Trapezoid-shaped Tote from Casino T-shirt

A year or two ago, I bought this T-shirt from the Goodwill advertising Terrible's Casino in Primm, Nevada. I was attracted to the T-shirt, because the classic "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign is used in it's image, only it says "Welcome to Primm." Originally white, I dyed it Avocado Green and de-constructed it. It sat in my stash for a long time because I couldn't think of something to do with it.

On my most recent trip to the Goodwill, I was pleased to find another Terrible's T-shirt because I knew this would expand the possiblities for a project! This one I dyed Robin's Egg Blue.

I decided to make a functional, patchwork tote from the two T-shirts. My first step was to make the patchwork panels and then cut out the other layers. As in my other functional, sturdy projects, there are four layers - outside patchwork, muslin for interfacing, batting for body and the inside lining.

I like the design of this tote because it's simple, yet has an interesting trapezoid shape. The inside is lined in black and has two pockets and velcro closure. The dimensions of the bag are: bottom - 19", top - 15" and height - 12."

Hip tank from international souvenir shirt

My adventurous father-in-law, Bruce, went to Tibet after attending the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He brought us home several souvenir T-shirts. After two years, this T-shirt had not been worn by any of us. I think it was too small for a man and too big for a woman, so I thought it was a perfect candidate for a re-style.

   

I de-constructed and re-constructed it into a women's tank top. 

My intention was to give the "new" tank top to my daughter, Hanna. So, my hope was that the re-styled garment would be hip enough for her to say "I like it. Thanks, mom." And, yes, that's just what happened. She even wore it to school the next day.

Walmart Knock-off Hobo Bag

I was interested in making a hobo style bag and rather than looking for a pattern in a fabric store or developing my own, I decided to look in Walmart for a cheap bag that I could deconstruct and copy. I was pretty jazzed when I found this bag on clearance for $5.00!

Isn't it lovely?!

I had Goodwill T-shirt from the 2006 Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival. (I never knew there was such an event, but I thought the image was pretty cool.) The original color was tan, and I dyed it "Brazilian Nut."

For the lining, I decided to use a shirt my husband, Mike, donated to my collection which he received from his cousin, Tom, who is a seafood broker.

So I deconstructed the Walmart bag, ironed the pieces, and traced around them onto pattern paper. I developed a long shoulder strap as well. I'll spare you any of the construction details. Not complicated - but took longer to make than I thought it would.

Here is the finished bag.

There is a cell phone pocket and a larger square pocket inside.

Lastly, I had my reluctant model wear it so you can get an idea of it's actual size.