Heading to a dinner party with a bottle of wine? Paper and plastic bags are so 1990s. Take an old long-sleeved shirt to create this reusable wine sleeve. You can use a favorite vintage shirt to hold a favorite vintage wine, if you don’t mind losing the sleeves. (For extra credit, wear the shirt when you present the wine.)
You will need: A long-sleeved shirt with a hem at the wrist, 2 cords for a drawstring, needle and thread or sewing machine, fabric scissors, safety pin
1. Choose a shirt. Select a long-sleeved shirt with a hem around the wrist. The hem will become the casing for the drawstring.
2. Cut the sleeve. Cut off the sleeve near the armpit. Most wine bottles are about 1 foot tall, so make sure you have a few extra inches.
Turn the sleeve inside out and stitch along the unhemmed edge, sewing the edge shut. Then flip the sleeve back to the right side.
4. Cut slits for the drawstring. Take your scissors and cut 2 small slits in the hem directly across from each other.
Illustration by Tim Lillis; photograph by Tiffany Threadgould
5. Create the drawstring. Take one of your cords and attach a safety pin to the end. Thread the cord though the hemmed edge of the sleeve, beginning and ending at the same point. Remove the safety pin and double knot the ends together. Repeat with the second cord on the opposite side. Once you’ve secured the second cord with a double knot, pull the drawstrings away from each other, and you’ve created your wine pouch. Add your favorite bottle and enjoy.
Cut the sleeve from a short-sleeved shirt to make a mini-pouch for holding a camera, art supplies, MP3 player, or other small objects.
Tiffany Threadgould is a design junkie and the author of the This into That books. Her business, RePlayGround ( replayground.com), sells recycled goods, features DI Y projects, and accepts donations of your unwanted items.
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