This summer, we were sent a copy of DIY T-Shirt Crafts: From Braided Bracelets to Floor Pillows, 50 Unexpected Ways to Recycle Your Old T-Shirts to review. I was intrigued. I hate waste, but old t-shirts usually end up in the trash. By the time I finish wearing a t-shirt, it is too bedraggled to donate.
T-shirt Crafting: Creative Ideas for Moms and Tweens or Teens
What You'll Find on This Page
Three months later, I haven’t made time for any of the crafts, even though I love the T-shirt bag idea. I also plan to make a T-shirt yarn project someday. My kids happily spend hours poring over the pages of this book. The projects in this book inspired them to come up with all sorts of projects of their own! In the photo above, Emma wears the legs of old leggings (that had holes in) upside down as bellbottom leg warmers. She created her “skirt” using an old maxi skirt of mine that suffered an unfortunate run-in with spaghetti sauce. I am pretty good at getting stains out, but the oil in the sauce bonded permanently with the synthetic fabric of the skirt. She used an old t-shirt of mine to create her shawl – a design has proven popular with all three of my girls.
The kids also use the shirts to cut out blankets for their dolls and stuffed animals. I love seeing these shirts get a little bit more use before going into the trash! The kids love this use-however-you-want fabric supply. Knit fabric is not the easiest to cut. My kids always go for our Fiskars brand kids scissors. Other brands do not seem to work as well.
Great Ways to Use this Book
DIY T-Shirt Crafts targets adults, and I dream of using it for a fun mom’s night out of frugal crafting. This is also a great resource if you are looking for fun activities for tween girls.
Do you ever make things out of old clothes? Back when I had tiny toddlers, I turned some of my t-shirts into shorts and other t-shirts into skirts for my kids. Upcycled t-shirts make very comfortable toddler play clothes!
What are you and your kids making lately? Do you have a t-shirt craft for us to try?
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Fantastic skirt!! Love it!
My kids would love t-shirt capes like the one Emma has on! How great that this book inspired such playful crafting.
Emma has unique sense of style :) We also give some of old clothes to “fabric scraps” pile, but A is not into “practical projects”, hers are all in her head :)
I’ve got a couple of t-shirts I’ve been thinking of re-fashioning somehow.
This book is full of great ideas!