• Home
  • About
  • Birds
  • Bread
  • Cakes and Cookies
  • Chocolate Making
  • Chocolate Making II
  • Chooks
  • Christmas
  • Fabulous Food
  • Family & Friends
  • Frugal Living
  • Homemade
  • In My Kitchen
  • In Our Garden
  • Jams, Preserves & Sauces
  • Musings
  • My Cool Things
  • Savoury
  • Suppliers
  • Sydney
  • Waste Reduction Plan
  • Pandemic Posts 2020

Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Living well in the urban village

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Postcards From San Francisco 2019
Sustainability Working Bee »

Waste Reduction Plan: T-Shirt Bags For The Win!

November 27, 2019 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

A lifetime ago, our darling friend PeteA was wearing a t-shirt that my Pete adored. Generous soul that he is, PeteA literally gave Pete the shirt off his back. My Pete then went on to wear that tee for over twenty-five years – first for going out, then as a work shirt, and finally as pyjamas.

This morning, I turned it into a bag.

It probably has ten or more years of life left in it. And I thought to myself – if a simple t-shirt can survive three decades and two owners and still be a usable resource, then what does that say about fast fashion and single wear clothing?

And on the topic of t-shirt bags…we’ve now been using these for over a year, and in that time, they’ve become our go-to reusable bags.

Environmentally and practically, they tick every box:

  • they don’t require any new resources as there’s always worn out tees in our house √
  • they take just a few minutes of dodgy sewing to make √
  • they go into the washing machine and dryer as needed √
  • they’re perfect for takeaway/takeout because they’re so easy to launder √
  • they’re super strong and carry large, oddly shaped loads √
  • the wide straps don’t cut into your shoulder √

If you haven’t made any of these, I’d urge you to have a go! You really only need to sew the one seam at the bottom as the handles can just be cut and left unfinished, although I prefer to hem them.  There are also lots of tutorials on how to make them without sewing (I haven’t tried it, but this one looks good).

Here are the wee instructions I wrote last year…hope you find it useful! ♥

Share this:

  • Email
  • Tweet

Like this:

Like Loading...

Posted in green living | 20 Comments

20 Responses

  1. on November 27, 2019 at 12:12 pm iamjuliab

    Ce, is that you??? You are rail thin if so! Wow, what is your secret?


    • on November 27, 2019 at 12:33 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      No such luck darling, it’s Small Man! 😘


      • on November 27, 2019 at 12:54 pm iamjuliab

        In any case, you are adorable! It is Thanksgiving in the States…I will always be thankful for you, no matter how often we connect. You will always be my inspiration.


        • on November 27, 2019 at 5:51 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

          Love you! 😘


  2. on November 27, 2019 at 3:56 pm Pauline

    I have finally taken the time to read your instructions on how to make the tshirt bag. Couldn’t be simpler. It would also be worthwhile going to a charity shop and buying some really cheap tshirts to make some. Do you use yours at the supermarket? Thanks so much for sharing. Pauline


    • on November 27, 2019 at 5:56 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      I do! I use them for fruit and veg and meat as well, also for storing boots and out of season clothes. They seem to be endlessly useful! If you’re picking up cheap t-shirts, check out the Salvos for their $2 items and also at Reverse Garbage. The thicker the fabric, the better it will last but thinner ones will work as well. Have fun making them!


  3. on November 27, 2019 at 7:30 pm Kim

    Magnificently making use of something that many people would just discard. You’ve really got me thinking – when did it become acceptable to be so wasteful? These bags are great, and I like that you always carry a spare to pass on 😁 (which is a great idea and I will do that in future). I hope Pete knew you were cutting his t-shirt up 😂


    • on November 27, 2019 at 7:58 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Yes, he knew! He did a big clean out and gave me five tshirts that he needed to retire – I’ve made three bags so far! They’re great fun because of the designs actually – it makes each one quite unique! :)


  4. on November 27, 2019 at 8:22 pm fergie51

    Dodgy sewing, I’m in! :)


  5. on November 27, 2019 at 10:46 pm Dymoon

    I always enjoy my visits with you… reminder to recycle.. good on you


  6. on November 28, 2019 at 5:53 am Meg

    I’m sure there’s an old and well loved T-shirt around here somewhere!


  7. on November 28, 2019 at 7:44 pm Mo

    What a great thing to do! On my list!


  8. on November 29, 2019 at 2:30 am minimalsue

    Then save the bottom you cut off, cut into strips and make a rug from many of those!


    • on November 29, 2019 at 12:46 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      We save the sleeves and the bottoms as polishing and dusting rags!


  9. on November 29, 2019 at 6:57 am sustainablemum

    I love this! What a great way to use up old t-shirts. Now I am wishing that I hadn’t just taken four of my husbands old work shirt to the charity shop…..


  10. on November 30, 2019 at 5:16 pm Liz - Good Things

    Great initiative, Celia. Our old t-shirts are always used as cleaning cloths (they’re so soft and especially great for polishing furniture or the car).


  11. on December 1, 2019 at 11:54 pm Sol

    What a great idea!


  12. on December 6, 2019 at 5:18 pm Mae Sander

    So many tee shirts! So meaningful — they are all memories of something.

    We can never bring ourselves to get rid of them. This is such a great idea except that re-usable shopping bags have also proliferated beyond belief in our bag box in the trunk of the car and in other places in the house. They are such convenient give-aways and such great gifts for our friends to give us that we have more than we can ever use.

    The world is so complicated.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com


    • on December 6, 2019 at 8:14 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

      Mae, we’ve found the tshirt bags perfect for storing out of season clothes and linen – they’re easy to stuff and then tie closed. And as I said, they’re perfect for takeaway as they’re easy to wash. We have lots of reusable shopping bags too, but they’re all plastic based so they break down over time. We use them mostly now for gifts and use the tshirt bags for fruit, veg and groceries!


  13. on January 23, 2020 at 10:43 am Joan Chan

    I havent visited your site for a while Celia, but when I do, I feel refreshed and full of new ideas.I love wearing my T-Shirts to death so this is another way revive them.



Comments are closed.

  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Follow @celiafigjam
  • Recent Posts

    • Making Zokin
    • Curry Puff Pastry
    • Hiatus
    • The Glass Lid
    • Denim Revisited
    • Vegan World Peace Cookies
    • Here Be Chickens!
    • A Tale of Two $2 Quilts
    • Daily Quaft Therapy
    • A Repaired Tea Bowl
  • Categories

  • Archives

  • © All text and photos are copyright 2009 - 2023 Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. All rights reserved. Please ask first.

    Protected by Copyscape

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
    • Join 14,064 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

  • Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • %d bloggers like this: