New Ways to Use Old T-Shirts

8. Make it artwork

Many of your old T-shirts have designs too pretty to throw away. A great way to use that design is to frame it for your room.

Cut the arms, collar, and back out of the shirt. Then frame the front of the shirt so the design is centered in the frame. Finish framing, hang it in your room, and enjoy your new artwork. 3113_pillow

Reuse the design of a T-shirt to cover a pillow.

9. Cover a pillow

Another great way to reuse the design of a T-shirt for your room is to cover a pillow. There are two ways:

The no-sew method: Turn the T-shirt inside out and, using safety pins, insert a line of pins along the hem to close the opening. Turn the T-shirt right side out and insert a throw pillow. Tuck in the sleeves and upper part of the shirt, envelope style, and safety pin the tuck to secure.
If you have a sewing machine, watch YouTube to learn how to make your T-shirt into a pillow.

10. Make a rug

If you have many, many old shirts and are in dire need of a new rug in your house, you can solve both problems in one step: Crochet a rug!

Gather your old T-shirts to make t-shirt “yarn”. Using a big crochet hook, you can now crochet your way to a soft, economical, recycled, handmade rug. Enjoy!

Something new out of something old

No shirts? No sweat.

Reuse the design of a T-shirt to cover a pillow.

Making something new out of something old is all about your mindset. You can look at a T-shirt for what it is at the moment, but with these suggestions you can see what it can become.

If you toss it out now with only a glance, you’re wasting money. When you make something new from it, you give it a fresh look and save money, which is a smart move.

True or False: Benjamin Franklin was nicknamed the "Water American". Click Ben's head for the answer.

TRUE: On his first voyage to England, he drank a lot of water while his British counterparts he was traveling with drank mostly beer.

Age 15
Stafford, VA

WRITTEN BY:

Hailey

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"This article has it all; easy to read information, interesting pictures, and fun ideas that don't require you to be a master at sewing! It's just in time, too, because spring has sprung, which means we'll all be looking into our closets, eying our old, boring t-shirts with disgust. These ideas are trendy, green, and very economical. I can't wait to start knitting a new rug, while wearing a newly tie-died t-shirt!"

4t829, 15, Mukwonago, WI
03/23/12

"This article is great to look at when you need something to do on a rainy day. It was very easy to follow and had simple directions. The article also varied in choices instead of having only one or two."

TheAlex50, 14, Vienna, WV
03/22/12

"I love to save money and making gifts for people is a good way! This article had lots of great ideas and even remembered the family dog. I am going to try both the crocheting with T-shirt yarn and making a bag with duct tape and staples. The links and videos were a great addition to the article because they explained the process visually. Thanks for posting it!"

Jenni, 14, Norfolk, VA
03/20/12

"This is a very thorough article. I am happy it gives lots of options because many of them appeal to me while others appeal to younger kids. The number of additional links is also a nice way to add content. I mostly liked the ones that had nice editing and cool music -- not the news-oriented ones or the ones that are very homemade or had people who seemed boring."

mapleaves, 13, McFarland, WI
03/16/12

"This is an excellent story. It is very well written and organized, and it has some very creative ideas. The links are extremely beneficial, and having some for almost every idea is wonderful. The pictures add a fun touch, while displaying some great ideas and examples. Overall, this is a magnificent and very interesting article."

Michaela, 14, Woodbury, MN
03/04/12

"Thanks for the awesome Ideas! Im definitely going to fix all my t-shirts so that I can still wear them. I love the video u suggested to watch, it was really helpful! thanks for all the ideas!"

Cecily Jane, 13, Austin, Tx
02/20/12

"I truly appreciate your story. I really enjoyed reading about the different things you can do with your old t-shirts. It's great. I might make a hand bag or a pillow case. Thank You! -Nakkita"

NB, 16, Gulfport, MS
02/18/12

"First thing I noticed from this article is that it is very informative. It is full of links that are as simple as can be and make every procedure easy as possible. The article is well written and the author uses a positive voice to express her thoughts. Well done."

TheBoss37, 16, Sonoita, AZ
02/12/12

"First observation I made from this article is that it's very informative. If I ever have an old shirt that I don't wear I'll refer to one of these ten procedures. The article itself is well written and includes many links that are as simple as can be."

TheBoss37, 16, Sonoita, AZ
02/12/12

"The ideas seem nice and interesting, but the article is a bit bland. The language is almost too simplistic and boring. Having the extra links, however, was nice."

dramageek95, 16, Magnolia, DE
02/03/12

"This story is very helpful for teens who are picky about their clothing. I know a few kids that would love this, and I would email it to them if I could. It doesn't really interest me, but I can definitely say that it would interest a lot of other teens!"

bendres97, 14, Plainfield, Il
01/23/12

""I really enjoyed this article, but what I loved most was the different links I could go to. I am definitely considering doing something with my old shirts now. Thanks Hailey!" Dannielle95, 16, Dayton, VA 01/20/12 "

Dannielle95, 16, Dayton, VA
01/20/12

""I really enjoyed reading this article, but what I loved most was all the links I could go to in case I needed more help or examples of the task I was to perform. This definitely makes me want to do something with my old shirts.""

Dannielle95, 16, Dayton, VA
01/20/12

"Wow! This was such an interesting article. I could not believe that the author of this was only 15! The pictures and videos made it interesting to follow along with, and the design and formatting of the article made it seem much more professional. The idea of the quilt intrigued me, and I think it would be awesome to have a blanket that consisted of all my favorite designs. This must have taken a lot of time and effort, but it is so helpful and full of details. Great job, Hailey! Daniel, 15, Brea, CA"

Daniel, 15, Brea, CA
01/19/12

"Wow!This was such an interesting story. I could not believe that the author of this was only 15! The pictures and videos made it interesting to follow along with, and the design and formatting of the article made it seem much more professional."

Daniel, 15, Brea, CA
01/19/12

""This story was amazing, i found it really interesting to read. The way you added all the different ways to change a t-shirt made it amazing. Who would think that a t-shirt could be turned into several different objects. I loved it! This article was a hit, i give it 5 stars and seems to me you put a lot of effort and quality time to make it an excellent article.""

abbyroad96, 14, Corona, CA
03/25/11

"I loved this article because I am always on YouTube and other websites to figure out how to make some of my old clothes useful again. My favorite was the woven shirts. Thats the design I usually do with my shirts. "

Shauntrice, 17, DeFuniak Springs, FL
03/25/11

"I found this was a very interesting and creative article. It is always great to think of even one unique way to reuse an item, but there are ten fabulous ideas here. All the projects are relatively simple and easy to do, as well. Wonderful job!"

N119KS, 16, North Olmsted, OH
03/24/11

"Hailey Thank you for giving us ways to reuse our old tee-shirts. I have a drama production shirt that I have out grown but don't want to get ride of so I'm thinking of making a bag, and using it to hold my materials for this years show!"

sparkler, 17, , MA
03/24/11

"This story really taught me alot. I have an entire drawyer of old tee shirts and i've always wanted to throw them away. Now I am definatly going to make a quilt with them. I watched all the videos and they were very helpful! Especially the video where he showed us how to make a shirt into shorts, that was definatly useful and i might make a pair for myself or even my brother! Great Idea for a story, good job and keep up the good work!"

Seansinga, 15, Merrimack, NH
03/24/11

"I really enjoyed reading all that you had to say about making old t-shirts into new items. I found that I liked the tie-dyeing t-shirt article the best because I have never tie-dyed the way the man in the video did and I can't wait to try it. I also love the fact that the articles were teaching people how to reuse and recycle things that can be made into things that we use in everyday life. You did a great job!"

Kiwi, 17, Nampa, ID
03/23/11

"What a great way to "Go Green". Using something old in ways that I never even thought of. Your videos are very helpful! Thank you"

Casey, 17, Coraopolis, Pa
03/23/11

"It was definitely a very helpful way to recycle clothing nd a neat way to keep the clothes you care about most."

kaitlin.4, 17, Gonzales, LA
03/20/11

"This story was very original in the way that it incorporated different ways to change a t-shirt an didn't just focus on one single way to convert a t-shirt into something else. This article must have taken a lot of time and effort and I would like to applaud you for a job well done."

Celeste, 16, Lynwood, CA
03/19/11

"I found this to be very interesting, especially the one about making t-shirt "yarn"! I'd never heard of anything like it! It really caught my eye, seems hard but it would be a cool challenge!"

Kapriann, 15, Spokane, WA
03/12/11

"Good story! The videos were really helpful, and I have to say that my favorite project was how to make pants out of the old T-shirt. I love sewing and will definitely be trying that!"

Sis of Six, 15, Mount Vernon, WA
03/10/11

"This is really interesting and insightful!"

dgrusy, 17, Chillicothe, IL
03/09/11

"Wow. I didn't know about any of these ideas. The thing that blew my mind were the shorts! I'm definitely going to try this!"

k-moden3, 17, Boise, ID
03/08/11

"Very creative article! I love the Kennel Pad idea. My dog would be very stylish with a pad covered in soccer uniform and super hero tshirts!"

RGary02, 14, Hamilton, OH
03/07/11

""Wow! Never knew there were so many uses for thinks I was about to throw away. Glad I didn't because I know what's going up on my wall soon. Great story, go recycling!""

eafdahl, 16, san antonio, TX
03/06/11

""All of the ideas in this story were really interesting!! It's perfect for teenagers who are looking for inexpensive ways of creating their own items. Excellent job!""

Chloe2013, 15, Medford, OR
03/04/11

"Really resourceful ideas. Great reminder that we can always recycle things and save money in the process!"

Hannah457, 17, Camas, WA
02/21/11

"I really enjoyed this story! There were so many great ways to craft something new and interesting, out of something old and seemingly unusable. The craftiness behind the ideas given was very clever! Great job!"

Sammi Jo, 16, Westby, WI
02/20/11

"This is very interesting. I never thought of anything like this, but i will try this new idea."

Varsity FB, 16, Sahuarita, AZ
02/19/11

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