I’ve made another small dent in my pile of thrifted tees. After I did these for Adrianna’s girls, I decided I wanted to do two for Stacey’s boys. Well, she has three boys. But I figured the littlest would forgive me for adding some things for him into the middle brother’s stash. Here’s C’s bag– please note how Spider Man has yanked my zipper off to the side a bit. He’s THAT strong.
With these versions I used twill tape to bind them– which made them quicker to complete and a bit more masculine in feel. Just a bit.
Here’s one all loaded up. Since the back panel stretches, you can fit quite a bit in there. And since I’ve filled it with all sorts of inexpensive entertainment, mom and dad don’t have to worry a whole lot about whether the loot actually makes it back into the bag. Because crawling around under airplane seats is just not worth it when you’re ready to evacuate the plane after hours and hours. Or minivan seats. Or wherever these end up being employed.
Thank you, Susan. It was so nice to see you all today. The boys love their bags. I mean, anything with Spiderman on it is cool in their minds but then throw in all the cool stuff inside and they’re sold. They can’t wait to get into it all. And I for one agree with not looking under airplane seats. I went looking for some stray Playmobil stuff after this last flight and came up with a brownie. Still in it’s package mind you but still gross.
These are great! I can’t wait to make one for my son, hes 2.5. He loves to put things in bags and I love to buy tshirts so we have a ton! Thanks for the great idea.
http://rubylynns.blogspot.com/
These are so cool. The best quick gift ever.
These are a really great idea. I tried sewing with vinyl before and found it very difficult to sew on directly. So I like how you’ve used a bias edge to make them quickly and efficiently! Great tutorial! Sara ♥
Hee hee, love the expression on the frog’s face
Such a fun idea and gift! Sorry you and Adrianna will be so far apart.
Can you tell me more about the kind of plastic and stitch you use? I recently tried to sew clear pockets on a hanging toy bin and the plastic was getting caught in my machine, making it go through slower than the thick fabric. It was good enough for my purposes, but it made the fabric bunch and the stitches so small they might rip the plastic in time.
Anyway… these are really cute. Is the back just one layer of t-shirt? I’m actually about to use plastic to make a cookbook protector, but I might use tape for my less crafty readers.
did you change your stitch at all to stitch the plastic? i find that a straight stitch on plastic will tear right through, a zigzag is more stable, but maybe my stitches are just too close?
yosefa: if you use masking tape on your machine, the plastic will slide better!
I don’t change my stitch length or width. I use a straight stitch set on 2.5. You might try sewing with a piece of thin paper on top of the plastic so that it slides– and then you can fold the paper along the seam and tear it away. Might help?
On the first set of bags I made I just used one piece of knit. It’s sturdy enough, but on the second set I used a double layer and it’s definitely sturdier and more attractive on the reverse side. I was worried that it would slide or bunch, but I didn’t have that problem at all. I just should’ve pinned the zipper to keep Spider Man from making it crooked.
Oh! As for plastic, I used vinyl that’s sold by the yard at a chain store, in a medium weight– the kind you’d use on a couch if you wanted to make a couch cover. The thought of that makes me feel sweaty. You can certainly use upcycled plastic, but I think if it’s thin it’s going to be more likely to bunch up.
These are great! I love crafting with thrifted tees :)