of items i had saved for "possiblilities" came into view.
Wow! T-shirts!
As a family we used them as everyday wear - two sons,
one daughter, four athletics, lawn mowing husband
and my dirty part time job - we had collected an
abundance of T-shirts....and worn them to soft, full of
holes soon to be rags. Our rag bags were abundant so
I decided to reuse these in a creative way.
First i saved them by throwing them in a large garbage
bag...after collecting 3 large garbage bags and moving
them from place to place to place i had to come up with
a better way. At the same time i had to justify why i
even needed to save them.
If i could create some neat looking storage for a t-shirt
that could be visible, useful, and ready to use that would
be perfect...so i set out to cut up the shirts...
First lay out the shirt on a flat surface...hold at tail of
shirt to get the front and back as close to even as possible.
Remember these shirts are well-worn and stretched out...
nothing will be absolutely perfect on this...think recycle!
Get a really really good pair of scissors...my gingher are
great but as i get older the fiskars softouch with the spring is
way worth the money!
Try to have as few wrinkles in the back as possible and
the sleeves flat also. Turn the shirt so you are at the side
of the shirt.
Make your first cut along the bottom hem...determining if
you will actually use it will come later...if it is really thick
i have opened the hem up and cut through it. If you don't
want the hem area...cut it off and start with the bottom of
the shirt.
The size of the strips will be a healthy 1 1/2 inch...approximate
this and it will vary as you go - you do not need a ruler.
If there are holes it is okay...try to use them or include
them in your strip.
Cut your strip ALMOST to the other side...DO NOT CUT
off the strip....leave about 2 inches along the far side of the
t-shirt.
Move all the way up the shirt toward the sleeves...and keep
in mind you need to include a joined area from front to
back of the t-shirt.
I try to use as much of the shirt as
possible and it is possible to use every inch including the
neck but sometimes you might want to skip that heavy
section...as i have in the photos.
Once you have the shirt in strips, bunch them and move
the shirt so you have the attached side close to you...
Open the hem area (VERY IMPORTANT) make a cut across
the bottom of one strip AFTER the jointed area.
If you
open this up and have done it correct then you should have
a strip still attached to the bottom of your shirt.
On my shirt you can see pen marks as to the 2nd and 3rd
cut...you are making one long strip of fabric...as you cut up
the shirt.
Continue to cut as you move and layout the remainder of the
shirt...you can stop at any point and use the last bits for rags!
Now is the time to recruit help...I cut the shirts and then give
the pile to my husband...as he watches baseball he can roll
the entire pile into a neat and colorful ball...if at some point
the strip is cut you can tie or loop them together.
The inside part of the rolled fabric
does not have to be perfect but as i approach the end of my
strip i try to even out the strips and smooth out the ball of
fabric because i display them in a basket!
I love balls of torn
fabric, beans, noodles, twine, on display...in a tray or basket.
When i am ready to make a rug or pot holder or trivet the
material is ready...the color is seen....i grab what i need and
I create!
I have a store on Etsy.com and have created some Southern
Lady Toe Rugs from t-shirts....very simple but it is also useful
for home or office use. If you do not have time or t-shirts and
want to visit my store please do...you will love the Toe Rugs...
(http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5303773)
from the creating Lady Under the Oaks!
