No-Sew T-Shirt Tote Bags

Crafting to Disney Series, Part 2 

  I learned to whip these up after being inspired by a demo at my store.  You can find the instructions and photos for the inspiration project here:   http://www.michaels.com/T-Shirt-Tote-Bag/e10050,default,pd.html .  Yay for recycling!  I hopped on pinterest and searched for no sew tote bags and found about a zillion versions of essentially this bag.  It only requires three items:

 

 

       ·         The T-Shirt you are gonna cut up to make the tote bag.
      ·         Scissors
      ·         A single safety pin

That’s it.  Basically, it’s the shortest supply list ever.  This is going to read more complicated than it really is.  They literally take 10 minutes to make.  First lay the T-Shirt flat on your work surface.  Cut the sleeves completely off, cutting at a right angle on the inside of the hem. 

 

 

Save the sleeves!!  Cut a large rectangular area around the collar, matching the length of the cuts of the sleeves, removing it completely.  It will look like this when you are done. 

 

Yes, I know I cut Mickey’s head off.  I have other plans for that in an upcoming Mod Podge shadow box project.  Stay tuned. 

 

Take the fabric that is now the straps and gently pull on it, curling the edges of the t-shirt fabric slightly under.  I also gently pull around the cut areas at the top of the bag, so the edges look a little nicer.  Remember, it’s supposed to be “shabby chic.” 

The most ingenious part of this project is tying the bottom of the bag up with t-shirt yarn made out of the sleeve.  T-Shirt yarn has a ton of uses.  It can be crocheted or knitted just like any other yarn.  It can be looped to make funky necklaces and bracelets.  To make it, simply take the sleeve and cut a strip about a half inch wide. 

 

Turn the sleeve spirally as you cut to make one long string.  Now take the ends of the string and pull!  The edges fold up and you have a length of t-shirt yarn. 

 

 

Use it to close up the bottom of the bag.  Make a two slits opposite each other in the hem of the bag, but don’t cut all the way through the hem. 

 

 

Now, using a safety pin as a guide, feed two lengths of the t-shirt yarn through the tubes in the fabric created by the hem. 

 

 

Tie them off in double (triple!) knots and trim the edge.  Voila.  Saving the environment, one mickey pants bag at a time.

I’ve also made an Eeyore one, cause he’s my fave. 

 

 

Here are two small Tinker Bells ones made from my daughter’s old tees, size 2T, pretty darn cute. 

 

I’m a reusable tote junkie.  (Who really wants to be contributing to that crazy plastic bag island in the Pacific?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch )  I love them.  I use them all the time.  My primary grocery ones are store bought, but these are great for a trip to the farmer’s market.  Need another tote to haul a few craft supplies while you are on your Disney vacation?  Bingo.  J