Tutorial Tuesday - Clothespin Bag From a Shirt

This little tutorial does not have a full set of pictures - but it only took me 15 minutes start to finish, and made a fun and functional clothespin bag. It was a fun way to reuse one of my favorite shirts that my son wore as an infant without cutting it up into a quilt.

(note - this is not entirely original - I had seen similar bags elsewhere but varied my assembly to suit my style and the style of this shirt a bit more)

Supplies:
-One child's button up shirt - the one I used was a 6M size and held a full 100 count bag of clothespins, but you could probably use a larger size.
-One child's size hanger
-One bag clothespins
-Sewing machine or needle and thread.

Instructions:
-press the shirt well, paying close attention to pressing the sleeves and shirt tails so the openings are even.

-Pin the openings if desired - and stitch closed along the existing top stitching, matching the color of the existing top stitching as closely as possible. By sewing on the outside instead of turning it inside out to stitch, you preserve the "shirt tails" on your shirt. This shirt in particular had a fun little patch at the bottom of the placket that I did not want getting lost in a seam allowance.

-Be sure to stitch the sleeves closed as well - that way stray pins do not slip through the sleeve openings.

- open buttons /snaps down as far as desired. Tack stitch at the top button/snap if desired. A bag of heavy clothespins will put some strain on the buttons/snaps and you may want to reinforce that opening a bit.

-Insert hanger.

-Fill with clothespins, reserving 2 out.

-Clip two pins on the shoulders. This helps the 'shirt' stay on the hanger, and adds an extra bit of "cute."

To wash the bag, simply remove it from the hanger, empty out the clothespins and toss it in the wash. (and of course hang it back up out on the line to dry)

Because this is not outdoor fabric, I recommend storing your bag inside when it is not in use to make it last longer.

Hanging tip - a "stopper" of rubber bands wrapped tightly around the tip of the hanger "hook" will help to catch the bag if it starts swinging on the line.

(sorry about the indoor photos, but A) my new fancy schmancy retractable clothesline has not been installed yet and B) it's raining outside right now)