Take an old T-shirt....cut off the collar and sleeves, turn it inside-out and sew up the bottom....Voila! A grocery bag from a t-shirt! Cool idea! (MOPS craft)
Here is another tutorial for lined t-shirt totes:(from www.downtoearthnw.blog.com)
Anyhow, here’s the full tutorial for anyone who wants to go the extra mile:
You will need two T-shirts of the same size and basic sewing supplies. Decide which T-shirt will be on the exterior of the bag and which will be the lining.
Lay the exterior T-shirt flat on a table and cut off the sleeves, removing the seam that connected the sleeves to the body of the shirt. Also cut around the neckline, making that opening bigger as well. The shirt’s original shoulders will become the tote bag’s handles when you’re done.
Place the exterior shirt on top of your other shirt, which will be the bag’s lining. Follow the same steps, cutting off the sleeves and neckline of the second shirt, but leave about an inch more of the fabric than you did with the exterior shirt.
Now, place the lining shirt inside the exterior shirt, either with the logo facing out or in – it’s up to you. Line the shirts up as best you can, and then fold the lining fabric over the exterior fabric all along the old sleeve and neck openings. Fold the fabric over twice, pinning as you go, then sew.
Finally, turn the bag inside out and sew the bottoms of the shirts together. I rounded the sides so the bag would have a bubble effect and look less like a T-shirt.
Turn the bag right side out again and you’re ready to load it with Cheerios and bananas.
Want other ideas for transforming old T-shirts? There are several books available on what many people call “T-shirt surgery,” including: “Generation T: 108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt,” “99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim and Tie Your T-Shirt Into Something Special,” and “Sew Subversive: Down and Dirty DIY for the Fabulous Fashionista.”
Online, visit www.ohmystars.net/craft or community.livejournal.com/t_shirt_surgery for instructions and inspiration.
Can't wait to make some of these...who doesn't have old t-shirts around?! Even if you don't, thrift stores are full of them! Visited my mom today and she had bags of clothes that were given to her.....we went thru them, and I ended up getting a whole bag full of t-shirts to make into totes! The girls and I can't wait!
Also, saw an article (can't remember where) to take an old t-shirt, cut it from the bottom up, into circle strips....join as you would two rubber bands, then knit or crochet them together into a rag rug.
I am loving the creativity of reusing, remaking or otherwise "Thrifting"....I've always loved thrifting, but now that it is the "in thing" to do...there are tons of creative ideas everywhere! Happy Thrifting! ~Sue~
2 comments:
Wow - I was just 'heckling' my husband to try on and set aside all the many t's he's collected that no longer fit. I'd planned to send them to the thrift, but now, you've tempted me to perhaps consider doing something else with them. Hmmm, if only I could SEW!
Great post - I'm glad I came by!
~ Barb
Glad you came by, too! My husband is the KING of t-shirts....we still have a box in the attic from the 70's he refuses to part with! And..you don't need to sew...my daughter made one yesterday, and to use as grocery bags, they don't need to be works of art...just sew up the bottom, cut off the sleeves and you are done. It worked very quickly. Who doesn't have an excess of t-shirts?! Have a blessed day! ~Sue~
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