Easy Hack to Create a Bag From an Old T-shirt

Jessica Shaw
by Jessica Shaw
3 Materials
10 Minutes
Easy

Don’t throw out your old t-shirts! Instead, try this t-shirt upcycling idea to get a whole new use from your t-shirts.


Let’s upcycle and then go shopping!

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Tools and materials:

  • Old t-shirt
  • Scissors
  • Rotary blade
Old t-shirt for upcycle

1. Find your old-t-shirts

Pull out an old, misshapen, stretched t-shirt from your closet and prepare to upcycle!

 

Folding the t-shirt

2. Cut your old t-shirt

First, fold your t-shirt in half lengthwise, and lay it flat on your work surface.

Cutting the t-shirt

Cut out the neckband from your t-shirt. That’s probably the most stretched-out bit.

Cutting the t-shirt

Now, unfold your t-shirt and cut out the sleeves.

Cutting the t-shirt

Cut off the bottom band of your t-shirt, but save it for later!

Marking the t-shirt

3. Distress your old t-shirt

Use a ruler and fabric marker to mark evenly spaced lines that you will cut on to give your old t-shirt a new distressed look.

Cutting the t-shirt

Use a roller blade to cut all of those lines, cutting through both layers of your t-shirt.

Distressed t-shirt

When you are done cutting, give a few little tugs on your t-shirt to open up those holes.

Closing up the bottom of the t-shirt

4. Close the bottom of your bag

That’s right, now you are turning your old t-shirt into a stylish shopping bag!

 

Turn your t-shirt inside out and gather the bottom of your t-shirt.

Tying fabric

Use the bottom band that you previously cut off to tightly tie the bottom of your t-shirt in order to close the bottom.

Tying fabric

Pull it closed as tightly as you can and make a double knot.

Stretching fabric

4. A final stretch

Give another final stretch to your bag to open up those distressed holes a bit more.

DIY shopping bag

T-shirt upcycling idea

Now you can turn your t-shirt right-side out, so the tied bottom is inside. 


With the t-shirt arm holes now repurposed as handles, you’ve got a great looking bag to use for some shopping! And, your new bag is washable and environmentally friendly. 


So, give this t-shirt upcycling idea a try and leave a comment to let me know how you liked it.


Next, check out this DIY Purse Made From Unexpected Dollar Tree Items.

Suggested materials:
  • Old t-shirt
  • Scissors
  • Rotary blade

The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Comments
Join the conversation
 1 comment
  • Linda Linda on Jun 10, 2024

    Jessica Shaw, YOU ARE THE BEST ❤️. AS SOON AS I READ THE TITLE OF YOUR SILVER EARRINGS TRICK TO CONVERT TO BEADED EARRINGS, YOU HAD ME ALREADY I SUBSCRIBED💯💯💯🫶. THE OLD T-SHIRT TO SHOPPING BAG JUST ADDED THE TOPPING ON THE CAKE 👕💯💯💯. KEEP GOING VERY BRILLIANT🤲🙌🙏🫶. GOD BLESS YOU SIS🙌🙏🙌🫶

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