Finally got my husband to clean out his closet. So we ended up with what seems like hundreds of out of style button front shirts. At first I was just going to take them to the Goodwill, but got to thinking there might be something else I could do with them. Surely they could be made into something else.
I have been sewing bags for a charity, Bags for Hope, that sells handmade totes and wine bags and gives 100% of the proceeds to the Hope Community, part of the Big Bend Homeless Coalition. Well, put together shirts that no longer fit or are in style, with a need for bags and donated material…of course! I could sew some tote bags from the shirts.
I deconstructed all the shirts so that I had pieces of material and then using freezer paper made a pattern to the dimensions of the tote bags and then set about trying to creatively use the material. I came up with a pretty cute idea to use the button placket part as the front, plain back of the same shirt fabric, top with a contrasting piece of fabric or the same shirt fabric cut on the bias and then line the bag with material from other shirts that matched or use some of my stash. Handles were cut from the same fabric as the totes. I also used the shirt pocket on the front. Each bag has an interfacing of either fleece or a stiff interlining.
I am pretty excited that I was able to take something old and unusable and turn it into something that will help a person who is in need.
