I always feel the urge to purge during the month of January. This year we desperately need to purge our closets! We probably only wear 10% of what’s in there and there is nowhere to put anything new. I don’t know why we continue to hold on to hold on to clothes from decades ago!
I haven’t seen Marie Kondo on Netflix, and I really don’t know much about the KonMari method of decluttering; but I can tell you that all this clutter is NOT bringing me joy!
Since I love to make things, I am planning to do some serious upcycling this year! I have been scouring Pinterest for some good ways to upcycle some of our bazillion tshirts and I have found really creative things to do with them!
Tshirt Quilts.
I have always wanted to make a tshirt quilt with my kids shirts from sports, clubs, etc. I can pretty much guarantee that is not going to happen in the near future, but I do intend to go ahead and start organizing the ones I want to keep specifically for this project. Here are some tutorials for making one. What a cool way to memorialize their childhood!
Throw Pillows
This is the perfect gift idea for the members of the family who have a favorite sports team or concert shirt they can’t wear in public anymore but can’t bear to part with.
Rag Rugs.
I have always loved the look of rag rugs. There are lots of rug tutorials online. Some require sewing braids togther and some are crocheted. These would make a great project for kids! They will be recycling, making an art project, getting something new for their rooms and learning a craft all in one, free project! What a brilliant thing to do with left over, worn out play clothes! Here is a tutorial that I like.
http://www.rubberbootsandelfshoes.com/2014/08/a-braided-rug-for-cosy-corner.html?m=1
Cat Basket.
We live with two cats who would really appreciate this project! I think all cats love getting in boxes, bags, containers and hiding. I was recently making a crocheted basket and I could not keep the cats out of it! Here is a cat basket I really like. The blog is in Finnish but can easily be translated.
http://www.eilentein.com/2012/05/pesa.html
Dog toy.
I never would have thought of this had I not seen it on Pinterest; but what a brilliant idea! Dogs love to chew and play. Recycling an old, faded, torn up tshirt into a dog toy is perfect. My son recently joined the Army and our dog misses him. Using one of his old shirts seems like a great way for him to feel close to his best friend.
Yarn.
This is something I will definitely be doing right away! There are so many neat projects that can be made with tshirt yarn. It is the perfect medium for crocheting things that need to be sturdy like rugs, baskets, bags, etc. and it works up very quickly. I can’t wait to get started crocheting!
I hope you like these ideas. If you make anything with your old clothes I would love to see pictures!
Beth
