Outgrown T-shirt Grocery Bag Tote

15 minutes turns your kid's old shirt into a washable, reusable grocery or tote bag!

Smaller shirts work best for this project. Adult small is about the biggest I use, anything bigger stretches out so much that if you fill it with anything but maybe cereal boxes or paper towels, the bag will be too heavy. Kids' shirts are perfect for canned goods.

Lay the shirt out flat. Cut off the sleeves, neck, and hem.

If you have an overlock machine, use it! But since I can't serge, we're going to do a French seam.

Right side out, sew across the bottom edge.

Trim the edge very close to the seam.

Turn the bag inside out and sew the bottom with a 3/8" seam allowance.

The bottom now has a strong double seam.

Right side out, open the bag and flatten the corners.

At each end of the French seam, sew perpendicular about an inch from the point.

Cut the points off very close to the seams.

Inside out, sew another seam on each end of the French seam, using a 3/8 inch seam allowance.

Turn the bag right side out. You're ready to shop!

You may be wondering about the handles and why I left the edges raw. If you want to take the time, you could bind the edges with bias tape or roll them under and sew. However, I have found that they hold up just fine as they are, even after years of use!