Old Clothes Crafts

You can also make purses, doll clothes, doll bedding and scare crows.

You can also use an old shirt or cut-off pants to sew the openings and make a clothespin holder. Also, sewing openings on an old shortened shirt can hold your "hand washables". Simply place the shirt on a clothes hanger after sewing and hang in the closet. Whenever you have a dirty pair of pantyhose or delicate items that can't go in the washing machine, pop them into the shirt and wash them at your convenience.

You can also use old clothing to make braided rugs (old t shirts work best). Cut the cloth into strips and braid them like you would braid your hair. After you get 8 inches fold it in half and sew the touching sides together.

I recycle old t-shirts and other suitable items as rags. They're reusable and save money on paper towels. I keep a mini laundry basket on top of my washer for the soiled ones, wash them with my whites, and put them in the same drawer as my potholders in the kitchen. They're more durable than paper towels and if they get really nasty, you can throw them away, guilt-free.

Another use for old shirts and sweatshirts is to make throw pillows out of them. Square-up the material by cutting off the sleeves and both sides, pin them together inside out, sew and stuff.

Also, if you're willing to let your children run redneck, outgrown t-shirts can often make it through another summer if you cut off the sleeves.

Hi, i saw this at a gift shop and it was cute take an old pair of pants cut off the legs and along the inseam and sew along the bottom. you can use scrap from the legs to form a handle, then embellish.
also I have seen a duffel bag idea online some where
you take an old pair of jeans cut the inseams, sew along edges and bottom to make a duffel style bag

Rose Smith

September 30, 20080 found this helpful

Leigha,

I love your braided rug. How do you attach the strips as you braid.

Rose

Rose Smith

September 30, 20080 found this helpful

Leigha,

I love your braided rug. How do you attach the strips as you braid.

Rose

I have taken old velvet dresses and pants to make into tree skirts. I make my tree skirts reversable, so I have two different ways to use them.

kathy

March 13, 20090 found this helpful

Just an additional idea, for turning old clothes into pillows---especially when the grand kids don't fit "their most favorite" t-shirt, DON'T BOTHER CUTTING! Turn it inside out, and machine sew arm holes and bottom closed, then turn back to right side out, fill (through the neck hole) with cut up rags, the "beans" from an old beanbag chair, regular pillow stuffing, or anything you'd like. Hand stitch the neck shut with same color or contrasting color yarn or thread. Blanket stitch works great. If you don't have a machine...keep the shirt turned right side out, and do all hand stitching to close all openings

You can do the same thing with a sweatshirt, and either stitch the arms shut at the shoulder & let them hang empty, or stuff them too. Either way, the kids don't lose their shirt, it's none wasteful/all recycled supplies, and still washable & reusable.

Sydney

April 1, 20090 found this helpful

I love recycling old clothes. I have 3 little brothers and, as you can imagine, they're very hard on their clothes. I've found tons of different things to make out of their old clothes. Pouches for nic-nacs, pillow case type things, and cage liners and pouches for my hedgehogs.
Oh, and I love the braided rug idea. (:

Sam

July 16, 20090 found this helpful

I use scrap fabric to make pillows then stuff the inside with old t shirts and other scraps. They make really cute decorative pillows and I can put my scraps to a use instead of throwing them out. I really like the making t-shirts into pillows idea too!