{"id":27494,"date":"2013-12-10T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2013-12-10T14:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/?p=27494"},"modified":"2014-01-27T15:12:31","modified_gmt":"2014-01-27T20:12:31","slug":"t-shirt-gift-bag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/t-shirt-gift-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"T-Shirt Gift Bag"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>By contributing writer\u00a0<a target = \"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/At6r4u\">Jackie<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>I love all of the pretty wrapping papers there are available at Christmas, but I don&#8217;t love throwing it all in the trash when the presents have been unwrapped.<\/p>\n<p>That is why I came up with this simple drawstring gift bag made from an upcycled T-shirt.\u00a0Here&#8217;s how you can make one, too. Just remember that the larger the T-shirt, the larger the bag. and vice versa.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27618\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt_Gift_Bag.jpg\" width=\"480\" height=\"537\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt_Gift_Bag.jpg 480w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt_Gift_Bag-268x300.jpg 268w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>T-Shirt Gift Bag<\/h2>\n<h4>Supplies Needed<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>T-Shirt for Bag<\/li>\n<li>T-Shirt for Applique <em>(optional)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Ruler<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"affiliate link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=rotary+cutter&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Arotary+cutter&amp;tag=thehaphou-20\" target=\"_blank\">Rotary Cutter &amp; Mat<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Scissors<\/li>\n<li>Thread<\/li>\n<li>Ribbon <em>(1\/4 inch wide)<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Safety Pin<\/li>\n<li><a title=\"affiliate link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=heat%20n%20bond&amp;sprefix=heat+n%2Caps%2C178&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aheat%20n%20bond&amp;tag=thehaphou-20\" target=\"_blank\">Heat n Bond<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Pencil<\/li>\n<li>Iron<\/li>\n<li>Printout of a Christmas Tree or shape of your choosing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27495\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (shirts) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (shirts) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-1.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-1.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-1-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Instructions<\/h4>\n<p>1. Cut the T-shirt to the height you desire.<\/p>\n<p>I cut my T-shirt <em>(adult small)<\/em> just below the design using a rotary cutter, but scissors would work as well.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27496\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 1) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 1) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-2.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-2.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-2-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>2. Turn the T-shirt wrong side out and sew the two cut edges together using a 1\/4 inch seam allowance.<\/p>\n<p>I used a triple stretch stitch to ensure the seam wouldn&#8217;t bust if the bag was holding something heavy.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27497\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 2) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 2) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-3.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-3.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-3-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>3. Fold the bag so that each corner comes to a point like in the picture below.<\/p>\n<p>4. Sew 1 1\/2 inches from the point from top to bottom.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27498\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 4) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 4) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-4.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-4.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-4-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>5. Cut a small hole in the center of one side of the bag through both layers of the T-shirt in the original hem.<em> (The cut I made is just above the safety pin in the picture below.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27503\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 5) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 5) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-9.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-9.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-9-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>6. Insert a safety pin into one end of some ribbon <em>(1\/4 inch wide is what I recommend.)<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>7. Thread the ribbon through the entire hem and pull it so that the bag is not cinched together.<\/p>\n<p>Both ends of the ribbon should be pulled through the hole you cut in step 5.\u00a0Leave a about 4 extra inches of ribbon and tie a knot at the end.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27504\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 7) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 7) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-10.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-10.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-10-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The picture below will hopefully give you a better understanding of how the original hem of the T-shirt has now become the casing for the ribbon in steps 5-7.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27507\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 7) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 7) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-13.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-13.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-13-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you would like to embellish your gift bag with an appliqu\u00e9 then follow the steps below.<\/p>\n<p>You will need a heavy duty, iron-on, no-sew adhesive like<a title=\"affiliate link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s\/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&amp;field-keywords=heat+n+bond+ultra&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aheat+n+bond+ultra&amp;tag=thehaphou-20\" target=\"_blank\"> Heat n Bond Ultra<\/a> as well as T-shirt fabric in a color of your choosing.<\/p>\n<p>You will also need a printout of a Christmas tree or other shape of your choice like a star, bell, etc. You can do a simple internet image search to find many possibilities.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27499\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (Heat n Bond) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (Heat n Bond) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-5.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-5.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-5-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>8. Cut a piece of the T-shirt fabric and iron a piece of adhesive to it making sure that the paper side is facing up and the other side is facing the T-shirt.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27500\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (ironing) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (ironing) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-6.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-6.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-6-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>9. Trace around the Christmas tree and cut it out.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27501\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 9) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 9) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-7.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-7.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-7-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>10. Peel off the paper backing and place the tree with the adhesive side down.<\/p>\n<p>11. Iron the tree to the bag. <em>(For steps 8 and 11 follow the manufacturer&#8217;s instructions regarding ironing times.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27502\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 11) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (step 11) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-8.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-8.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-8-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Below is a picture of the bag I made with nothing in it and the drawstring not cinched.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27505\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (finished open) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (finished open) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-11.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-11.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-11-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This is a picture of the bag with the drawstring cinched. <em>(The picture at the top of this post shows the same bag full of three pieces of clothing.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27506\" title=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (finished closed) | The Happy Housewife\" alt=\"T-Shirt Gift Bag (finished closed) | The Happy Housewife\" src=\"\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-12.jpg\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-12.jpg 560w, https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/files\/2013\/11\/T-Shirt-Gift-Bag-12-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This really is a simple project and is a great way to use outgrown or unwanted T-shirts to create reusable gift bags that are actually a gift, too.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/frugal-living\/frugal-gift-wrap-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>See more frugal gift wrap ideas here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>More T-Shirt Projects<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/upcycled-t-shirt-napkins\/\">T-Shirt Napkins<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/upcycled-t-shirt-necklace-tutorial\/\">T-Shirt Necklace<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/how-to-make-a-shrug-from-a-t-shirt\/\">T-Shirt Shrug<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/upcycled-t-shirt-rug-tutorial\/\">T-Shirt Rug<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/how-to-make-a-t-shirt-scrap-pillow\/\">T-Shirt Pillow<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/author\/jackie\/\">More projects from Jackie<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By contributing writer\u00a0Jackie I love all of the pretty wrapping papers there are available at Christmas, but I don&#8217;t love throwing it all in the trash when the presents have been unwrapped. That is why I came up with this simple drawstring gift bag made from an upcycled T-shirt.\u00a0Here&#8217;s how you can make one, too. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27618,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[2546],"class_list":{"0":"post-27494","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-diy","8":"tag-diy-home","9":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27494"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27624,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27494\/revisions\/27624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27618"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thehappyhousewife.com\/home-management\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}