Re-purposed Old Tee Shirts

This is a post I copied from my other blog, but after thinking about, I figured this blog would be an equally appropriate home for the post. I hope you enjoy it!

Bags!

Yesterday I sent my friends home with several boxes of stuff and I was looking for some bags to put it all in when I had a break through. I had gotten my sewing machine out earlier, which must have reminded me of an idea for making bags out of old tee shirts that I had a while ago. I grabbed an old shirt and had one whipped up in about a minute! I was really surprised at how easy and effective it is. Here's a step by step guide to making your own shopping bag from an old shirt.

I started with an old black shirt and turned it inside out. I guess it doesn't really matter what side you start on with solid colors, but if it had a print on the front you would want to start by turning it inside out. This way, the seam on the bottom is inside the bag and the print shows on the outside. 

I ran it through the machine along the bottom of the shirt. I just ran it through a couple times with a straight stitch but depending on how strong the bag needs to be, you may want to choose a different stitch.

I then folded the shirt in half and cut along the lines shown above.

When you open it up it looks like this.

To test it out, I turned it right side out and got all this stuff from the other night to put inside it.

It worked nicely. The knit fabric will naturally curl in on the handles and along the raw edges. The creative possibilities for this are many. You could put a seam on the edges or handles, cut it in to any shape, use any crazy print, add pockets on the sides, zippers or buttons on the top.. 

After making a few, I found that longer medium-large tee shirts make the best ones(for my purposes). You could make them of any size, depending on what you need it for. You can take in the side seams that go from the arm pit to the bottom on a larger shirt, but you must use a zig zag stitch or something else on these vertical seams that will be able to stretch with the fabric when its full of stuff. I also found that the handles will stretch out a lot if you put lots of heavy stuff in it. This can be solved by just sewing the handles together at a shorter point to make them the desired length. If they are long enough, you can put them over your shoulders like a back pack, and if the contents isn't too heavy you can even stack several on top of each other on your back. I'm not sure about their longevity. The thin cotton fabric suggests that they may tear at the handles or rip easily if treated roughly, but part of the appeal of these bags is that they're easily replaced. Bags that are made from shirts that are made from natural fibers(cotton, hemp, etc.) are compostable. You can cut it up and throw it right in the compost pile with the scrapings from last night's dinner or in my case, the peppers and cabbage from the other week that I never got around to cooking.

It literally took me about one minute to cut along the lines and sew the bottom shut. It is so easy, anyone could do it. You could even make one sewing by hand in just a couple minutes. This will be a long term solution to the problem I have of never having enough bags at the dumps or not wanting to send people home with my good bags. There are plenty of places to get old tee shirts for free(or for less than a dollar at any thrift store if you don't dumpster dive or just prefer to buy things). These will be wonderful tools in coming weeks when school lets out. I can easily carry six or ten empty bags with me and fill one or two at each dumpster, putting filled bags in my car as needed.

Appendix

Im starting to realize how busy I will be this semester and doubt I will be having much free time to whip up sewing projects.. the apron I started is still hanging, all pinned up and ready to go.. So then I thought, I don't have to stick to just sewing projects; I can include other things I make. So I guess now Ill start including all sorts of things I do. Heres what Ive done recently.

I found a stack of these really beautiful paper paisley pattern place mats (say that ten times fast), some blue (above) and some red, that were covered in dust in a top cabinet of the break room kitchen in one of the buildings at school. Who knows how long they've been there..? I decided to decopage it to the covers of the little planner that the university gives out to spruce it up a bit.
Today I covered my chemistry lab notebook with a beautifully printed paper gift bag that I found in the street while I was walking a friend home from class.

More accessoreis and some inspiration

I was at my favorite thrift store with my mom the other morning while she waited for her car to get fixed and I found several things that I felt compelled to buy. They were all really cheap and I felt inspired by the patterns and style, so I brought it all home. I bought three silk scarves, two aprons, a bag and two other scarves,one acrylic and one cashmere.

 I also got some more metal bobbins for my sewing machine and I found the perfect little case to hold them all on one of my trips to the dumps the other night. 

None of the items I bought were more than one or two bucks each, so I was pretty happy with my finds. I was inspired by these items to look up some stuff about vintage styles and designs and I found some really cute and simple dress patterns on other blogs that I may attempt one day. For now, Im still trying to master shirts. I haven't tried anything in a little while, so maybe before school starts next week Ill whip something up. 

Christmas gifts

I made this saddle bag out of black linen for a friend's bicycle as a christmas gift. I didnt want to post it because the surprise would have been ruined.. I ripped the zipper out of an old purse I used to make my Halloween costume and used some velcro strips and old key rings for the fastener straps. It was modeled after a Schwinn saddlebag that I bought for my bike a while ago. This is the first thing that Gladys and I put together and it's what inspired me to start this blog. I was really impressed with my self for having made it so well(by my low standards) and for doing it all in about an hour. I was tempted to keep it, as I am with many of my initially-intended-to-be-gift projects, but when you are making something for someone with them in mind, they seem to have some kind of impression on the final results.
So here it is, my first project:

New accessories

I  went out to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, one of the few places I don't mind spending money and where I got my lovely sewing table, to look for some book shelves for my new room. I didnt find the book shelves, but I did find a mannequin and some random(useful) sewing machine parts! I was pretty excited because I had recently come to the conclusion that I would eventually need a mannequin or dress form for fitting stuff, but had no clue where to find one and assumed that they would probably be quite expensive. Walter, as he shall be named, looks brand new, save for a couple scrapes that have rusted a little on the shaft he stands on. And what's more? He's just my size! Now I can start making some shirts that fit a little better.. I also got two metal bobbins, two removable parts that the bobbin fits in, whatever they're called, a presser foot and a big spool of black thread; all for $15 bucks! I love the Hab.

In addition to the new accessories, I picked up another piece of fabric from my favorite thrift store. Its another floral print, but its simple and cute; my sister has already asked me for something made from it. Guess it'll be my next project.

I haven't gotten Gladys out in over a week and Im afraid that once school starts up again next week Ill be consumed by it. Im trying to get my room finally reorganized and situated so that I can focus on new projects and goals instead of trying to get anything done in the disarray that my home has been in lately. I'd like to use the rest of the week to get everything in shape so I can start making some more progress on that front. We'll see how that goes..
In other news, my loot bag isn't as practical in practice as it seemed in theory.. Its great when you're inside a bin loading it up, but carrying it when it's full is a little difficult, especially on your back as its meant to be carried. All the stuff on the bottom ends up getting crushed and the straps are difficult to get even on each shoulder.. perhaps it will perform better after a few adjustments. Ill put it on the mental list of stuff to do one day.

Winter Break

With all this free time on my hands during break, Gladys and I have been busy bees. I made several tank shirts and a new loot bag to bring when I go dumpster diving.

I 'm obviously not a photographer and remember that I dont really know anything about anything when it comes to sewing.. Considering this, I'm quite pleased with how comfy the shirts are. I gave the printed one to a friend for christmas, but it didnt fit her very well; Ill have to alter it a little to better suit her small stature... I'm still learning how to measure and cut material so it will fit well and I'm also learning a little about how to work with different types of material. The cotton knit was pretty tricky because it kept rolling up and getting caught in the feeder dogs, but its really comfortable to wear. Once I master a simple tank shirt, I think I can handle a vest, which isn't very different..
I think the bag is going to work out well. Bags that I bring to the dumps with me get full pretty quickly, so I needed an extra large one that I could carry on my back. I made this one out of black linen so it will be stealthy and not look too large and baggy. I am going to put a zipper in the cover flap so it can be used as a pocket to put smaller loose or fragile items in. The shoulder straps are the drawstring, connected to the bottom corners, so when you pick it up by the shoulder straps, the weight of the bag's contents will pull it closed. Ill have to use it some time soon to see how well it works.
I would aslo like to try making an apron some time soon. Maybe this week Ill make it out to the other thrift store for some more material.

What to do..

To make anything, you need some kind of material first.. so today instead of last minute christmas shopping, I went with a friend to a thrift store to look for some fabric. I tend to buy fabric that I like without knowing what Ill do with it. Ive accumulated a few small pieces but don't really know what to make with any of them so today I went out looking for some fresh inspiration. Here's what I found:

I seem to have an affinity for vintage looking floral prints. I also got another swath of blue cotton knit that has a nice stretch.. maybe another tank or tee shirt..? The white and blue one is a really thin synthetic fiber that I think would make a cute blouse for one of my lovely ladies.  Im not sure how Ill go about creating one, but that's what this blog is for.. trial and error I guess.  Perhaps next week Ill have a finished product from these pieces. Any ideas?