a few months ago i got the nicest package in the mail!  pete’s aunt bobbie made this super crafty, recycley t-shirt tote bag and sent me not just the bag itself, but a supernice note with a how-to for making my own!  so flippin awesome!  so this is bobbie’s tutorial, brought to you by do stuff!

start by choosing a fun t-shirt to recycle (i found this one at the bins!) and cut out rectangles from the front and back.  the best way (and bobbie’s way) is to cut equal sized rectangles from each side, but i hacked it a little because my image was on the back and the front collar went down too far – if i cut the pieces equal sizes, i would have cut into the image.  so i cut the back piece bigger than the front, and evened it out later when sewing the sides.

but now, back to the next step… after cutting the rectangles, sew the bottoms together with right sides facing.  stitch it twice for extra durability.

then sew up the 2 sides.  since my pieces were uneven, i lined up the top, and stitched down to the bottom, so that bottom seam is off center.

then fold the top edge inwards and sew a hem around.  next, cut two handle pieces from old jeans, or other sturdy fabric (but the jeans work great – fabulous idea, bobbie!) in stripes about 22 inches by 2 inches.  fold the strips in half lengthwise and sew up the edges (i sewed 3 lines, for extra flatness and just for fun).  attach the handles to the bag equal distances in from the sides, by sewing a box with an x for strength.  i sewed mine on to the outside, bobbie sewed hers in the inside, so you choose!

lastly, you need to make a flat bottom for your bag… i messed up on this step, partly because my off-center bottom seam made it much more difficult, and partly because my bag is extra narrow so i needed to sew in a much shorter distance.  so, pictured is bobbie’s well-done bottom, and, instructions in her words: with the bag inside-out, fold a triangle by lining up the bottom seam with the side seam.  stitch across about 4 inches down from the point (adjust for your bag size as needed); repeat on the other side.

my finished bag!

yay! thanks bobbie!!