How to Make an Oversized Laundry Bag Out of an Old Shower Curtain

If you have a lot of laundry to tote from place to place, you can turn an old shower curtain into an incredibly durable laundry bag. These bags are handy for all sorts of things, so consider making one out of every shower curtain you're about to throw out. All you need is a little sewing know-how and some basic sewing supplies.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Shower curtain
• Scissors
• Measuring tape
• Strong thread
• Thick sewing needle or heavy duty sewing machine
• Thick twine

1. Lay the shower curtain out flat on the floor. Decide how deep you want the bag to be by either measuring or eyeballing the length, and fold the excess length over onto the rest of the shower curtain. Take the excess from the bottom of the curtain, leaving the eyelets at the top, and use the scissors to cut it off.

2. Fold the remainder of the shower curtain in half lengthwise. The top of the bag will be the side with the eyelets on it, and one of the sides has been formed by folding the curtain in half.

3. Load heavy thread into the heavy duty sewing machine's spool, if you're using a machine. Sew a double seam along both the bottom and the open side of the bag. If you're hand sewing, thread a thick needle with heavy thread. Sew the curtain halves together along the length of the bottom and up the open side. Cut the thread on the end where you started and anchor both loose ends in place with large knots. Trim the excess thread from the knots and repeat the sewing process by adding a second seam if you wish to reinforce the bag.

4. Take the loose end of your heavy twine and feed it through one of the eyelets at the top of the bag. Move around the bag in a single direction, threading the twine through each of the eyelets and alternating which side of the bag you thread the twine through. When all of the eyelets have been threaded, open the bag's opening all the way with about 6 inches of twine hanging off each of the loose ends. Trim off any excess twine and tie a knot on the tip of each loose end.

5. Fill the bag with laundry or whatever needs hauling around. Pull the loose ends of the twine to pull the drawstring together and close the bag. Tie the loose ends together to keep the bag shut.

Tips & Warnings

• High test weight fishing line is an even stronger alternative to heavy thread.
• Fine and decorative shower curtains made from lace or sheer fabric won't make very strong shower curtains, but thick plastic and rubber curtains work well.