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Four ways with old T-shirts


Make pom poms, bags, a home for your cat and headbands from old T-shirts.

4 ways for fun projects to make from old T-shirtds

1. Perfect pom poms
How to: Lay your T-shirt out flat and cut long, 1cm wide strips from the fabric.
(1) Next, take a piece of cardboard and cut out two donut-shaped discs of equal size. Depending on the size you want your pom pom to be, cut smaller or larger discs.
(2) Take your first strip of material and sandwich it between the two discs, so the ends dangle out.
(3) Take a second strip and wrap it around the disc until you can no longer see the cardboard. Repeat this step, wrapping three layers of material around the cardboard. Tie the ends of the sandwiched strip into a knot before cutting the material along the outer edge of the disc (in between the two pieces of cardboard). Remove the cardboard, tighten the knot, and voila! - you a have pom pom. These are fantastic for kids' bedroom walls or as party decorations.

2. No sew T-Shirt bag
Place your old t-shirt on a flat surface. To create bag handles, first cut off each sleeve along the seam line, then cut a generous scoop out of the neck. Fold the t-shirt inside out. To close up the bottom of the bag, cut 2cm wide x 5cm high strips across the bottom of the shirt. These strips will form pairs on both sides of the shirt. Take the end pair and tie the two strips together. Repeat this with the remaining pairs. To close the holes in between these knots, tie one strip from the first knot with one from the second. Repeat this with the second and third knots, and then continue along the remainder of the bottom. Turn the bag right-side-out and fill with belongings. For the best results, use a t-shirt with fairly thick fabric.

3. Home for a furry friend
How to: Cut a square of cardboard to form the base of the house. Using the end of a pair of scissors, poke a hole in each corner of the cardboard. Next, unwind two wire coat hangers and bend them into a curved shape. Take one end of the first coat hanger and poke it into one of the holes. Place the other end in the hole diagonally opposite. Repeat this with the remaining coat hanger to create a frame, much like the poles of a small dome tent. Wrap duct tape around the cross section of the wires, securing the frame in place. Stretch your old t-shirt over the frame and safety pin it into place. Finally, get creative with painting the outside of your cat's new home. We used Resene Fizz, Resene Shocking and Resene Black.

4. Weave your own headband
How to: Cut two strips of fabric off the bottom of a t-shirt, so that you end up with two rings of fabric. Grab each strip by the ends and pull tightly, causing the fabric to roll in on itself.
(1) Create a loop with one strip and lay the second strip over the top of the first, forming a U-shape. Place the right side of the top piece under the right side of the bottom piece.
(2) Tuck the left side of the top piece under the loop of the bottom piece.
(3) Then take the right side of the top strip and feed it over the loop of the bottom strip, passing under the left side of the top piece and out over the other side of the loop. Gently pull on the ends of each strip until a knot forms. Cut the ends to the desired length and use a hot glue gun to attach the ends to each other,forming the headband. Finally, wrap a rectangle of fabric around the ends of the headband, securing it with hot glue.

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