Making a Re-Usable Shopping bag out of a T-Shirt

Copper River Record  December 13, 2018
By Robin Mayo
​​When faced with big global problems like plastic pollution, it is easy to get overwhelmed, and feel like your small positive contribution is a drop in the ocean.  But the truth is, the one place we can have a real influence is by changing our habits, and if many people make small changes, it can add up to a big difference.  Plus, it feels good to do the right thing!
With that in mind, a group of local people who want to make positive changes set up a table at the Kenny Lake Christmas Bazaar on Saturday.  Our mission was to put re-usable bags in the hands of shoppers to use for their purchases. As a cool bonus, the bags we provided were recycled, as they were made of T-Shirts donated by one of our local thrift shops, New to You in Glennallen.  Thank You Heike!
We handed out about 40 bags, and quite a few people made their own bags, a fun new skill to help in their path towards sustainability.  To continue to spread this fun idea, here are instructions for making a bag out of a T-shirt:

1.  Lay the shirt out flat.  Mark and cut an arc at the neck to be the top opening of the bag using a large bowl or plate as a pattern.  Sometimes this step can be skipped if the shirt has a large neck opening.
2. Mark and cut inside the arm seams, making sure to leave a strap at least 2” wide.
3. Turn the shirt inside out, and mark a line about 3” above the bottom hem.
4. Cut parallel slits up from the bottom, making strips about ¾” wide.
5. Starting at one side, tie together pairs of strips, one from the front and one from the back of the shirt.  Tie a double knot and pull it good and tight.
6. Poof, your shirt is now a bag!  Turn it right side out and you are ready to go!

Alternate bottom finish:  Sew the bottom by hand or with a sewing machine.
Save the scraps!  Cut rings out of the sleeves to use as headbands, hairbands, or to tie up gangly tomato plants. 
Now that you’ve mastered the process, you can look at your overflowing T-Shirt drawer in a whole new light.  This is a great way to get the ones you don’t (or can’t…)  wear back in circulation, bringing back memories of tournaments, vacations, and concerts.  I still have Tshirts dating back to my teenage years, but they seem to have shrunk in storage, so I’m excited to find a use for them.
 
(Possible Sidebar?/put it in a box?)
  Secrets of the Bring Your Own Bag Society*

• Keep bags in your car.
• Return bags to car after unloading them.
• If you forgot them, go back out and get them, or….
• If you needed more bags anyways, many stores have inexpensive reusable bags to purchase, or…. 
• You don’t have to use bags at all.  Load all your purchases back into your cart after checkout and unload them into your car, or….
• (Last Ditch Option) ask for paper bags.

* Membership is open to all ages and genders.  Benefits:  Feeling good about making your community and the world a better place.  No dues, no forms to fill out.  You belong as soon as you START BRINGING YOUR OWN BAGS!