DIY Reusable Bags
Hubby and I have a bunch of T-shirts floating around that we like, but never wear for one reason or another. I have been looking for creative ways to use them, from making throw pillows, to altering the shirts so I can wear them, to making purses. The ones for this project are just too big. I just happened to have the sewing machine set up, but this would be a very fast and easy sewing project for hand sewing, or for someone just learning to use a sewing machine. You only have to sew one straight line. Start with a cool T-shirt that you don’t wear, for whatever reason.
Flip it inside out, and sew the bottom shut. Flip it back right-side out.
Cut the sleeves off. I used the seam as a guide, and cut the whole seam off.
I then cut a rectangular area out of the neck, and you’re done!
Here’s a view of the inside, once it’s complete. They are very roomy on the inside.
Here’s the finished bag:
And I made a second one from a Ghostbusters: The Video Game T-shirt.
Total, they took about 5 minutes each. Not a bad sewing project!
T-shirt Alteration
When I went to that super swappy swap meet awhile ago, I acquired some awesome stuff, that just needed my special touch to make it perfect. This is one of those items. It’s a t-shirt dress. I love how the top fits me, but I have a little too much “junk in the trunk” for it to look good on me in the lower half.
I got Hubby to draw a line all the way around me while I was wearing it, so that I could cut it to the exact length I wanted all the way around.
It was a little longer in the back, which is just what I wanted.
I did this bad boy right. I even ironed the hem into place before pinning it. I folded down 1/4 to 1/2 inch, ironed it in place, then rolled it over another 1/2 inch and ironed that on the inside to create the hem. I then pinned everything in place. I was able to complete this project on my friend Jessica’s sewing machine (the same Jessica from the swap and several other posts), but it coughed to a tragic end right before I was done, so I hand sewed the remainder.
So now I have a nice t-shirt, that I may embellish on the front. It has a decoration on the back which was pictured in the swap post. It is really soft, and I love the fit. It may star in another post in the future. Ooh, more skulls perhaps??
Minor Alteration
I’m kind of picky about T-shirts. I hate it when the collar is just tight enough that it feels like a really weak, tiny python is trying to kill you all day long. We have a work event coming up where such shirts were dolled out. I instantly hated it. I mean, not only does it have the logo of my oppressor employer emblazoned across the front, it was super uncomfortable and ill-fitting. What more can a girl ask for? Unflattering AND uncomfortable? Sign me up!
This is the shirt collar, pre-intervention.
I cut it! That’s right! I just hauled off and cut a slit in that bad boy.
I tried it on after I cut it, and folded the edges under, to see if it would meet my neck-space requirements.
I made sure to roll the edges under and pin them down. You want to create as natural of a neckline as possible, because however you sew it underneath will show through the fabric. I, of course, used the whip stitch for this one. I don’t have thread in this blinding color of blue, so I was using something darker. I tried to lift only one thread at a time to sew through the front so as little thread as possible would show.
The end! You can barely see the stitching on the edges, and it makes a nice V, instead of the blocky shape of the fabric flaps. It looks decent, and it’s more comfortable. If I was going to do this with a shirt I cared about, I might even wrap the collar with ribbon to make it look more finished.
AFTER all this work I thought to myself, “I wonder if we have to give these back after the event?” I believe the answer is no, but that is something I should have thought about before getting all scissor-happy.
Batman Tank Top
As you all know, I freakin’ love Batman. I had this old t-shirt laying around, that was massively too big for me. I could, of course, make it into another t-shirt pillow, or add it to the t-shirt quilt that has been pending for five years. I decided I would rather be able to wear it.
I cut the emblem out of the shirt, with about a half inch of fabric around it.
I then pinned it to the plain black tank top I got at Wal-Mart for $4.
I folded the edge under so it would get hemmed while I sewed it on. I used black thread and a whip stitch to tack that bad boy down.
It came out super awesome. Now I can show my Bat-pride even more!
