August 28, 2012

No-Sew 10 Minute T-Shirt Bag

Did you know that about 100 billion plastic bags are used annually in the US alone and only about 2% of them are recycled? Check it out at www.droptheplasticbag.org.

It's a scary statistic but we can all do small things to help our earth! Using reusable bags or totes is a very easy way to do your part. It is a great alternative to buying reusable bags or taking merchandise home in plastic bags from stores and much more fashionable! They are durable and will last a long time.

Everyone at some time or another has probably had an old t-shirt that they didn't need or like anymore. Instead of tossing it make it into a reusable tote in about 10 minutes.

All you will need is an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors.

You can use a short or a long sleeved t-shirt. It won't matter since you will be cutting the sleeves off anyway.

Lay your t-shirt out on a flat work surface. Using a sharp pair of scissors cut the sleeves off of your t-shirt.

You can use a large bowl and draw around it on your fabric to get a nice rounded scoop shape or just eyeball it and cut the scoop. I just eyeballed it.



At the bottom of the shirt cut slits about every inch through both layers (length will depend on the size of the shirt so you will have to make the call) long enough that you will be able to tie them twice. Remember the shirt will stretch with weight so try to make sure your tote isn't going to hang to your feet with filled with goodies!

Keep the slits lined up and starting with one end tie the aligning front and back pieces together in double knots until you have done the entire row.


If you don't want the knots to show you can tie them on the inside for a less fringed look.

This step is optional but I chose to cut small strips of extra fabric and tie small knots on the tops of the handles for a more decorative look.


The tote is finished and ready to use! Go shopping!

2 comments:

  1. This is genius! Thanks for your tutorial, I'll make some bags from my favorite shirts :D

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks for sharing! definitely trying it out to make some room in my dresser :)

    ReplyDelete