Heat shrinkable handle bag article

A heat shrinkable bag with an integral handle forming portion comprising:

• a) generally rectangular front and rear bag panels of a thermoplastic, heat shrinkable film superimposed and laying flat one against the other, said panels being generally symmetrical about a longitudinal midline;
• b) a transverse heat seal joining said panels, said heat seal defining the closed bottom of said bag;
• c) each of said superimposed panels extending from said heat seal to provide a skirt along said closed bottom which is two plies thick over its entire extent;
• d) said skirt having a slit which extends transverse said longitudinal midline, the opposite ends of said slit being arcuate and curved inwards towards said heat seal;
• e) said slit being cold cut through both of said plies for a major portion of the slit length such that said panels along said major portion are loose and unsealed one from another;
• f) said arcuate slit ends each being hot cut through both of said panels such that said panels along said arcuate ends are fused one to another;
• and
• g) said skirt upon the heat shrinking of the bag about a product sealed therein being biaxially shrinkable to form a bag carrying handle wherein said slit forms a hand opening for said carrying handle and a portion of said panels along said cold cut length shrinking and curling back over said plies to form a relatively smooth appearing handle edge.