You can love the graphic on a T-shirt and be completely done wearing the shirt. Both things can be true.
A no-sew tote gives it another job. An old tank top works, too, and already has the opening and straps. The shoulder sections become the handles, and knots close the bottom. No sewing machine needs to emerge from wherever you put it.
Heather Dessinger at Mommypotamus and Jamie Sanders at Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom both explain this method. Our illustrated companion focuses on the cuts and the bottom closure.
A tank top gets a head start
A pink daisy tank as a little tote? Yes, please. The neckline is already there, and the shoulder straps become the handles without cutting off any sleeves.
Choose a knit tank with broad straps and intact seams. Leave its neckline and armholes alone, turn it inside out, and start at step 2 below. You’ll use the same paired strips and extra gap-closing knots as the T-shirt version. The bottom ties use up some of the length, so a longer tank gives you more fabric to work with.
KMOM14’s tank-top tutorial on Cut Out + Keep shows the cut-and-tie approach with the fringe left outside. For the tucked-away finish illustrated here, tie while the tank is inside out and turn it back afterward, as in the T-shirt method above.
Pick the shirt before you pick up the scissors
Start with a knit tee or tank, fabric scissors, and washable chalk or a marker. Choose fabric with some substance; a very thin tee will make a very thin bag. Check that the graphic sits below the new opening and above the bottom knots.
If you still want to wear yours, our sleeveless crop-top guide is the other option. This version retires it from shirt duty.
The cuts make the handles. The knots make the bag.
- Open up the T-shirt top. If you’re using a tank, skip to step 2. Smooth the tee flat, remove the sleeves, and enlarge the neck opening. Leave broad shoulder sections and their seams intact. Those are your handles.
- Plan the bottom. Turn the shirt inside out so the finished knots will sit inside. Mark where the bag’s bottom should be, leaving fabric beneath that line for ties. Allow for the fabric stretching when filled.
- Cut matching strips. Keep the front and back aligned. Cut upward from the bottom edge to your marked line, spacing the cuts roughly ¾ to 1 inch apart. Split the two outside strips at their side seams so each has a separate front and back tail.
- Close it in two passes. Double-knot each front strip to the back strip directly behind it. Then tie a loose tail from one pair to a tail from the neighboring pair, continuing across to close the gaps between knots. Check both ends, too.
- Turn it out and inspect it. Turn the bag right side out. Gently pull the bottom apart to look for gaps or loose ties before putting anything inside. Use the linked photo tutorials for a closer look at the knotting.
The drawing shows the layout, not a cutting pattern. Keep tiny loose items in a pouch, and start with a light load while you check how your particular fabric and knots behave.
The shirt may be done fitting you. It can still carry your stuff.
