bags from recycled t-shirts

[Cooked]

I love this! I make bags for all sorts of things, shopping, groceries, beach etc. and give them as gifts too. They are made of recycled t-shirts.
1. you cut off the sleeves, leave the seam though.
2. on the neck, lay a dinner plate so that half is on the shirt and cut out the half circle.
3. roll the cut material and sew so that it does not ravell. You have now made handles.
4. take one of the sleeves and cut into a rectangle and sew it to the inside of the shirt for a pocket to hold notes, cellphone etc. No need to finish the top of it as you can use the hem for the top edge.
4. turn the shirt inside out and line up the hem. Stitch across the hems to make the bottom of the bag.
You now have a wonderful, strong bag for any use you can think of! Best of all, it is washable and if you liked the shirt, you will love the bag!

[kathymac]

Cooked, this is a great idea! DD's both just cleaned out their closets and there are several t-shirts that weren't in good enough shape to give to Goodwill. They would make great bags. Thanks for sharing!

Kathy

[redcardinalbird]

What a great idea. I will use this for some of those favorite t-shirts that you don't want to get rid of yet don't wear.

[janet]

This is what I created from recycled tshirts: A comforter for my son's bed.
From his tshirts.

[Bernice]

[quote=Cooked]I love this! I make bags for all sorts of things, shopping, groceries, beach etc. and give them as gifts too. They are made of recycled t-shirts.
I am going to make one this weekend. Thanks for the directions.

[thsgrbr]

That is an awsome ideal I can wait to make one! My dd has all these T-shirts she won't depart with so here goes nothing!

[Cooked]

Janet! I love the quilt! You do good work! I haven't tried one, are they hard being so stretchy?

[janet]

Cooked! Finally I could get on Family Corner to answer your question...I sure hate it when the site is down, and for so long!!!

Anyway, when I started making the T-shirt Quilt, I ironed my son's old tshirts first..now I ironed them from the back,not on the design.

Sandwiched in between the 2 tshirt pieces, I used fusible batting I found at Walmart, or any fabric store. Then when all 3 pieces were together, I sewed them into a square. After all the squares were sewed, I sewed them into strips, so I could move the designs around a bit. Or you could sew one square at a time together.

So now my son's comforter is almost done. I need about 23 more tshirts, and I can add them as I get them. So once they are all sewed together..the comforter is completed, no knotting required. lol

I hope it is not confusing you. Just think of it as a sandwich, one tshirt square, batting and another tshirt square..then sew one square to another to make the size you want.

It is fun for my son to see his crazy tshirts, and it is a memory comforter for him.

The fusible batting made the tshirt material stay put.

Hugs, Janet

[Cooked]

Janet, thanks for the instructions. When I stop making bags, I think I will try a quilt. It looks like a great way to re-use t-shirts too!

[janet]

Cooked, I like making useable stuff out of previously used clothing. This was my first Tshirt one, and I wish I would of thought of making one before I gave away most of my son's graphic tshirts.

I also make blue jean quilts. The weight of the jeans is enough that you do not have to use batting in it. A large sheet on the back is really nice on a blue jean quilt. We have used ours so much, take it on picnics, and it is great to sleep under. Currently it is on our bed, and another thing, dog hair falls off of it! Yippee!!!

Another fun thing to do is to rework your old sweaters, and sew them into a throw. You can make them in long strips, or short rectangles, and it is always cool to use the trim too.

My theory is, if you like the material, hate to see it go(holds memories) then rework it into a new product.


Hugs, Janet