2
3
1

No Sew T-Shirt Tote Bag!

No Sew T-Shirt Tote Bag

Materials

  • Old t-shirt – The thicker the fabric, the sturdier the bag
  • Sharp scissors, preferably fabric scissors
  • Washable marker (optional)

Procedure

Step 1: Cut the sleeves off

 

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

If you’d like to fold the t-shirt in half you can cut both sleeves at once so that they are identical. Or, if your material is too thick to cut them both at once, you can cut one, then fold it in half and use the cut side as a guide for the next sleeve.

Step 2: Cut the neckline area

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

If you’d like, you can turn the shirt inside out and trace the outline of a bowl before cutting. I used both methods and personally, I like free-hand cutting better because I prefer a slightly oval shape to a perfectly round one. I ended up trimming this one a bit to make it more oval.

Step 3: Determine how deep you want the bag to be

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

If you haven’t already turned your t-shirt inside out, do it now. Determine where you want the bottom of the bag to be and trace a line across. Keep in mind that depending on the fabric used, your tote is likely to stretch and become longer when it’s filled with stuff.

Step 4: Cut fringe

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

Now grab your scissors and cut slits from the bottom of the shirt up to the line marking the bottom of your bag. You’ll want to cut both the front and back layers together because they need to match up for the next step.

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

I cut my slits about 3/4 to 1 inch apart.

Step 5: Tie Fringe

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

Okay, this is going to sound really complicated, but it’s NOT, promise. Take your first pair of fringe and tie it into a knot, then tie two more pairs. Now if you lift your bag you’ll see that although the pairs are pulling the bag together, there’s a hole between each pair. This next step will close those holes.

In the photo above you see three sets of fringe that have been tied in knots. What I do next is grab one strand from the middle set (the one with the arrow pointing left) and tie it in a knot with one of the strands on the left set. Then I take the other strand from the middle set (the one with the arrow pointing right) and tie it in a knot with one of the strands on the right set.

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

Then I take the remaining strand on the right set and tie it to the next set of strands, and so on and so forth until all the strands are tied. Now turn your t-shirt right side out again and voila, you’re done!

A Couple Of Fun Variations . . .

Turn the bag right side out when tying the fringe.

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

Tie the straps in knots, or tie bits of t-shirt scrap to the top as embellishments

How to make an old t-shirt into a CUTE tote bag/ farmer's market bag in 10 minutes.

 

Here are the printable instructions for your no sew fun project!