Its Craft Time - T-Shirt Tote

I have a quick and easy craft for you today. Oh and cheap, we can't forget cheap. I've been wanting to do this one for several weeks. It took me longer to get out my sewing machine and thread the needled than to make this project.

Anyway, take a t-shirt. Here I used my Team Hope NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health - look them up its a great organization) 2009 5k team walk t-shirt. Cut off the arms, but on the outside of the arm hole stitching - so you leave the seam in place. This just reinforces the hole. I used my pinking shears because I thought it looked cute. You can use regular scissors if you want.

Then you want to cut a larger circle hole through the front and back necklines. Use a mixing bowl and create a template, you want it longer/deeper rather than wider so the handles don't get too thin. The deeper the circle the longer the handles of the tote are. With mine, I did something a little different. I wanted to preserve the lettering so I cut a deeper circle on the front - down to just above the lettering. On the back I cut a shallower hole to keep that lettering intact. You can customize your cutting to fit your t-shirt.

Turn your shirt inside out and stitch a line about an inch from the bottom all the way across, back tacking at both ends. Turn right side in and now you have a fabulous tote!

I'm going to use mine going back and forth to the YMCA. This way I get to use a t-shirt that has a lot of meaning for me, but I'm too stylish (ha) to be wearing it around. I also have a pink t-shirt to make a tote to keep as an extra bag in my car for when I forget to bring along a shopping bag.

I think kids would love having their own tote made from one of their t-shirts! And if you wanted to jazz things up you could freezer paper stencil on it or cut a strip from the bottom of the t-shirt before you sew it and use it to make fabric flowers and decorate the tote.

Stylishly modeled by my son, "This isn't like going to be all over the Internet is it?"
If only my readership were that great.