In my efforts to waste less and reuse more, I’ve tried to boycott plastic grocery bags. I know reusable grocery bags are the way to go, but I don’t want to spend money on a bunch of bags at the store. I buy a ton of groceries with all the men in my house, and would have to buy way too many bags! Instead, I knew I could figure out how to make my own! I ended up using old tee-shirts, which we have no shortage of!
Our family has a ton of these “event” t-shirts that are worn MAYBE once and then never see the light of day again. Sports teams, golf tournaments, 5 and 10K runs, family reunions, school spirit shirts, etc. Now I have a perfect use for them! With a couple of simple cuts with a pair of scissors and a quick seam on the sewing machine; you have a strong, washable, and re-usable tote bag! Great for groceries, library books, tennis balls, gym clothes or pool supplies – anything you need to carry!
First, start by turning the shirt inside-out and cutting off the sleeves. These will be your handles!
Next, cut off the neckline. This will be the opening of your tote.
Finally, with the shirt still inside-out, pin along the seam and sew one straight line on top of the seam. Sewing on the existing hem will make a stronger bag.
The first bag I made was with a XXL shirt, and the bag was indeed extra extra large!
I made a second bag with a smaller shirt and I made it even smaller by folding up the bottom of shirt. You still want to sew on the hem for extra reinforcement. Once the bottom has been sewed, cut off the extra fabric and voila! This tote bag was the perfect size!
I already have more than enough t-shirts in this house to make dozens of these bags, and I may just need that many! But with a project as easy and clever as this, I don’t mind getting my craft on! 🙂
