No Sew T-shirt tote bag tutorial

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Turn an old t-shirt into a reusable shopping, grocery or toy bag in no time with this easy & quick no sew tshirt bag! Perfect idea to make with kids , makes a great summer break activity!

T shirt tote bag

T shirt tote bag

The idea of making a no sew tshirt bag came to me after I realized that lately I kind of turned into an ass! Yes, you read that right! And no, not that kind of ass but the donkey or mule kind of ass!

I literally became my daughter’s personal slave (insert lots of sighs here)! It seems that everywhere we go about half her toys MUST come with us too! Fair enough, they need to socialize and travel the world too and I absolutely love contributing to their cultural education and personal development. Plus I really, truly enjoy sweating like a horse while running errands, with one kid and a couple of grocery bags in my arms and a backpack full of toys! Said no mom ever!!

DIY t shirt tote bag

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We’ve discussed reducing the number and we came down to four but that’s still a lot to carry when you have other stuff that’s seriously much more important to look after. So I proposed a tshirt bag to my daughter, roomy enough to fit her beloved toys but small and light enough to carry herself. To my surprise she agreed immediately. Score! I quietly shouted in my mouth. Consider it done!

Tshirt bag

Easier said than done though. About a month later, the planned no sew tshirt bag is still not done as I couldn’t find time to go out and buy a large tshirt. BUT…thankfully, the idea of recycling an old t-shirt came up this week when I cleaned up our closets so here it is, the no sew tote bag is done in less than 10 minutes! Simple, quick, easy, no fuss project! I loved this DIY t shirt tote bag so much that I’m considering making one for myself.

No sew bag

And you know what’s best? Kids can make this bag too!! Yup, Ellie was excited to participate and it was super fun, a great summer break activity if you have kids and looking for ways to keep their energy levels under control. Those busy brains need a constant challenge and this no sew tshirt bag is simple enough to be completed by kids and super safe.

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No sew tshirt bag

No sew tote bag

Materials:

  • Old or outgrown knit t-shirt or blouse (I used an old pajama blouse); the thicker the fabric, the sturdier the bag.

Step 1

Directions:

  • Lay out your t-shirt and establish the best spots to cut around the neckline and sleeves. I only cut 1/2 inch around the sleeve and went down the neckline up to the little bow I had on the blouse as I wanted to keep that on (too cute to discard!).

Step 2

  • Measure down how deep your tote will be. Measure 3 more inches and mark.
  • Do a cut in the bottom of the t-shirt at the marked spot. Mine didn’t require any more cutting at the bottom, it was just the perfect length.
  • Cut around the neckline and sleeves but leave the shoulder seam wide enough as this becomes the strap of the tote and you don’t want it too thin.

Step 3

  • Cut the bottom of the shirt into 1 inch wide by 2 inches tall strips. Cut the front and back at the same time, so your ties will be even.

Step 4

  • Looking at the first and last fringe pieces at the side seam, cut each in half to create 2 pieces of fringe.

Step 5

  • Flip the t-shirt wrong side out and start tying the front and back fringe strips together.

Step 6

  • Once all the fringe strips are tied together, you will notice the bag has small holes where you tied the fringe together. To close the small holes, tie together the fringe strips on each side of the hole, until every strip is double tied. This will also give the bag a sturdier bottom.

Step 7

  • Turn the bag right side out and start wearing!

I hope you liked this tutorial and find it inspiring! Please let me know your thoughts on this in the comments section below and don’t forget to rate it! Thanks!

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 No sew tshirt bag

about petro

ABOUT PETRO

Hi, I’m Petro, author and founder of Easy Peasy Creative Ideas. Sewist, crafter, avid DIY-er, foodie, photographer, homemaker and mommy to one. I’m an expert at coming up with quick, clever sewing tips, recycling crafts and simple, easy recipes! You can find my ideas featured in reputable publications such as Country Living, Good House Keeping, Yahoo News, WikiHow, Shutterfly, Parade, Brit & Co and more. Thanks for stopping by and hope you’ll stay for a while, get to know me better and come back another time. Stick around for real fun projects! Read more…

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18 Comments

  1. It would be nice if there was a PDF to download for this pattern.

  2. Robyn Sampson says:

    Great idea!!!!

  3. Rani von Wurttemberg says:

    Oh my! I must go and find a T-shirt that I would love to recycle. I am sure before the end of the day I will have made one. Thanks a million for sharing.

    1. Hi Rani. Thank you, for stopping by and leaving a lovely comment. xoxo

  4. This is amazing easy !! Love it !! Thanks for sharing your idea ! Rosa

    1. Hi Rosa. Thanks so much for stopping by and for your lovely comment :)

  5. Oops I think k my Emil was incorrect on previous mail!

  6. Hi Petro
    Thank you so much for this awesome idea. Will definately be making more than one!!

    1. Thanks so much for stopping by! Enjoy making these!

  7. It looks so easy, I must make one for my girl :D thanks

    1. Thanks, it truly is an easy peasy project! Hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

  8. Absolutely brilliant idea :-)

    1. Thank you so much Deserae! With the right t-shirt this could look like a super duper, expensive bag :)

  9. This if an awesome project that I will for sure be working on. Does it matter if it’s an adult size or child size Tshirt?

    1. Hi Carie. Thanks for stopping by. I’m sure it works as great both ways. If you use a child size t-shirt the bag will be smaller and knotting the fringe might be a little more challenging.

  10. hello,,

    I am french and I found your web site by pinterest. I would like know if this little girl is your daugther? Her picture disturbe me because she’s a double of my daugther. I show her the picture, and she said “she is me but where is this bag? i do not remerber it ?”. very strange situation.
    if you contact me I can send you a photo to live this experience.

    thank you
    stephane

    1. Hi Stephane. Thanks so much for stopping by. Yes, that is my little angel in the photo. It may seem odd but many people do look alike and it happens more often than we think. The reason behind is genetics and almost everyone has a doppelganger, thanks to the limited number of genes that influence facial features. There is only so much genetic diversity to go around :)

      1. thank you for your answer, I ‘ve just seen it now…that right everybody have a person who look like.

        good contination for your creative activity , that good job!
        bye!