DIY - Tee Shirt Backpacks

 
My family spends 3 days together at Lake Ouachita each summer.  We've done this for the last 26 summers.







We have lots... LOTS... of great-grandchildren in our family, and I love seeing them all run all over the place together.

Just look at all those precious little ones! And each one needed something to carry around all their treasures. So Aunt Helen, that's me, takes care of that.  made backpacks... 29 of them!  Whew!

These count as paintings since I did technically paint on each tee shirt backpack. 
They were easy, adorable, and practically free to make. 
There was a lot of trial and error, but here's how I did it.


1st - Rescued my son's old tee shirts from a garage sale pile.

2nd -Followed the directions on the Rit dye bottle to make even the white ones fun-colored.





3rd - Cut rectangles from the bottom of the tee shirts. (The size varied.  I made them for kids ages 2 through 8.)

4th - Fold top couple of inches from each side in so that the edges won't be exposed where the string comes in and goes out. Fold the top edge down and under big enough for the straps to go through. Sew along the bottom of the fold.

5th - If you don't have ribbon for the straps, make it.  Cut strips of cloth and sew down the length of the edge.

6th -  Put a safety pen on one end and push it through to turn it inside out.

7th - Iron those pretty strips.  Then you have your ribbon.




8th - Using the safety pin, push the ribbon through the tube you made at the top.

9th - With right sides together, push the other ribbon through in the opposite direction.  It makes a circle so the drawstrings work.


10th - Give the draw strings a pull.  

11th -  With right sides still together, tuck the straps inside.  Pin them out of the way so that they don't get in the seam. 

12th - Let the bottom ends stick out near the bottom. 



13th - Stitch from the top (Right below the drawstring), down across the ends, around the bottom, across those ends which will also be sticking out, and back up the other side.

14th - Turn it right side out.
15th - Shake it out.
16th - Paint a picture or name on it.
17th - Smile.