Off topic, need creative help. what to do with old tshirts?

LonelyPilgrim

my boyfriend has a GARBAGE BAG full of old t-shirts he cannot part with. He's a runner. Ok. Great. I love that about him.

but why he can't let go of the millions of shirts he has that have a running theme, I just don't get. But I'm accepting it (or trying).

So. Most of these are t shirts with screenprint logos of races that he ran.

What can I do with them?

I got permission last year to cut them up if I can find a creative use for them, but .... never did.

Now, I'm thinking about it again. Christmas is coming and he likes homemade gifts better than store bought.

the best thing I thought of so far was a quilt? but tshirt material is so thin, I don't know it will hold up?

anyone out there more creative than me? any other ideas for what to do with them.

or if you like the quilt idea, any suggestions on how to make the quilt sturdy?

I do own a sewing machine, but I am not a perfectionist. I can sew in a (fairly) straight line, but nothing too complicated.

thanks for ideas/advice!

LonelyPilgrim

my boyfriend has a GARBAGE BAG full of old t-shirts he cannot part with. He's a runner. Ok. Great. I love that about him.

but why he can't let go of the millions of shirts he has that have a running theme, I just don't get. But I'm accepting it (or trying).

So. Most of these are t shirts with screenprint logos of races that he ran.

What can I do with them?

I got permission last year to cut them up if I can find a creative use for them, but .... never did.

Now, I'm thinking about it again. Christmas is coming and he likes homemade gifts better than store bought.

the best thing I thought of so far was a quilt? but tshirt material is so thin, I don't know it will hold up?

anyone out there more creative than me? any other ideas for what to do with them.

or if you like the quilt idea, any suggestions on how to make the quilt sturdy?

I do own a sewing machine, but I am not a perfectionist. I can sew in a (fairly) straight line, but nothing too complicated.

thanks for ideas/advice!

lifesaver

you could sew a duvet cover!

BrandNewLaura

I'm the least creative person you could ever meet, but my first thought was, what if you make color copies and then downsize the prints on the shirts and make a scrapbook, or a collage that you could frame? Or you may be able to have the images on the shirts printed on thicker blanket-like material to make the quilt, or maybe just cut out the images from the t-shirts and sew them onto thicker material to turn into a quilt. Those are just a few ideas that I came up with Hope that helps a bit.

Ezzie

The quilt idea is probably the best I know of. There are kits out there to help as well as instructions on line. I would think the thinness problem could be easily solved by either sewing through the front and back around the design before cutting or using a fabric bonding material like stitchwitch to bond it to something like an old sheet.



http://www.straw.com/quilting/articles/teequilts.html

http://www.toocooltshirtquilts.com/

The second one is a commercial site, but the examples are nice....

pettmybunny

lol... I was thinking the same thing, cut them up into squares, and make a quilt out of them. Or sew the holes and stuff them, turning them into pillows. Of course, then you'd have hundreds of pillows laying around, lol
-Robin

Poison5119

You could select a few of the more memorable ones and create a (VERY BIG) scrap book.

Siphon off some for the quilt idea ( Im a quilter, so this is right up my alley). The quilt, btw, doesn't have to be HUGE, just enough for a lap blanket would be sweet.

Send the rest to a homeless shelter or thrift store.

www.tshirtquilt.com

or

www.goosetracks.com/T-Shirt%20Quilt%20Instructions.html

HappyathomeMN

You CAN make a quilt with them just as they are. Find Mandosue on here (that's my mom) and she can give you the necessary info on how to do it. You could find her by looking at the friends in my profile.
She made several quilts from old Tshirts from their bluegrass festivals which were then raffled off at some other bluegrass festivals (they were a hot item)

I can't sew, otherwise I'd let you know how to do this, but you would end up with something unrecognizable if I tried!!:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

LonelyPilgrim

wow, great ideas/responses.

thanks for that toocool site. too expensive for the commercial aspect, but really does give a nice idea of what a finished product could look like. thanks!!! I'll check out the other links soon