Thursday, October 27, 2011

Thrifty Thursday: Time to Re-purpose the Ol' Pile of T-Shirts

You know you have them... the lurking pile of old t-shirts. I've been saving them for projects but didn't really have any direction. My sewing pile has started to take over one wall in my room. In order to prevent my hubby from having to conduct an intervention for me, I've decided to get rid of them. By "get rid of them," I mean re-purposing them.

Week 1. Here's my pile. Over the next few Thursdays, I'm going to post a new completed project. {Deep breath} Wish me luck or say a prayer! I hope you enjoy the journey!



My Goal. I want to use only what items I have in my home to create not only something new but also something useful. Meaning, I will not make any new purchases to complete each project. I may have to get creative (that's the point, right) with the thread. Contrasting threads are always a little a lot daunting, as it highlights every stitch.

The options. I want to do more than just cut them into rags. Here are some of the project ideas I've found from around the web:

T-shirt necklace. I'm going to follow the vlog by Simply Rebekah. It could also double as a scarf, which will be perfect for the approaching, cooler weather.

Re-usable bag. I love re-usable bags! Some stores will give you a credit, if you bring your own bags.

Scarf. I had a friend on facebook make a scar out of t-shirts, and it seemed super simple. I ran across another tutorial today and am going to give it a try.

T-shirt embellishment. I'll be honest. This pretty petal tee seems to be the most daunting to me. I don't know if it's the super, cool photography or the fact that the embellishment and t-shirt are exactly the same color.

Ruffly Cardigan. This one looks super cool.

Bean bags. I've been meaning to make some bean bags for my Creative Movement class (fun to pass around in a game or balance on their heads while they "tippy toe" walk).

Units. Haha! Just kidding. Those of us that had to endure these over-sized outfits in the 80s will enjoy the flashback! Well, I have to admit that making Units was one of my first sewing projects, so I at least had to mention this, right?

Have you made anything from old T-shirts or know of any other great ideas? Please share!

You can comment here or on facebook or twitter. Can't wait to hear from you!

1 comment:

  1. you can make them into shorts for the boys. http://tinyhappy.typepad.com/tiny_happy/2006/04/old_tshirts_can.html
    I made a pair of pants for Jude once.

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