Pinterest-Inspired Upcycling Project

(Apparently I haven't been very chatty lately, since my last post was three months ago!  Ooops!)

After going through some closets at the beginning of the season change, I decided that I wanted to convert some old t-shirts into reusable shopping bags.  I used t-shirts that had logos/events on them or were stained beyond repair.  (Personally, if a shirt can be passed along to someone else to use, I'd rather share the love that way, but once something is stained, that option is out.)

Since I grocery shop for a month at a time at places like Aldi, I need my cloth bags.  However, for multiple reasons, I have been switching over to regular canvas totes or other washable bags instead of the bags that are available from the grocers.  (Who wants to cross-contaminate by putting their produce in a bag that once held meat?  Or who wants to have to get additional plastic bags when purchasing meat?  Or who wants lead or other dangerous by-products to come in contact with the food their family eats??  (I am a huge anti-lead advocate.))

I had made bags in the past, but I learned a couple of things when doing so.

• Size matters.  The smaller the size t-shirt, the better the bag.  After I had lost 35 pounds, I made some bags out of my old XL and XXL shirts.  However, those are too big and awkward for grocery bags.  Larger youth sizes and smaller adult sizes are best.
• Finished edges make me happy.  I did not like cutting the handles and leaving the edges as is.

Because of the desire for finished edges, I started searching for ideas on Pinterest and came up with a few to try.  (NOTE:  I am NOT a seamstress!!  These were bags that were done quickly and are no where close to perfect!!)

The first could have been a no-sew bag had I not decided to finish the neckline.  Instructions here.  (I grabbed some embroidery floss to match the logo to finish the edges.)

The next ones are similar to what I had made in the past, but I added a gusset to the bottom corners and zig-zag stitching to the handles.  Instructions here.  (This website gives several variation ideas and is extremely helpful!)

My favorite St. Louis Cardinals shirt, converted after I stained it.

This was a shirt important to me that a local school organization sold to help with our emergency feeding program in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.  This was a great way for me to hold onto that memory.

The last version is a cute idea I found for making produce bags for those times when you don't want to use a lot of plastic bags or you're headed to the farmer's market.  My version, however, needs some work!!  You get the idea, though.  This pic shows the pre-washed version.  Next time, I will make the bags a little shorter and change up how I cut the slits.  A rotary cutter would be much easier than using scissors!  Instructions here.

I used two of my bags for the first time at Whole Foods today, and I'm definitely happy with their sturdiness and with the ability to throw them in the wash as needed.  Even better...this is a project that has been sitting on my desk for a month or so, and I finished it!!  :)

Until next time...