Recycle Old Tank Tops Into Reusable Tote Bags -- Great DIY Holiday Gift Idea!

Throughout the hallowed halls of Greenwala, community members have more DIY bag tutorials than you can shake a stick at, including:

a) How To Make a Duffel Bag Out Of Old Umbrellas

b) How To Make A T-Shirt Bag For NOVICES or For EXPERTS

c) How To Fuse & Sew Old Grocery Bag Plastic Into New, Cool Handbags

d) Turn Plastic Bags Into A Homemade Messenger Bag

But nowhere have we had access to a simple tutorial on how to convert old tank tops into clever reusable bags...until now.

Since a person can never have enough reusable bags and this project, courtesy of Crafty Nest, upcycles old tops that could have potentially been stuck in dresser drawer purgatory, I think that we have a winner.

Anyone out there who is starting to panic about what to give as gifts this holiday season might want to hit up local thriftshops, stock up on tank tops that have good "bag potential" and crank these out in your spare time.

Fun, crafty, easy on the environment, and a great way to gift your friends with a stylish one-of-a-kind creation that will outlive anything that you might have purchased for them at the mall!

The best kind of tank tops to use for this project are those that have front and back necklines that are the same height-or very close (otherwise, your tote bag will be lopsided). The brown tote pictured above is reversible, so the pockets can be on the inside or outside. When using tank tops with very thin straps, bear in mind that they should be made into small tote bags since they won't be able to hold a lot of weight. Conversely, traditional tank tops with sturdy straps will make really great, significantly larger tote bags.

The magenta tank top pictured had a gathered neckline in front and back, so a gathered bottom was ideal for that design, and a pink store-bought flower pin finished it off.

Tank Top Tote With Six Pockets

Supplies and tools

• tank top
• straight pins
• water-erasable fabric marker
• sewing machine and thread
• fabric scissors
• seam ripper
• sewing gauge or ruler

First remove the tags with a seam ripper or scissors and then turn the tank top inside out.

If your tank top has a bra liner, cut the elastic off the bottom of it.

Fold so that the straps lie on top of each other.

Fold the bottom of the tank over itself. This will become the pockets.

Pin in place, making sure the seams line up. Mark where you want the seams in between each pocket with pins or an erasable fabric marker.

Using a stitch that stretches with knit fabric, such as the triple straight stitch, sew the seams that divide each pocket. Make sure the bra liner is lying flat before sewing. Back-stitch to lock the seams.

Sew the bottom together about 1/4 inch from the edge. Back-stitch to lock the seam.

Turn the tote bag inside out so the the pockets will be on the inside-or leave it as is.

Gathered Tank Top Tote

Supplies and tools

• tank top
• straight pins
• water-erasable fabric marker
• sewing machine and thread
• fabric scissors
• seam ripper
• sewing gauge or ruler
• flower pin

First remove the tags with a seam ripper or scissors.

Fold so that the straps lie on top of each other. Measure and mark where you want the seam to be. I placed mine five inches from the bottom of the tank top.

Baste two rows (about 1/4 inch apart) along the line you marked. Do not back-stitch. Then pull the bobbin threads tight as you slide the fabric inward to gather it. Then use a straight stitch with a shorter stitch length and sew between the two basted seams. Back-stitch to lock the seam. Pull out the basted seams.

Cut off the excess fabric about 1/2 inch past the seam.

Turn the tote bag right-side out.  Pretty cool, huh?