If you have been reading this blog for a number of years you’ll of course know that one of my favorite things to do is to make DIY crafts from items that would otherwise end up in the recycling bin or trash can. And since it is never clear where even items placed in sorted recycling actually go in the end, the best thing is to use whatever you can! This is especially true of fabric and clothing, and friends, there are so many great things one can do old clothes and bedding, so keep on reading and take a look at my top tips for recycling old clothing as supplies for DIY craft projects. You will never look at your old clothing in the same way, promise!
Don’t let your old clothes end up in a landfill somewhere – there are so many ways to recycle and re-purpose them. So lets get creative, have some fun, and do our part to help the environment! Are you ready? Keep on reading!
1. Use woven fabric garments, such as button down shirts, as well as sheets and pillow cases to make balls of yarn!
Did you know that you can make your own yarn from sheets and other clothing, like button down shirts?
Check out my complete tutorial right here. After you’ve made the yarn, you can use it for weaving, crocheting or knitting. I’ve made some great crocheted rugs with yarn that I made by raiding the linen closet! Just to warm you, this could become addictive, so make sure that you either have the time in your schedule or know how to delegate your time. I have certainly found myself cutting up a pile of sheets to make yarn when I really needed to be cleaning the house for Passover! If you are a student who finds yourself in this situation, while I don’t generally support trying to bend the rules, in this case? Hmmm, you may just need some help from best essay writing service UK to get in all your schoolwork on time. And then dear student, maybe consider changing majors to something a bit more creative? Life is too short to spend it studying something that you don’t love. Give that some thought while you continue to search your closet for more clothes to cut up! Ah yes, and do make some great rugs for your room, or maybe a wall hanging?
2. Upcycle fleece garments, such as scarves, long sleeved tops and blankets by re-using the fabric to make small gifts.
If you sew you can make some fun fleece pouches, and if you don’t sew, there are many fleece projects that involve simply tying the fleece fringe you’ve cut (fringe needs to be identical on each piece, so do measure) to join pieces together. One can also cut squares of fleece, each with one inch fringe on all sides, and then quite simply tie the fringe pieces together. Double thick baby blankets can also be made in this way from two large pieces with fringe on all sides, and of course doll blankets might be the best way to go if we are talking about up-cycling a garment that had a stain or worn spot that you need to omit.
3. Save Small Pieces Of Nice Woven Fabric For Crafting
Fun fabric should never be tossed as it can be used in so many ways! This rustic wire and fabric flower craft, here, is one example of how to use tiny scraps, while larger pieces can even be starched and cut into shapes and ironed onto the wall like vinyl wall stickers, truly! For years I’ve been wanting to coat fabric with decoupage glue and then fold the fabric to make origami elements for a mobile, great right? Fabric can also be used to cover journals, or make book covers, or how about making some fun bandanas, or even a small quilt?
4. Cut Up T-Shirts To Make Ball Of T-shirt Yarn For Knitting and Crocheting
While we learned about cutting up sheets to make yarn, back at #1, here I’ll explain how to cut up t-shirts and items made with tricot fabric (which is a very small gauge knit) to make t-shirt yarn, which is so very fun to use for knitting, crocheting, weaving, and even macrame. While yarn made from sheets makes a nice tight basket or rug, it is too rough texture wise for many items, which is where t-shirt yarn comes in. Plus t-shirt yarn is easy on the hands when working with it since of course it has lots of give. Check out my post to learn how I made t-shirt yarn from my boy’s old striped polo shirts, here, and learn about how I made the solid colored balls, below, of t-shirt yarn from larger sized adult t-shirts, here.
I think these balls look great as is, sitting in a bowl!
5. Cut Up T-Shirts To Make Strips Of T-shirt Yarn For Weaving
When cutting up t-shirts to make yarn, there will always be scraps, or pieces that don’t quite work as part of the ball of yarn, so save those and use them to make a fun woven place mat for starters. Check out my tutorial here.
6. Paint On A Garment That Has Stains, To Make Something New!
A stain on a sweatshirt, t-shirt or jean or canvas jacket is a great excuse to paint it, whether with a design of some kind or graffiti lettering. My daughter made this sweatshirt, and you can check out the tutorial right here.
7. Paint An Old Shoe And Use It As A Piece Of Art Or A Succulent Planter
I’ll admit, I painted hearts on this shoe because it was found under our kitchen cabinets after being lost for a good 10 years or so, and I just had to do something with it! Check out my painted graffiti hearts shoe craft here. That said, shoes and especially rubber boots can make great planters for succulents, or even fun catchalls or doorstops, if you fill them with heavy stones, right? A interesting shoe painted in a bright color could be used in so many ways for home decor, so get creative rather than tossing it!
8. Make Potholder Loops From Old Tights, Yes Really! Yes dear readers, you can indeed make pot holders on a simple pot holder loom using loops made from recycled tights! And with winter around the corner, so I’m quite sure that many of you will have some tights that could be used for crafting as opposed to tossing them! Once you’ve got a potholder, you can use that to make a cat rattle, which you can read about here. And yes, I have also made yarn from old tights but never posted the resulting project, a long finger knit snake of sorts! Ah yes, and nude colored tights or stockings can be used to make DIY chia pets of sorts, so look into that!
So friends, just about every piece of clothing can truly be recycled and used to make some creative DIY crafts, so clean out your closet and enjoy!
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