diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 03f3541..dd9e346 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ impl <'a> LuaPattern<'a> {
     }
 
     pub fn as_str(self) -> String {
-        String::from_utf8_lossy(self.patt)
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(self.patt).to_string()
     }
 
     /// Match a slice of bytes with a pattern