How To Turn Your Oversized T-Shirts into Tote Bags! | Smart Media Token Steemfest Tee Edition!
Recognize this Tee? If you attended Steemfest this year you may have one of your own. The official Smart Media Token shirt, or as I like to call it the SMTEE!
Unfortunately for us, by the time we got ours, they only had XL and XXL left. Since waste is something I absolutely can't stand, I decided to try my hand at sustainably repurposing this one into a tote bag.
Here's how I did it...
Start with a shirt (obvious I know). The larger the better.
Lay your shirt on a flat surface and visualize your plan of attack. You'll be cutting out the neck, both sleeves and the bottom hem to start.
Grab a sharp pair of scissors and start hacking away.
Save the pieces! they make awesome headbands, and you can braid them into really cool bracelets. (Let me know if you want me to post a tutorial on tee shirt bracelets too!)
After your shirt is in tank top mode, you can start cutting 1/2 inch fringe all along the bottom.
At this juncture, you can play this one of two ways. If you like the look of the fringey bits at the bottom you can go ahead and start making knots from the fringe pieces opposite each other. If you decide you just want a fringy bottom tanktop, no judgments.
If the fringe isn't for you but you also still want a tote bag, all you have to do is flip your shirt inside out before you start tieing!
I flipped my shirt and somehow still got some pieces on the outside because of mystical reasons I can't explain. I just took the extras and tied double and triple knots until the pieces looked a bit less frilly.
RESULT! We were out on a hike so I didn't have much to put inside for demo purposes, BUT it sure came in handy when we stopped at the shop on the way back! Even if you mess up the knots on the bottom like I did, this tee fabric is pretty forgiving, just make sure you tie tie tie to reinforce the bottom as much as possible.
Also, super thanks and shouts out to @teamhumble for taking such awesome shots while I was in the zone.
THE CONCENTRATION... THE FOCUS! THE SHEER, SHEER-ING ATHLETICISM!!!
I hope you give this one a try! Tag me if you do! This is also a perfect activity for kids as well because as I'm sure you noticed, no sewing ;)
Until next time blockchain...
💕 DIY-leeo
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I love how you combine recycling and your creativity.
Plus, you taught me a new word, tote bag :)
Had to look that one up.
Thanks for sharing your creative process (also @teamhumble - with my film background, I love visuals as much as words ) and please keep being 'you' on here...
Have a great day!
Appreciate the thoughtful and kind words @vincentnijman ! Curious what would you call this kind of bag? It is a funny word if you think about it, I guess it's for toting things around!
You're welcome! English is my second language and I know some synonyms for and types of bags but never heard of a tote bag. Not even of toting around. I honestly would not even know how to call a bag like this, so I guess I would just call it a bag or shopping bag - boodschappentas in Dutch, haha! Feel free to look up the word boodschappen ;)
Aah well we will surely use it for shopping so that is accurate. We can always use an extra bag knocking around for when we venture out for food! (plus the shop charges .05p for bags, better for the planet to reuse anyway) :)
Same here. We are charged for bags these days, which makes you recycle bags, bring your own bag or even carrying groceries without a bag.
well now hopefully I'll never have to buy one again!
That is so awesome! I love that bag, it even has fringe which is one of my favorite things.
lol that little tid-bit about you does NOT surprise me at all... you hippy you! ;)
Awesome SMT bag!
Someone once described me as Steemit's Martha Stewart. I am now passing this title over to you.
I KNEW Steemit would make all my dreams come true... I just never could have imagined THIS! I'm truly humbled you would bestow this title upon me... I shall wear it with pride! ;)
Just be careful where you get your trading advice.
LOL! Got it! ;)
well that post came together just lovely. yaya, we has another bag for shop runs. fire.
Danka! and danka for the fotografix! ;)
beautiful post
why, thank you...
no reason
please upvote and comment my post @emonrahman
This is such a great idea! Sadly I don't have another Steemit T-Shirt to customize, but a lot of other ones that I would never wear (because of whatever is printed on them), but they might of course make cool tote bags!!! And a woman can never have too many handbags.. especially in all sorts of colors and designs...
Thank you! :)
SO true! After having so much fun making this one I want to troll the local second hand shops and see what else I can get! It makes a pretty relaxing activity tieing and tieing and tieing.....
I seem to have mislaid my official Steemfest wristband, but my @dayleeo fashion offcut headband/necklace/garter/tourniquet is safe in my sock drawer.
Well then, that's all that matters! THAT piece is one of a kind!