I am so thankful for the men and women who have given their lives for this beautiful land I call home. Thanks to those of you who are still giving of yourselves in this way. We are certainly a blessed country!
For those of you that had the privilege of relaxing on this day...I hope it was all you wanted it to be!
Our day was a little different...although I got to relax, it was not really what I had in mind!
Let's just say Jillian Michaels and I got into it and she won...Oh, well. I'll be back at it soon.
My men worked in the 90 degree temperatures putting on my new steel roof. So I sat, watched, and of course supervised.
They got the garage done and it looks wonderful! Next, on to the house roof. I'll show you pics when we're all finished.
Anyway, on to the project of the day...today I'll show you how to make two tote bags made from old t-shirts. One is an over the shoulder bag and the other is more like the grocery bag style.
First, the grocery bag style
Start with an old t-shirt...we seem to have plenty of these lying around...stained, too small, or whatever.
Next cut off the sleeves.
Take a plate...I used my regular dinner plate and trace and cut a semi-circle at the top of the shirt. If you want a smaller opening for your bag, just use the neck hole that is already there.
The top will become your opening and handles.
Next, turn the t-shirt inside out and pin and sew up the bottom of it. I made two seams in the bottom for extra strength. I know my sewing accuracy is still lacking...
After you sew the bottom, just turn them right side out and they are ready for use.
They can be used for grocery bags, goodie bags, or whatever you need a tote for.
The next tote is the over the shoulder one. This is my favorite.
Take an old t-shirt and cut it as seen below.
Cut just under the sleeve with a rounded edge. This gives you a rectangle with curved edges at the top. Depending on which side you want facing out when your bag is complete, you may need to turn your shirt inside out before you begin sewing. Now sew along the top of the rectangle where the curved edge is. (The part you just cut off from the sleeves) I made two seams here too...I want to be able to hold lots of stuff in these bags without the bottom ripping out!
Now you flip your t-shirt around where the bottom of the t-shirt has a nice hem in it from the store...this will be the top of your bag.
You can draw a line and then cut approximately 7 inches across the t-shirt. This of course will depend on what size t-shirt you use. This is a men's medium. Leave 2 1/2 to 3 inches uncut on each side. This long slit will be the over the shoulder hole. It may look small...trust me...it will stretch.
Once you get this done, carefully (without ripping out the bottom of your bag) stretch out your t-shirt tote. Once you start adding contents it will stretch out some more.
The one below wasn't as stretchy of a t-shirt so I cut some extra slits in it. It would work great for produce from the Farmer's Market or flip flops and toys for the beach.
That's what you do! They are really easy...taking only a few minutes each and come in super handy! So, go search for some old t-shirts...I know you've got 'em!
Blessings,
Linking up to some of these parties:
Sunday:
Under the Table and Dreaming , DIY Showoff , Nifty Thrifty Things, Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic
Monday:
Skip to my Lou , Craft O Maniac , It's so Very Cheri , Keeping it Simple, Creating Really Awesome Free Things, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms Between Naps on the Porch , The Girl Creative Singing Three Little Birds , Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy , Ask Anna, I'm An Organizing Junkie, Add a Pinch, A Southern Fairytale, Polly Want a Crafter, Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Cherished Bliss, Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs Happy Homemaker Tuesday:
Coastal Charm, A Bowl Full of Lemons , Tip Junkie , Sugar Bee Crafts , Not Just a Housewife , Today's Creative Blog , Balancing Beauty and Bedlam , 5 Minutes for Mom , Funky Polkadot Giraffe , DIY by Design Hope Studios , Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Raising 4 Princesses, Celebrating Family, Organizing Home Life, Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn's Homework, The Kurtz Corner, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, Sassy Sites, Rook No. 17 Wednesday:
Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. , We Are THAT Family , Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic , Night Owl Crafting , Handy Man, Crafty Woman Someday Crafts , Fabric Bows and More , This Chick Cooks , Seven Thirty Three, Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess , Dragonfly Designs , The Thrifty Home , Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts , A Little Tipsy , One Chatty Chic, Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Oopsey Daisy Thursday:
A Little Knick Knack Shabby Creek Cottage , Delightful Order , Somewhat Simple , House of Hepworths, Saved by Love Creations , It's a Keeper , Thrifty Decorating , The Frugal Girls , Miz Helen's Country Cottage , The Thirty Sixth Avenue, Raising Mighty Arrows, Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, Something Swanky
Friday:
The Shabby Nest , Fingerprints on the Fridge , Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom , Miss Mustard Seed , Tidy Mom , Whipperberry , At the Picket Fence , French Country Cottage 30 Handmade Days , Creation Corner , Finding Fabulous , Just a Girl , Stuff and Nonsense , Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen, Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo, The Country Cook, Pocket Full of Pink Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer, Grocery Cart Challenge, Remodelaholic, Kojo Designs, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects Saturday:
Funky Junk Interiors, Young and Crafty , Be Different, Act Normal , A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, It's Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands
