How to Reuse a T-Shirt

Extend the life of T-shirts by repurposing them.

You might think the right thing to do with an old T-shirt is to throw it away once it has become too faded, out of style or does not fit. Before you lift the lid to the garbage can to bid farewell to a T-shirt that holds memories or reflects fashion trends from the past, consider reusing it -- saving money while giving the well-worn cloth a new and useful life.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Container
• Sewing machine
• Fusible interfacing

Instructions

Cleaning Cloths

1. Cut the T-shirt into 10- by-10-inch squares with scissors. Make the squares bigger or smaller depending on the size of the person's hand who will be using them. Put the squares into a container, discarding any scraps that are too small or too awkward.

2. Prepare the cloths with the appropriate cleaning spray for dusting, cleaning spills, or wiping down counters and stovetops.

3. If the cleaning cloth is lightly soiled, wash it. If it is heavily soiled, throw it away.

Craft Shirt for Children

1. Select loose-fitting T-shirts, which are easier for children to put on and take off for painting or crafts. Keep the T-shirts with the paint or craft supplies in a container.

2. Put an oversize T-shirt on a child over his other clothes for protection from spills. Allow the children to wipe their hands clean on the shirt.

3. Take the T-shirt off the child and let the paint or glue dry completely. Return the shirt to the container without laundering it.

T-shirt Quilt

1. Save T-shirts until you have acquired at least 24, collecting them in a single container that's easy to find when it's time to add another shirt. Such T-shirts might feature concerts, historic events, sporting events or personalized designs.

2. Sew a quilt using a sewing machine and instructions from CraftSylish.com on how to make a T-shirt quilt. The quilt shown with the instruction uses 24 shirts to make a twin-size covering.

3. Follow the directions from HGTV.com about interfacing to attach T-shirts with fusible interfacing to make a T-shirt quilt if you can't sew.

4. Make a pillow from a T-shirt by following the instructions from Craftbits.com to make an accessory for the quilt.

Tips & Warnings

• Donate gently used T-shirts to homeless shelters, schools, children's homes, the American Red Cross or other charitable organizations. Get a tax-deductible receipt for your donation.

References

• CraftyStylish; How to Make a T-shirt Quilt; Lilly Campbell; August 2008
• Craftbits.com: T-Shirt Pillow
• HGTV: Making T-Shirt Quilt

Resources

• Open Arms: Donate T-shirts