Thrifty Thursday: Ways to Reuse old T-shirts

Have you ever had a t-shirt that you wore until you got a stain on it or a hole in it and then never took it out of the drawer again?  Such a shame to let a good shirt go to waste because there are tons of ways that you can reuse a t-shirt.  Recycle that t-shirt into something else that you can use!!!

1.  T-shirt shopping bag:  Turn the shirt inside out and sew across the bottom of the bag.  Cut out the arm holes and neck and you have the handles already built in like this bag from Martha Stewart.

If that area is too worn, cut the top off with the sleeves and collar and fold under and sew seam.  Add ribbon or canvas handle when putting in the seam based on the load you are going to carry.  These would be particularly great for little girls with bows or glitter or little boys with buttons and patches.

2.  T-shirt produce bag:  Turn the bag inside out and sew the bottom above the t-shirt seam.  Cut the top like a tab where there is extra length to fold over the top pieces and sew leaving an open area for a draw string.  Insert drawstring from old shoelace, ribbon or part of the t-shirt based on how long you need it.  There are some interesting ideas to make them out of basketball Jersey or other material.  These drawstring bags would also be perfect for makeup bags, dance shoes, and other household uses.

3.  Tie Dye the shirt:  This will often cover the stain that was bothering you and now you have a cool new looking shirt and you got to spend the day doing an art project.  You can get a kit at your local craft store like AC Moore or Michael's or you can just get a quick package of RIT dye at any store.  Put rubber bands tightly wound all over the shirt to make neat shapes (mostly circles unless you have a lot more talent and patience) and dip it in the dye.  Follow directions on drying and setting on the dye.

Another blog recently posted a different way to tie dye that I had never heard of which was with a Sharpie.  Anyone else heard of this before?  Check out Pounds4Pennies neat craft that she did with the kids.

Make sure to never wash the first time in the load with other laundry because it will bleed no matter how much you followed the directions.

4.  Make a quilt:  My husband and I watched an episode of Rules of Engagement where the wife made a quilt of all of the concert t-shirts of the husbands so that he could have them every night when he went to bed.  We both thought that was the neatest thing and want one of our own but haven't gotten around to putting in the effort to make one.  I guess the first step is to learn how to quilt and then I will be on my way!!

5.  Make a pillowcase:  This can be used to cover small throw pillows by just a few cuts and stitches.  It would bring lots of fun and different colors into the room that could be changed with the seasons or when the mood struck you. 

It is also great to make snuggle pillows for kids that have outgrown shirts but still love them and want to wear them.  I think that there are a few shirts that might be in my

This can also be used to make pillowcases for full sized bed pillows depending on the size of the t-shirt because you don't want a lot of seams on your sleeping surface.  I used to do this when I died my hair to protect the pillow.  My husband does it after he gets his hair cut.  It is a good emergency pillow case but if you like the feeling of the t-shirt, sew up the end and make a pillow case to use every night.

6.  Cover a book:  I don't have any of these to do yet but I am sure once my son gets into school, there will be plenty of them.  Can be used to make a decorative cover for novels as well as textbooks.

7.  Make cloth napkins:  I have been trying to switch to not using paper napkins and using the cloth ones that tend to sit in my drawer and only be used as decorations at the holidays.  Trying making some napkins out of old shirts and maybe they will remind you of other things

8.  Cut them into rags:  Great to clean up in the kitchen, bathroom, and around the house as well as in the car.  I know that this is a last resort but super worn shirts in our house end up in the rag bin.  My husband used to use them and put them back in the laundry and they would end up back in his room.  So with his permission, I cut up the front and the back and made two rags out of each shirt which we loving use to clean up so that we don't have to use paper towels.  When the rags get too bad, you can throw them away without feeling too bad because they were headed there before you re-purposed them anyway :)

9  Set aside a long sleeved shirt to dress the scarecrow for Halloween!!  We often had to pull a newer short out of the drawer to make a scarecrow out of for our Halloween decorations growing up but it would be perfect for a costume or a dummy!!  Sadly, with summer almost over... Halloween is right around the corner!

Do you have anything else that you do with old t-shirts??  This post has me wanting to go through my old shirts and see what I can make!!  I wonder if my husband would mind if I cut up some of his shirts to start this project :)  He would probably notice!!