flannel the same size of each Capri Sun strip.  I sewed the red on the back, guiding right on the edge of the Capri Sun package.

 So you can use the Capri Sun's like a very stiff fabric in your favorite pencil case tutorial.  I even serged it later for mine and it was just fine. 

Kind of fun way to recycle potential land fill waste, and have a sturdy little tote!

I've been thinking of all the other uses you could find for empty Capri Sun pouches.