Upcycling Old T-Shirts - 5 Clever Ideas

Posted on 20/10/2020

Creative Ways to Upcycle Old T-Shirts

Spring-cleaning your wardrobe can often leave you with an enormous pile of clothes you will no longer wear or need. The first that comes to mind is simply to throw them in the waste disposal bin and get rid of them once and for all. Although this is a viable option, it is not very practical or eco-friendly. There are numerous ways in which you can utilize your old attire. Here are a couple of smart ideas how to utilize the last-season T-shirts that will spare you the call to the clearance company.

T-shirt Bag
Cross out your warn out t-shirt from your house clearance list. Instead, you can turn it into this super easy no-sew bag in 5 minutes.

1.    Cut off the sleeves of the T-shirt while trying to make a straight line. This part will serve as the sides of the straps.
2.    Cut about half inch wide strips from the sleeves. The number of strips depends on the amount of holes you are making in the bottom of the bag.
3.    Cut the neck to make the bag opening. Ensure it is large enough to fit things through.
4.    Make as much slits on the hem part of the tee as your bottom holes will be.
5.    Attach a safety pin through the end of one of the strips and run it through the each slit. Then pull the cord.
6.    Tie the hole as tightly as possible and make a knot. Do the same for the remaining sections.
7.    Decide whether you want the t-shirt ties to hang loose or to be hidden inside. In the second case, you will need to bring them through the hole and tie the bows on the inside. As you can see, old t-shirts are not necessarily destined for the junk disposal pile.

Bracelet
If you are tired of your old bracelets and want to update your accessories for free, then grab your old t-shirts and let’s get started.

1.    Cut the T-shirts into about 1 inch wide strips depending on the width of your bangles.
2.    Loosely tie one of the ends of the strip to the bracelet and start wrapping the fabric around the bangle.
3.    Wrap the tee strip all the way around until you get to the first knot. Untie the first knot and tie both ends together. Ensure that the knot is inside the bangle.
4.    Cut the remaining fabric with the scissors.
There you have it! And no waste collection service was involved!

No-sew Pillow
Bought a silly T-shirt while on vacation? No worries! You don’t have to think about rubbish disposal immediately. You can turn it into a fun throw pillow and an interesting topic of conversation when you guests come over.

1.    Place the tee on a flat surface and draw a square with a fabric chalk depending on how big you want your pillow to be. Then make another square inside the large one.
2.    Cut the large square.
3.    Use the scissors to make 1inch wide strips from the outside to the inside of the marked small square through both layers and all around the square.
4.    Tie each strip of the top layer with the corresponding strip from the lower layer.
5.    Tie the three sides and then insert an old pillow or some stuffing and then finish tying.
And you are done!

Artwork
Often you are simply too attached to part with your favourite T-shirt. If you don’t want to leave your much cherished tee to the rubbish removal company, you can hang it on display in your home. Wondering how? Check the following alternative to junk disposal:

1.    Get a canvas, scissors and a stapler.
2.    Cut up the back of the T-shirt.
3.    Smooth out the tee and place the canvas over it.
4.    Centre the pattern and pull tightly the T-shirt around the canvas and staple the edges.
5.    Cut off the excess of fabric and hang your new art piece!

Plant Hangers
This simple DIY project doesn’t require any special crafting skills and it takes so little time to do it.
1.    Start by cutting along the edges of the tee and the remove the sleeves. Cut off the T-shirt from one armpit to the other.

2.    Fold the fabric and cut it in half and then repeat the same with the two pieces. Repeat again until you end up with 8 strips of fabrics.
3.    Tie the bottom edges of the pieces into one big knot.
4.    Take two strips and tie them into a knot a couple of inches above the base knot. Do the same with the remaining strips until you have four knots.
5.    Split apart the pieces you just knotted and make four new knots by connecting each strip from one knot with another strip from a different knot.
6.    Twist around the remaining fabric around itself and make knot on the top.

The only thing left is to add your flower pot and to hang your planter.
These clever and crafty ideas will not only give the old clothes you ended up with after a house clearance a new purpose, but will also help you get rid of the clutter!