http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts The community for people interested in home and office organizing. en-US Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:55:37 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://unclutterer.com/discuss/search.php http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-9951 Sat, 21 Aug 2010 12:11:21 +0000 Nithy 9951@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I used to wear big blocky t-shirts with witty things printed on them. Then I realized I look better in shirts that fit my feminine shape, but I didn't want to get rid of the shirts I never wore. Plus I go to a lot of volunteer events, and everyone gives out a free t-shirt.</p> <p>I've turned about 50 shirts into a king-size duvet cover (no dealing with quilting or batting!) Well, halfway. I just need to sew it to the bedsheet that will be the back.</p> <p>I've also turned at least a dozen shirts into skirts. I got some ideas from a book called Generation T, and tried to improvise some of my own. I get tons of compliments, and now I don't wear clothes with pictures or text splashed across my chest for people to stare at. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-9857 Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:14:20 +0000 foilhead1 9857@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I love the idea someone already mentioned: the framed t-shirt. I've seen them framed in square album frames, but I would think you could just get a board with batting and stretch and staple it to the back and hang it. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-9719 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:45:26 +0000 Britta F 9719@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Excuse the shameless plug, but I have a company creating these custom t-shirt quilts. I also teach classes in Seattle! Check out the website <a href="http://www.myqueenbquilts.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.myqueenbquilts.com</a>. </p> <p>PS - I love uncluttering life! Cool website! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-6484 Sun, 13 Jun 2010 13:08:47 +0000 Periwinkle 6484@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>A friend of mine (who is hopeless at sewing, so if she can do it, anyone can!) made some into cushions. She did it by cutting above and below the logo so she had a tube of fabric, sewing up the bottom, stuffing it and then sewing up the top. She actually used the rest of the t-shirt (plus other t-shirts that weren't worth making cushions from) to stuff the cushions! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-6413 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:13:42 +0000 ArtGal 6413@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>If you are not attached to the actual design (just the idea of the shirts) something that I do is make "rag-rugs" from fabric scraps. Even if you don't crochet, the stitch you need to learn for this is very simple and these rugs last FOREVER! I have some that are over 30 years old and they can be easily washed in the washing machine if not too big...I have soaped up and hung larger ones out in the rain to wash...works great!</p> <p>Rag-Rug Instructions:<br /> <a href="http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa092599.htm" rel="nofollow">http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/aa092599.htm</a><br /> (P.S. I don't "press the seams"...takes too much time!)</p> <p>How to Single-Crochet:<br /> <a href="http://crochet.about.com/od/learnbasics/ss/sc.htm" rel="nofollow">http://crochet.about.com/od/learnbasics/ss/sc.htm</a></p> <p>(Thanks to grandma for showing me this craft! :) </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-6411 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:30:05 +0000 ragabond 6411@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>On the TV show "What Not To Wear" they made a T-shirt into a framed picture for someone who had a major meltdown over giving it up.<br /> One other note, Goodwill sells clothing with tears or holes to companies that recycle them and they also send clothing that doesn't sell to countries that have a need for them so you can include clothing that isn't perfect in your donation and they will find a use for them. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-6405 Fri, 11 Jun 2010 02:51:16 +0000 patriciaford 6405@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>It can take a while to get the t-shirts cut into blocks to use; most t-shirts won't all have the same size logo on them and you need a uniform size or multiple of a size to make a pleasing pattern. Finally you need batting and backing, and probably to have it quilted on a longarm machine by someone since most bed-sized quilts are just going to be too big to wrangle into your regular home machine. </p> <p><a href="http://www.baiyokefactory.com">cheap online whole T-shirts</a> </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-3179 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:58:54 +0000 nadira 3179@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I like the ideas of decorative pillows! I can easily pin/stitch them, then take them out if I want. I can use the rest of the T-shirt for the stuffing, and/or put 2 or more old ones together, and then toss them around the bedroom next to my favorite teddy bears... (stuffed animals, that's another topic... :)</p> <p>Nadira </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-2040 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:41:21 +0000 klutzgrrl 2040@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I'm not big on tees myself (prefer plain ones) but DH is a shocker for them - he's got so many sentimental shirts!! One he and his old workmates had made, one from when his rugby team won the finals, an old England soccer shirt, and many 'been there done that' shirts from various places more recently. </p> <p>Quilting is really quite a big project - I know if you're into crafting you probably don't think so, but for someone like me cutting and sewing even something simple is an ordeal. I love the display frame idea - that could possibly work for me - and also photographing.</p> <p>A relative made cushion covers with the shirts of someone who had passed away, and it was really quite awkward - large bulky things and the fabric seemed incongruous. I was relieved when we finally got rid of them. </p> <p>I wish I'd thought about the possibilities more when I threw out my dad's old flannel shirt though. But it's a strong memory, so do I really need the object itself? Probably not. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-1561 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:56:52 +0000 HappyDogs 1561@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Still plan to someday make a quilt of old t-shirts on one side, and old jeans on the other. This is my single "someday" idea that I simply refuse to give up on! </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-1487 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:23:40 +0000 nellieb 1487@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I love wearing T-shirts even though they are not a flattering style of clothing for me. I've kept 4 favorites that are memory T-shirts, have about 6 I wear regularly and got rid of the rest. BTW, there are some organizations that take clothing that is very worn or has stains or holes in the fabric. They are able to see it by the pound. I mention one of them in Houston in my blog (http:drawerbydrawer.wordpress.com/,that is West Houston Assitance Ministries, and provide their website link. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-1467 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:51:45 +0000 Claycat 1467@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>LOL @ the macaws, Ruth! </p> <p>I am a T-shirt kind of gal. My favorite clothes are T-shirts, shorts, and jeans. I wear my T-shirts until they are so worn out, I have to throw them away. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-268 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:35:36 +0000 writing all the time 268@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>This revived my idea for DH's colorful Hawaiian shirt collection. Srsly, his closet looks like a bunch of macaws are roosting in there.</p> <p>TODAY, I'll go buy some foam board and cut out shirt shapes, maybe 14" square. Ask him to pick out a few of his old favorites that aren't wearable anymore, cut a piece to cover the foam board, glue down, add a hanger and voila! Easy to store and rotate, and something fun/meaningful for decor. </p> <p>These forums rock!</p> <p>Ruth </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-266 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:28:15 +0000 Mrs.Mack 266@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I like the idea of framing the shirt (just the logo part) and using it as wall art. You get the memories displayed on your wall, and it's free art! (Or only the cost of the frame.) </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-195 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:09 +0000 jsights 195@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Oh, goodness, this is a big problem for me. I have my "girlie" fit tees that hang in my closet, then my "regular" style tees in a rubbermaid container under the bed. The girlie ones have witty sayings or drawings that express my personality, but several have shrunk in washing so that they still fit, but are tighter than I like. I just need to force myself to get rid of them. One has a hole in the sleeve seam I need to fix, but I don't sew well, so it's sat for almost a year unworn. Hopefully I'll fix it soon, because I need to sew buttons back on my coat too.</p> <p>The "regular" style tees, I definitely need to pare down. I did once already and gave several to my dad. I had stopped buying band shirts years ago, but my new boyfriend (well, a year and a half new anyway) got me back in the habit when he bought several for me. Need to put a stop to that (I do wear them all though). I have some long sleeved tees I didn't wear at all last year, so know those need to go. I have several solids that I wear when working out, so can't quite justify getting rid of those. The others, well, I just need to suck it up and toss.</p> <p>And then there's my David Bowie tshirt, which is humongous and I never wear, but I love him so much I haven't been able to part with it. Yes, that one must go too.</p> <p>Now I want to go home and do this! (Think my boss would mind?) </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts/page/2#post-190 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:28:21 +0000 Steph in Seattle 190@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Found this site that gave 10 ideas for re-using t-shirts, for everything from dog toys and rags, to websites with pictures and videos of more complicated craft projects: <a href="http://tiny.cc/7Ari0" rel="nofollow">http://tiny.cc/7Ari0</a>. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts#post-161 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:42:37 +0000 KathyGee 161@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>Celeste -- you've explained a very high quality product, and I'd argue you can go with less on a few steps and not compromise too much:<br /> 1) Not so difficult to get the uniform size -- I used 13" square as a consistent pattern, using the largest Tshirt image I wanted to accommodate as a template.<br /> 2) As for a backing, I got a great deal on Amazon for a king size set of jersey sheets, and used the flat sheet as the backing. Probably cost $30, and didn't need to join fabric to make a seam<br /> 3) Batting can be expensive, but that's why they invented Jo-Ann Fabric coupons<br /> 4) you can do tie quilting instead of machine quilting to help the batting stay in place rather than quilt the whole thing. I did machine quilt strategically throughout for more stability, but I imagine I could have just gone with tie quilting successfully.<br /> 5) I did not use interfacing, but ironed everything prior to sewing and didn't find the fabric to be too challenging to work with. Not ideal, but not overly challenging. </p> <p>Clearly, my husband's quilt won't be as quality a product as you described, but for a tshirt quilt to snuggle in front of the TV with, it's been great. And I think my total cost was under $60. And my husband can't stop showing it off to his friends. :-) </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts#post-140 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:36:55 +0000 Celeste 140@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>It's a job to make that quilt. The knit fabric of the t-shirt really must be stabilized before you cut into it to try to work with it. It will want to roll and unravel. An iron-on knit interfacing product works well to avoid stiffness, but it's not cheap. Then you need coordinating fabric(s) to use the t-shirt pieces as a design for a quilt look; either you have scraps to use up or you need to buy fabric. It can take a while to get the t-shirts cut into blocks to use; most t-shirts won't all have the same size logo on them and you need a uniform size or multiple of a size to make a pleasing pattern. Finally you need batting and backing, and probably to have it quilted on a longarm machine by someone since most bed-sized quilts are just going to be too big to wrangle into your regular home machine. So you could have $300 in one of these with your "free" t-shirts without even trying, and maybe more depending on your fabric choices and the price of your quilting service. It really is a job and we all need to really consider if it's fair to just ask family members to do it for us for free. Every project I take on as a volunteer erodes time I could be using for my own pursuits. Most knitters and quilters run into this. Just mentioning it all as food for thought. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts#post-138 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:52:13 +0000 Anita 138@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I've heard of the quilt idea too. I've run a few races and got a t-shirt for each one. Apparently more serious runners have quite impressive numbers of t-shirts, so one flyer being given out at my last race was advertising one service that turned old race t-shirts into quilts. A good idea, except they charged an obscene amount of money for a quilt. Does anyone really need to spend that much on a bunch of t-shirts that you get more or less for free?</p> <p>If you're into quilting yourself, though, or know someone who will do it for you, that's another story... personally I don't have enough t-shirts to worry about getting rid of them yet. </p> http://unclutterer.com/discuss/topic/old-t-shirts#post-136 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:09:45 +0000 KathyGee 136@http://unclutterer.com/discuss/ <p>I made a T-shirt quilt for my husband, but I thought it would also be cool to have him try on all the shirts (one last time) and take a picture of each and then make a collage/mural of them. Could be a cool piece of artwork in a game room or something. </p>