I’m a teacher. Each year, my school has a beauty pageant as a fundraiser and as a result, every teacher gets involved in some capacity. I’ve been asked to make tote bags (using school t-shirts) that will be used to hold judge “thank you” swag.
Today, I was given 5 shirts today, all different sizes and colors. Each has a different inspirational quote, which I’d like to utilize somehow.
I know that they don’t realize that the different sizes causes me to resize my pattern with each shirt so I’ve got to find a work around. I might be able to get my hands on enough of the same size…maybe.
I’ve looked at no sew bags and those don’t seem like a viable option. Plus I don’t think they would be appropriate for an appreciation gift.
I could cut the quote out and use it as a decorative panel in a regular canvas tote. Would I need to use some stabilizer to do this?
Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I’m currently more than a little overwhelmed at how to tackle this.
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(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
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I think those no sew bags are cute but sort of too casual maybe for a swag bag…you could class it up a bit and make drawstring bags out of each t-shirt…
a bit of sewing…sew the hem, turn down at the top (hopefully the quotes would show!) You could get as fancy as you want…use some of the t as the string or use fun colors?
You could square the corners to make the bottom more bag like…you could go crazy with some embellishments, badges, fringe…
I’m glad you mentioned cutting out parts to use as patches on regular cotton totes because that was where my mind went too. I use a fusible webbing for that sort of thing, a product like stitch witchery which is ironed on to the back of a piece of fabric then a layer is peeled away revealing the other side of the fusible material so it can be positioned onto more fabric & ironed in to place. It’s helpful to add a line of stitching round the edge to keep things more permanently attached. The fusible stuff helps reduce stretch a great deal too so the parts go together evenly.
I would definitely go with using bits of the shirts to embellish a bag that’s made out of something woven instead of knit, since I don’t feel like t-shirt fabric is a good choice for bags anyway. Also seconding the stitch witchery/fusible webbing for smooth attachment.
Yes, I see no reason why you couldn’t do that. Good luck with your plan.
A few years ago, I took one of my kids’ marching band tees, and made it into a lined tote. I also used clear vinyl as an outer layer, so I could set the tote down in the bleachers and not worry about it getting soaked. Unfortunately I can’t find pics on this comp but there is a pic on the other site:
