In My Garment Factory’s first tutorial, we’ll show you how easy it is to make your very own reusable shopping bag, out of an old printed t-shirt.

All you’ll need is: 

• A t-shirt (plain or printed)
• Paperclip or safety pin
• Scissors

And that’s it!

Step 1 –

Cut both sleeves off of your t-shirt. Keep these for later.

Step 2 –

Make your bag opening by cutting either a round, square, or V shape at the top. (We’ve done a square one)

Step 3 –

Make two small slits at the very bottom of your t-shirt, about the same distance apart (but not past the stitching).

Step 4 –

Cut strips out of the shirt sleeves and stretch them slightly so they become longer and slightly curled.

Step 5 –

Tie one end of your strip to the safety pin or paperclip.

Step 6 –

Feed this through one of the openings in the slits you made, until it comes out of the other side.

Step 7 –

Tie the two ends together.

Step 8 –

Repeat for this process for the other slit.

Step 9 –

Tie all of the strands together as tight as you can, to help make your bag sturdy at the bottom.

Step 10 –

And you’re done! Now just make sure you remember your new bag when you’re out shopping next...

Share your new upcycled printed t-shirt bags with us by posting your photos on our Facebook wall.

Why not make a few and give them out as extra Christmas presents? Forget gift wrap - just put all of their presents in their handmade t-shirt totes and help reduce waste.