You could make this tote out of just one t-shirt, but to make it really functional--strong enough to hold the contents of your life--double the thickness. And this way, you'll have a somewhat reversible bag (not inside out, but backside front). Pair t-shirt opposites (black with white, pink with blue, a skull and crossbones with a Hello Kitty) and you'll be sporting a very Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde look.
Ingredients:
2 T-shirts (M or L)
Ruler
Tailor's chalk
Scissors
Straight pins
Needle
Thread
Instructions:
Lay both t-shirts flat, cut off the hem, and cut a 5" wide tube from the bottom of each shirt. Cut through one side of each tube to make two long strips. Trim the ends so that both strips are the same length and set them aside.
From both shirts, cut rectangles approximately 14" wide by 15" long through both layers. You should have two pairs of rectangles.
Keeping the layers paired, place the four rectangles against each other, with the fronts of the t-shirts facing in. Pin along the long sides of the rectangles through all four layers.
Sew along the pinned edges using a whipstitch. Remove the pins.
Take one of the strips (from step 1) and fold its edges 1/2" toward the center (making the strip 4" wide). Then fold the strip in half (creating a 2" wide strip) and pin the edges. Repeat with the second strip.
Pinch one end of strip #1 and one end of strip #2 together, and thread them through the rectangular tube from top to bottom. Allow the strips to stick out of the bottom about 1" and position them about 4" in from the side seam. Pin them in place.
Without twisting the strips, pinch the other two ends together and repeat step 6, pinning them in place 4" from the other side seam.
Sew across the bottom of the rectangle using a small running backstitch, being sure to sew through all four layers of the rectangle as well as both layers of the straps. Remove the pins from the bottom of the rectangle. (Do not remove the pins along the straps.)
Fold the unsewn top edge of the rectangle down 1" and sew it in place, using a whipstitch. Turn the tote right side out.
Starting at the bottom edge, pin the straps to the outside of the tote.
Sew along the edges of both strips using a running stitch, fastening them to their respective sides of the tote. Continue stitching along the handle edges. Remove all pins.
Optional:
Reinforce the four intersections (where the handles meet the top of the tote) with a single boxed cross-stitch. Load up and rock out.
You could make this tote out of just one t-shirt, but to make it really functional--strong enough to hold the contents of your life--double the thickness. And this way, you'll have a somewhat reversible bag (not inside out, but backside front). Pair t-shirt opposites (black with white, pink with blue, a skull and crossbones with a Hello Kitty) and you'll be sporting a very Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde look.
