Everybody has that one special T-shirt that they just can’t seem to part ways with. You’ve probably had it for a decade and it may be falling apart at the seams, but throwing it out seems like an unimaginable thing to do. Thankfully, you don’t have to! Don’t toss your well-worn T-shirt into the dumpster just quite yet. If you channel your inner Martha Stewart, you can resurrect even the rattiest of garments into something unexpected and new. Everything from braided accessories to fun things for the house. To help you hold onto those old T-shirts a little bit longer, we’ve gathered 5 easy and fun ways to put your old t-shirt back to use.
Quilts
Nearly every major event in life is marked with a special tshirt. Anything from clubs, teams, sports, to concerts. The latest craze is to recycle shirts is by turning them into a keepsake t-shirt quilt. This is a very clever way to keep those tees in circulation. Preserve these special life moments with a quilt that you can treasure for a lifetime.
Don’t have time to learn the trade of making a quilt? You can find companies online that will take your old t-shirts and do this for you!
Dog Toys
Tired of your pup chewing on your favorite shoes? Dog toys often don’t last long and can become expensive to keep replacing. So why not make your own homemade chew toys for your dog? With a few old t-shirts you can make a quick and easy toy to keep your furry friend entertaine
-
Cut 2-3” wide slits at the base of your shirts. After you’ve cut your slits, just rip or cut along the slit to create strips of fabric for the next step.
-
Gather your t-shirt strips and tie off one end.
-
Divide your strips into thirds and braid them together.
-
Once you’ve braided down to the other end, tie up the bottom and cut any straggling t-shirt strips.
Fashion Scarves
Your dresser drawers can’t possibly handle any more “nightgowns,” especially when you never actually wear them. Turning an oversized t-shirt into a trendy scarf is down right easy to do. Anyone who can operate a pair of scissors can make one if they’ve got just two minutes of spare time.
-
Cut across the shirt at the underarm. If a bit of the shirt’s design gets cut with it, don’t worry. It most likely won’t show.
-
Take the cut-off bottom half of the shirt and stretch the loop out as much as you can. Loop it around the bottom of your foot and pull up to get a good stretch.
Headbands
Sometimes you just can’t avoid a bad hair day. You need a quick and easy way to get that mop on your head under control. With three strips of t-shirt, tie a knot in one end. Then braid the strips. When you get the end, tie another knot. Then tie the two ends together – that’s it!!
Tote Bags
Did you know plastic shopping bags are typically used for less than 30 minutes ? The average American uses around 288 bags a year and only 1% of them are recycled. That’s about 22,000 plastic bags used in an average person’s lifetime. Go green and make your own recycled t-shirt tote bag.
-
Cut off the sleeves. Since you are ditching the sleeves it doesn’t matter if you use a short or long sleeve t-shirt.
-
Cut off the neckline. You could turn the shirt inside out and trace the outline of a bowl before cutting. This will give you a clean line to follow. Decide where you want the bottom of the bag to be and trace a line across it. Keep in mind that the fabric is likely to stretch and become longer when you fill your tote up with stuff.
-
Cut slits from the bottom of the shirt up to the line marking the bottom of your bag. You’ll want to cut both the front and back layers together because they need to match up for the next step.
-
Knot the slits together to close the sides.
Old t-shirts are great for crafting, even ones that could no longer be worn. Hope these ideas sparked some inspirations to put your old shirts to use. Comment below to let us know how you DIY your retired t-shirts!
