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Time: 4h00

A new bag made out of an old cardigan and skirt or scrap fabric
This is a bag I made out of a cardigan and a skirt. The cardigan is a batwing-style, which is why the bag is so wide. If you try this with a normal cardigan, ie one without batwing sleeves, it will come out a lot narrower than my one and not so slouchy.

I didn't really know what I was doing when I was making this, just made it up as I go along, so sorry for the lack of measurements and clear instructions and helpful things like that! :)

Posted by Emmy F. • Published 7th June 2011 • See Emmy F.'s 7 projects »

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Diver added Recycled Clothing Bag to 12 29 Oct 02:17
Diane R. favorited Recycled Clothing Bag 31 Mar 10:01

Step 1
Take your cardigan and lay it down flat with the sleeves out at an angle and the buttons done up. You need a cardigan that doesn't have a low neckline, as the length of the bag will be from the bottom of the cardigan to the top button.
Step 2
Turn the cardigan upside-down so you can visualise how your bag will look. Cut off what is now the bottom (but was the top) of the cardigan under the arms and just below the bottom button, so that you have something that looks a bit like a skirt. Save the sleeves for later.
Step 3
Now find your lining fabric. I had a skirt which I'd cut up a bit for a different project, so I used that. If you haven't got a skirt and used a piece of material instead, you'll need to sew the two edges together to get a skirt-like thing the same size as your bag. To measure how big it should be, put your cardigan over the skirt, then turn them inside-out together. Then you can cut off the excess fabric.
Step 4
To start constructing the bag, pin the lining to the cardigan around what will be the top of the bag. I decided to attach the lining underneath the black band (because I lost my black cotton and had to use grey instead, doh) but you could just attach it to the very top of the bag. Pin the lining to the cardigan, then start attacking it with your needle /sewing machine, all the way around, until your lining is completely attached.
Step 5
Now the bottom needs to be sewed together. Originally I tried to turn the bag with right side up, then folded the front and back in on itself, pinned it, turned it inside out again and tried to sew through all four layers at once, if that makes any sense. That failed because I kept missing layers, but it might work for you. If it does, it would be a shortcut. Instead, I folded the back and the front of the skirt into each other and sewed them together first so the lining was complete.
Step 6
Then I turned the bag right-side up and did the same thing to the bottom of the bag, folding the front and back into each other and sewing them together. Once that's finished, the bag is almost finished! Just the straps to do now.
Step 7
For the straps, grab the sleeves you discarded earlier. Cut off any elasticated bits from the cuff and cut lengthways down them so they are a flat piece of material, not a tube. Fold the two long sides into the middle, and fold the short edges in a bit so you have a smooth edge.Then fold it in half and half again until you have a long thin tube. Sew the edges and along the length. Repeat for the second sleeve, then sew the two together to make a long strap.
Step 8
Now just sew the strap to the inside of the bag, adjusting the length by sewing it further down if the strap is too long. You could sew a zip or magnetic clasp in to close it. And there you have a new bag for free :)