National Craft Month: DIY T-Shirt Utility

I'm a hoarder collector by nature.

My craft shelf is packed with odds and ends and waytoomuch yarn. My tub of fabric has long maxed its capacity. The closet can't hold anymore cardboard or paper or thrifty clothes to be altered (but don't you dare throw out that almond container! I can totally use that!) ...yikes. And of course, I've accumulated ohso many t-shirts...festivals, shows, random college events (and what college kid/person in general doesn't like free stuff?!). It's problematic when keeping your clothes organized equals impossible because you can't open and/or close this drawer because it's stacked to the brim with folded tees. That you don't even wear. That you will probably never wear again. Ahem.

So you might be able to sell a few, or just donate the whole lot. That's well and good. I've done both many times. But here's the thing: your old t-shirts are literally bursting with craftastic potential (I mean literally bustin' outta that drawer, girl. BEGGING for attention). SO. This week, I'm cleaning out my closet and giving a few of my old threads some new life! Here’s the scoop:

The T-shirt Bag

As a “collector”, my day-to-day bag is full of extra crap I probably don’t need. Like 17 bobby pins, or Vicks vapor rub, or three packs of travel tissue. Or 10 highlighters, 6 pens, 3 pencils. Geez Jessica. Geez. Add to that “necessities” like phone, wallet, cigarette case, body spray (you’re not takin’ my spray!), idea notebooks and planner and well…you’ve got yourself a bag o’ bricks to carry. That’s why I’m not sure a t-shirt bag is really utilitarian for my purposes, but maybe if I line it with something? For now, mine are strictly for yoga mat and yarn project use. They probably make great beach or produce bags too. So there you go.

PS you already have everything you need to make this project. Read: t-shirt, scissors, and a safety pin. Gotta love simplicity. Tutorial here.

T-Shirt Yarn

I almost peed my pants when my sister showed me this DIY. Ok no I didn’t, but I was pretty stinkin’ excited. Remind me again why I need more yarn? But it’s made from t-shirts! And takes 10 minutes to make!  And...you see where I'm going with this. 

The T-shirt Necklace/Headband

I get Martha Stewart craft emails to my inbox every day. Yes, I’m that girl. Most of the time they’re a little meh but a few weeks ago this one brightened my day. My first attempt was a little short for the necklace I wanted, but it makes a great headband, so I’m not complaining. I made a second one out of a larger shirt, and it turned out beautifully. PS I braided my strands of fabric because I didn’t like the look of them by themselves. Add some beads to spice it up if ya fancy.

Make It Cute

So you’ve cleaned out your t-shirts. You’re preparing to repurpose or rid yourself of them forever. But wait, this one is actually kinda cool. And this one has a lot of great memories attached to it. On second thought, maybe you’ll just keep a few of them…

No! I mean yes! Look, this happened to me while working on this post. You love the shirt, hate the way it fits, don’t wear it ever but are content to let it sit untouched, taking up space. Alter that mess! Turn oversized tees into long racerback tanks you can wear with tights, or crop tops for summer. Take 'em in and cut off the sleeves (or make them cute like this).

And when all else fails, cut up your shirt and sew it into a pillow, so now you can stare at it all you want without wasting any precious space in your drawer. Problem solved.

What do you use your old t-shirts for? PS If you make any of these projects I’d love to see pictures! Email them to me at onetwothreepeaceful(at)gmail(dot)com, and I’ll post your fancy craftin’ skills. Have a tee-rific day! (haha...that was a terrible joke, sorry)