Sewing to the Moon
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

​Pattern Reviews, Easy Projects, Tips, & Sew-a-longs 

10/14/2022 0 Comments

DIY: Sweatshirt into Tote Bag

How to up-cycle a sweatshirt
When I was coming up with a title for this post, I kept thinking of the word Upcycle. But, I don't see it used as much anymore. Do you still use the word upcycle? I opted for the DIY term instead. Anywho, onto the post.
Have your kids outgrown some of their favorite clothes? They can't stay little forever, right? Maybe they have something they used to love that no longer fits. You might have a bin of clothing that you don't want to donate or don't know how to put to use. 

A friend asked me if I'd make a bag from her daughters old hoodie. It was a rare occasion and I said yes! I was in a rut with my own sewing and thought creating something new would pull me out of it. It worked! The result is super cute and useful, too. That's a win in my book!
How to make an old sweatshirt into a useful bag
If you have an old hoodie packed away that you don't want to get rid of, I have the perfect project for you!

I scoured the interwebs looking for a hoodie up-cycle project and found nothing. I was pretty surprised nothing showed up. There were tons of T-shirt projects, but nothing for sweatshirts. So, I went head first into this challenge. After reading this, I hope you'll pull out those beloved hoodies and put them to use. 

Supply List

  1. Old Hoodie without a zipper
  2. Ruler
  3. Rotary cuter and scissors
  4. Chalk marker or disappearing ink pen
  5. Sewing machine
  6. Serger (nice but, not necessary)
  7. Clips (pins work but, it's a struggle because the fabric is thick)
  8. The usual sewing notions
  9. A little creativity ;)
Upcycle your old clothes
First, you'll want to measure the front. You need to figure out the size of the square or rectangle your bag will be. Use chalk or pen to mark it, and cut. I used as much of the sweatshirt as I could because it was a child's hoodie. I decided to the leave the bottom ribbing on the sweatshirt to act as the bottom base for the bag. 
​
Next, cut off the side seam allowances to remove bulk. Cut apart the hood, cuffs, and sleeves and set them aside. 
How to reuse old worn clothing
Cut up the side seams and remove them.
Idea for old sweatshirt hoodie
Cut off the sleeve cuffs and set aside for future use.
make a tote bag diy
Open your sleeves out flat. You will use them to make bag handles.
Measure your sleeve length, you'll want to use as much of this as possible for bag detailing. Cut from the shoulder to the wrist, it has the least amount of stretch. I used as much width as I could get away with. 
sweatshirt pattern tutorial
what to do with old kids clothes
Sleeve rectangle for the bag detailing.
old worn kids clothes diy project
Cut each sleeve strip the same length and width. Pin together, wrong sides together. These will get sewn to the bag top, to add height and some detail. You can baste the edges together before sewing if you'd like but, it's not necessary.
band hoodies diy project
Clip the strips to the bag top.
Pin/clip the strips to the top of the bag front and back. Don't sew these on yet.
old hoodie sweater jumper project
1. Cut front hood seam off and set aside.
diy sewing project
2. Measure and cut 3" wide or larger strip from both hood pieces.
diy an old sweater
3. Pin wrong sides together, sew with 1/2" seam. Turn. These will be your bag handles.
Take the hood and cut off the seam around the face opening. Both layers should separate and you'll have 2 hood pieces. Take one and measure and cut a 3" wide piece using the whole length. Do this with the second hood. These will be your bag handles.
tote bag how to sew pattern
Clip handles in between the detail strip and bag front. Measure 2-3" from side if this is where you'd like your bag handles placed.
Clip the handles inwards 2-3" from the sides. Sew with a 1/2" seam allowance. Do this on the front and back pieces. 

There was no method to my madness, I didn't exactly make this bag in any particular order. 
how to sew a sweatshirt
Sew the sandwich together using 1/2" seam.
serger project diy upcycle
If you have a serger, go ahead and serge the raw edge to make it look nice.
I used a 1/4" seam but, you should use a 1/2" if you can. I was working with a small hoodie and decided to use a small seam allowance where I could. 

If you have a serger, serge the edges to make it nice and clean. You don't need to do this, the fabric won't fray. I made this for something else, so I really wanted it to look nice inside.
how to create something new from something old
Topstitch with the seam allowance pushed down.
Move the handles out of the way and topstitch the seam allowance down with 1/8". This will give the layers extra support. 
Next, you're going to clip the sides and bottom together. Sew from one opening, down, and around to the next top. Make sure to backstitch at the beginning and end. Don't sew the top. 
sweatshirt makeover
If you want to leave your bag like this, you're done! Ta-da! Super easy and it uses up a hoodies that has probably been in a drawer or bin, unloved for a long time. 

If you'd like to box the corners, keep following along. 
old sweatshirt diy project
Pinch the bottom corner matching seams. Sew across this to create a boxed corner.
diy sewing project
Pin triangle in place and stitch in the ditch.
how to re fashion an old sweatshirt hoodie
This is what the inside looks like after it's stitched down.
I usually cut the triangles off but, decided to leave it on this time. The extra weight helps hold heavy books, tablets, etc. I stitched in the ditch to keep the triangle from flapping around inside. Just fold the triangle up and pin in place, then stitch in the ditch (seam in the seam).

​Or, simply cut off the excess triangle.

​Ta-da! You're all finished. This would make a great gift for a child or anyone with a beloved hoodie laying around.
re-fashion old clothes
All finished!
Useful ways to use old clothing
The bag is a good size and will be loved and used for years, I'm sure. 
I loved leaving the front pocket on so, others would know if was from a hoodie. Such a cute turnout.
what to do with an old worn out sweatshirt
This was all that was leftover.
There wasn't too much leftover fabric. I'm sure you could make another cute bag or add pockets inside. 
what to do with old kids clothes
tote bag upcycle project
I had my daughter model the bag so you could see the size reference. It's a good size!
Thanks for reading along!

​Happy hunting and happier sewing.

Annette
0 Comments

    Author

    Hi there, I'm Annette and I love eating and sewing. I usually have a cup of coffee or tea with me, but not next to my machine because I'd probably spill it. I am the reason we can't have nice things.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018

    Categories

    All Beginner Sewists Butterick Pattern Fabric Storage Garment Sewing Gertie Patterns Holiday Sewing Machine Cleaning Me Made May Sewing For The Home Sewing Hack Sewing Machine Sewing Organization Sewing Swimwear Sewing Thoughts Simple Sewing Simplicity Patterns Vintage Notions Vintage Patterns Vintage Sewing

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly