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.