How to make a t-shirt into a bag

By: Written by: Liz Keeney Photos by: Jarrett Stewart / Staff Writer | Staff Photographer

Posted on 18. Jan, 2012 in Magazine

If you’ve got old T-shirts you don’t wear anymore, you’ve got a few options for getting them out of your drawers. Donating is a good step, but if your shirts have some holes — or even if you just really loved a particular pattern — that might not be your best option. Thankfully, there’s something else you can do: Recycle them into T-shirt bags. These bags are easy to make, hold a lot of stuff and are eco-friendly.

You will need:

-an old T-shirt (I usually use old gym shirts since they tend to be larger and made from stronger material.)

-scissors

-sewing materials (If you have a sewing machine, use it. If not, a needle and thread will do the trick.)

Step 1: Lay the shirt out flat and smooth out the wrinkles.

Step 2: Cut off the sleeves.

Step 3: Cut off the collar/neck.

Step 4: Turn the shirt inside out and sew the bottom shut. I would definitely recommend using a machine for this step — it takes less time and the stitches will be stronger. If you can’t find one, hand sewing should work fine. Just be sure to reinforce your stitches.

Step 5 (optional): You can leave your bag as-is — I usually do — or you can make the bottom squared. Lay the bag flat so the bottom seam you just made faces up, and sew the ends so they form triangles.

Step 6: Trim the excess thread and turn your bag right-side out.