Shopping bags are hardly considered stylish accessories, but I have to admit, mine are cute and unique. Completing two weeks of serious and ruthless closet cleaning left me with a stack of clothes that didn’t qualify for the normal “rag, donate, or save-for-weight-loss piles.” I couldn’t toss out Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary shirt or my “Art Breaks the Rules” t-shirt. And what was I going to do with the rainbow-colored tie-dyed shirts I made with my kids? I thought to myself, “What would Martha Stewart do? What would she do with all of these colorful, well-constructed and memorable t-shirts?” Instantly, I knew! Recalling an episode from her show, I set out to make shopping bags from t-shirts. After about 30 minutes, I’d recycled my t-shirts into sturdy, machine washable and definitely unique-looking shopping bags. It’s a win-win situation: no need to use store bags, no harmful materials used to make these reusable bags, and no additional waste went to landfills!
T-Shirt Bag
Adapted from directions by Martha Stewart
Tools and Materials:
Heavy-weight cotton t-shirts
Pins
Sewing machine
Medium-sized bowl, plate, or pot lid
Water-erasable marking pen or tailor’s chalk
Fabric scissors
Instructions:
Turn t-shirt inside out and pin bottom of t-shirt along the hem. Using a sewing machine, sew the bottom of t-shirt closed. For additional strength, sew a line parallel to the one just sewn.
Turn t-shirt right side out and lay flat on table. Place medium-sized bowl (or plate or pot lid) about half way over the neck hole. Using a water-erasable marker or tailor’s chalk, trace along edge of bowl.
Cut along the outline, making sure to go through the front and back layers of the shirt.
Lay shirt flat on a table and line up the hems on the front and back side of the sleeve and cut the sleeve off on the outside of the armhole stitching, making sure to cut through both layers of fabric. Repeat with the other sleeve.
Your bag is now complete.
HAPPY SHOPPING!
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