In the previous post, we revealed the first two great ideas for upcycling T-shirts and since a promise is a promise, today we're bringing you the remaining three so you can keep upcycling without stopping. If you need a refresher or missed the first post, you can read it here: Upcycling T-Shirts: 5 Great Ideas (1/2). This time, we've thought about your pet, your collection of neck accessories, and organizing your home. So take three more T-shirts out of the closet, get your scissors ready, and keep upcycling with us.
LET'S UPCYCLE T-SHIRTS! (Again)
3. Turn a T-shirt into a cat bed.
This idea is primarily intended for cats, since they love enclosed spaces where they feel protected and safe from prying eyes. However, if you have a dog (not too big), it might also enjoy having its own tent in the living room. We've modified the original idea a little by using more accessible materials and trying to create a sturdier result. You'll need: one large T-shirt, two wire hangers, a cushion, a piece of cardboard, duct tape, and some steel thread, wire, or string.
1. Open and join the hangers: straighten the wire hangers completely, then shape them into arches. Join the two arches perpendicularly, in a cross shape, at the highest point to create the tent frame. To join the two pieces, the blog where we found this idea recommends using steel thread, but if you don't have any, we think a bit of wire or string will work perfectly.
2. Assemble the frame with the cardboard: First, you'll need to cut the cardboard to the size you want the tent base to be. Bend the ends of the arches inward with pliers so you can pass them underneath the cardboard, then secure them well with duct tape or another type of sturdy adhesive tape. Place the cushion on top (you can also do this afterward so it doesn't get in your way).
3. Cover the whole thing with the T-shirt: Now that the inner frame is built, all you have to do is cover it with the T-shirt. The neck will serve as the entrance, and you just need to tie a knot in the open end to close the tent. You can also use safety pins or a removable fastener so you can take it apart whenever you want to wash it.
If you'd like to see the complete process in pictures, with text in English, you can find it on Meow Cat Blog.
4. Turn a T-shirt into a scarf.
Of all the ideas for upcycling T-shirts, this is undoubtedly the simplest. You'll only need the T-shirt and a pair of scissors, and if you'd like to decorate it, something of your choice to do so: fabric ink, a snap, a brooch you like, a clothing stamp…
1. Cut the T-shirt in a straight line below the sleeves Don't worry if the cut is uneven; no one will notice. The wider the T-shirt, the better.
2. Stretch the scarf as much as you can: The piece of fabric left after the cut is, quite simply, your scarf. But it isn't finished yet. Stretch it as much as you can. Ask someone to help you pull, or use anything around the house that can hold it while you pull, such as a door handle… The point is to stretch it.
3. Decorate it: On petit elefant, the blog where we found the idea, they decorate it with small dots using a pencil with an eraser and fabric paint. We also have an original idea for you: use a clothing stamp to form a striking word or phrase and stamp it in a random pattern all over the scarf.
5. What to do with the sleeves: drawstring pouches.
As you can see, the sleeves aren't used for anything in almost all of these ways to upcycle T-shirts. But what kind of DIY upcycling post would this be if we threw them in the trash? Besides using them to make T-shirt yarn, we found another idea that will help you organize your home and drawers, your handbag, your toiletry bag… Turn them into practical drawstring pouches. Here's how:
1. Cut the sleeve into a square: it doesn't matter if it's a rectangle.
2. Turn it inside out and sew the two open sides: by hand or with a sewing machine. Keep in mind that the hemmed part of the sleeve will be the opening of the pouch.
3. Turn it right side out again and make two small snips in the hemmed part to pass the drawstring through: one on each side of the vertical seam that closes the side of the pouch. Use a safety pin or safety needle to pass the drawstring from one side to the other and create the closure.
You can see the entire process in pictures, with text in English, on Infarrantly Creative.
We hope these 5 great ideas for upcycling T-shirts are useful to you, and if instead of deconstructing your old T-shirts you'd like to learn how to make a completely new one, visit our video tutorial for making a tank top with knit fabric. Really pretty and very, very easy.
Did you like them? Then be generous and share them on social media!
Happy upcycling.