In a happy marriage of my new love for sewing and new interest in reducing my demand for plastic – I took a shot at making some reusable bags for bulk shopping!
I had these old shirts from quidditch tournaments in my undergrad that I don’t wear anymore, but I love them! I didn’t want to donate them, but it felt like they were hanging in my closet for no reason. So I repurposed the material into drawstring bags!
I knew basically how to sew a drawstring bag -but here’s a tutorial I wish I had used cause the seams end up looking real pretty.
If you’re using a shirt to make the bags, cut off the sleeves and cut across the top as close to the collar as you can.
Then cut down the right and left sides to separate the front and the back of the shirt.
After that you’ll have two big rectangles. I recommend cutting them in half so you end up with 4 pieces of fabric. Then follow the tutorial!
I only cut the yellow shirt into two, which is why it’s so big. I like the 1/4 sized green bags much more!
Overall I’m happy with this project! I found a way to keep these special tshirts, and make them useful as well.
If you have any questions about this project, leave a comment and we can chat!
April Gonzales 