If your closet is anything like ours, it’s filled with a bunch of pieces you haven’t worn in a good, long while— if ever! And while we are not necessarily proud of the fact that some of our items still have price tags attached, we did recently learn a shirt upcycling hack that has helped to ease our wardrobe-related guilt.

You see, ordinary t-shirts can actually be made into super adorable tote bags that work great for the beach, the park, the super market or even your kiddos’ soccer games—and the best part is, the simple repurposing DIY requires absolutely NO sewing. Score!

So, if you’ve recently cleaned out those packed dresser drawers, make sure that you take a good look at your t-shirts before you head to your local Goodwill. One of them may just be your new go-to bag.

Put your unwanted t-shirts to good use!

Today’s handy tip comes to us today from those creative gals over at the YouTube channel WhatsUpMoms. Our sunny hostess gives us a super simple step-by-step so that we can create a trendy t-shirt tote of our very own.

You wouldn’t believe it, but you technically only need 2 materials to make a bag—just a t-shirt and fabric scissors! As far as the t-shirt goes, we highly recommend choosing one that is both in good condition (i.e. no holes or tears) and is made out of a cotton blend that includes a stretchy material, like polyester or spandex.

1. Get started by folding your t-shirt in half, lengthwise, and slicing off the sleeves, being careful that you cut behind the inside seams. If you do this correctly, you should end up with a tank top.
2. If you’re not into that biker-esque, frayed sleeveless look, then continue on your tote bag-making trajectory! From here, turn your t-shirt inside out and place it back on the table. Grab both of the bottom pieces between your fingers, and start making fringes—about 3-4” in length will do.
3. Once complete, tie both ends of the bottom fringes together – a tight double-knot is best! – then go in one more time and tie the knot’s “next-door neighbors”, double-knotting them together in a sort of cross-hatch pattern. It may seem like overkill, but this step will ensure that your base is good and sturdy!

Seems easy, right? Our hostess has decided to super glue a few colorful pom poms onto her t-shirt tote, but you can add any type of embellishment you want to make the bag your own. We personally think a bit of lace would look very trendy!

Now that you’ve got the basics down, it’s time for you to learn the specifics from the master herself. To get the full t-shirt tote bag tutorial, be sure to watch WhatsUpMoms video below. What a clever DIY!

Now that you know how to repurpose an ordinary shirt into an extraordinary tote bag, we want to hear from you. Have you ever tried this t-shirt hack before? How do you upcycle your t-shirts? What are your favorite no-sew projects?