Jocelynn Brown: Handmade

Dearborn crafter sticks to duct tape for projects

Natalie Bandele of Dearborn is stuck on crafting recycled products. She makes wallets, purses, checkbook covers and laptop totes out of Better Made potato chip bags and duct tape.

She got the idea for crafting with the sticky, multipurpose vinyl several years ago after watching a program on MTV about a young woman who had made her prom dress out of duct tape.

Bandele says she didn't "necessarily want to wear it (duct tape)," but knew she could use it to make a lot of practical items. At first, she made everything completely out of duct tape, but got more creative after learning ways to enhance her uniquely crafted accessories with bags and labels from popular products.

"Someone told me about the Capri Sun bag purses," recalls Bandele, who couldn't resist incorporating the colorful juice drink labels into her line of fun accessories. She also uses labels from Faygo soda bottles and boxes.

Bandele sells her duct tape items under the name Native Soul Designs, a recycled crafts company she started in 2004 geared toward "taking recycling and duct tape to new heights."

She spends eight to nine hours a day, five days a week, crafting her unique fashion accessories in her "sweat shop." Last year, she shared her duct tape crafting skills with preteens at a summer camp.

Bandele's Detroit-related wallets and purses are sold at DTours Detroit inside the Compuware Building in downtown Detroit. Now through mid-December, she'll be selling her entire line of products on Saturdays at Eastern Market near the intersection of Russell and Wilkins streets. Prices range from $3 for a coin purse to $60 for a laptop bag.

Better Made cardholder

Level: Beginner

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Tools: Scissors, X-Acto knife, ruler

Supplies: 1 ounce Better Made potato chip bag, a roll of 2-inch wide Duck Tape brand duct tape in two colors of choice, two small, round pieces of Velcro

Instructions

1. Use scissors to cut sides and bottom of bag open. Turn front face down. (Discard back of bag.)

2. Cover back of bag completely with duct tape. Trim away any excess tape along all edges of bag.

3. For trim, overlap outside of bag (only top and bottom at this point) with a 1/4- inch border of duct tape around entire bag.

4. Repeat step 3, using second color of tape, leaving about 1/8 inch of first color showing.

5. Now fold bottom of bag up 2 1/2 inches.

6. Cut two 2 1/2 -inch pieces of tape for closure.

7. Fold each piece in half (with adhesive side up). Place one piece on each side of tape inside wallet to seal inside/outside of cardholder.

8. For side trim, measure and cut a 4 1/2 -inch piece of tape. Use X-Acto knife to cut tape into nine 1/2 -inch strips.

9. Cover both sides of cardholder with strips. Use scissors to trim away uneven edges.

10. Place a piece of Velcro at each end on the underside of the top/flap. Now press cardholder to close.

Contact Native Soul at nativesouldesigns.com or natalie.bandele@gmail.com.

Detroit News staffer Jocelynn Brown is a longtime Metro Detroit crafter who knits, crochets, beads and makes soft-sculpture dolls. You can reach her at jbrown@detnews.com or visit her blog at detnews.com/craftblog.