DH was going through his closet finally-moving winter stuff out and tossing some ratty old turtlenecks and long sleeve T-shirts. I looked at the pile and thought...hmm, grocery shopping bags?These have to be the easiest bags ever! Sorry I didn't think to take pictures but here's what I did. I simply turned the shirt inside out, cut with my rotary cutter just below the sleeves, pinned and sewed with an overlock stitch the bottom seam of the bag. (If I had been using my old machine, I just would have sewed the seam and then zigzagged on the cut edge.) Body of the bag-finished..you can see on this pix how nice the top of the bag is finished-that's because its the bottom of the shirt! LOL!
Then I cut a strip from a different shirt (one in even worse shape!-how does he get those holes?) for the handles...one strip was enough for both handles. I cut off the seams and had my two handles. I ironed on iron-on interfacing so there wouldn't be too much stretch in the handles, folded the cut edges in towards the center, folded it all in half lengthwise and sewed right on the edge of the double fold. Added the handles to the bag body and that was it! A finished grocery bag!
Then I cut a strip from a different shirt (one in even worse shape!-how does he get those holes?) for the handles...one strip was enough for both handles. I cut off the seams and had my two handles. I ironed on iron-on interfacing so there wouldn't be too much stretch in the handles, folded the cut edges in towards the center, folded it all in half lengthwise and sewed right on the edge of the double fold. Added the handles to the bag body and that was it! A finished grocery bag!DH is a pretty big guy so all the shirts were either Large or X-large...this bag came out huge. I'm not sure how well it will work as a grocery bag (it may be too big!) but it's great for holding all the other grocery bags!
I'm linking to Finished for Friday at Lit and Laundry, Sew and Tell at Amylouwho and Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest. Hop on over there and see the terrific finishes for this week...lots more interesting stuff than grocery bags I'm sure!
I'm linking to Finished for Friday at Lit and Laundry, Sew and Tell at Amylouwho and Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest. Hop on over there and see the terrific finishes for this week...lots more interesting stuff than grocery bags I'm sure!
26 comments:
How clever!!
Great recycling idea. Love it, much better than what i usually do with hubbies tattered t shirts-dusters!!!
Great way to upcycle! I love how you reinforced the straps. Does it stretch much when weighted down with groceries? I'm very interested in trying this! Happy Sewing! :)
Great recycling idea! My granddaughter would also love them for carting stuff around the house - she's always stealing my purses! (She's 2!)
Good idea for the lighter groceries; I wouldn't carry too many milks and juices in it. Making a slightly smaller bag only requires one side seam with the overlocker next time, when you have tested the bag for ideal width.
They are cool! I was wondering whether to do that. :)
Great idea! I've been wondering what to do with all those old t-shirts of my husbands:)
Great idea...I'd love to have one of these or two in the car, fill it with the grocery bags from the store, and then carry more sacks inside the house at once.....save trips!
Great project....you are so creative girl!!
great idea! and looks so easy to make too.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/
way fun bags that are a favorite of mine-repurposed! very clever and very conservationist!
What a neat idea! Too bad I just packed a bunch of old shirts off to Goodwill recently. Will keep it in mind for the future, though.
Great way to recycle up! Very handy. Does it keep it's shape very well?
What a great idea! I've been wanting to do this, but I shop for seven people, which means that I always have a LOT of bags. I don't think I can carry that many totes with me to the grocery. Perhaps I'll save these kinds of things for those last-minute incidentals.
Cute idea! I love taking my special bags in when shopping.
Wow! Nice repurposing! And the best part is the bag is washable!
What a terrific way to recycle! Very creative. I would have never looked at an old t-shirt and thought "grocery bag". Way to go!
OOh! I love those bags. Great idea.
These are great! I have a husband who has a lot of trouble getting rid of old t-shirts; maybe I can work something out with him with this. :-) I love reusable grocery bags; not the papery ones that they sell at the grocery store, but real fabric ones; you can fit so much into them, and if they get dirty, you just toss them in the washer! Yours look great, and I bet you'll get a lot of comments on them at the store. :-)
great idea! I'll be saving my xtra tshirts!
What a great idea! :o)
Great idea, and I know a drawer that could lost a few t-shirts!
I've always wondered what do with old t-shirts. I love this idea!
Nice Idea! To strengthen your bottom seam you might want to try a french seam. I made a similar bag and am now wishing I had done a french seam on mine. Great way to recycle.
What a fabulous idea!
Great idea to use up some old T shirts, I usually save them for cleaning, they are great for glass, stainless steel etc.
Great way to upcycle t-shirts! Love it. Thanks for sharing!
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