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Whilst you can always sell and donate old clothes, there could be other ways to get extra use out of them. Here are just eight ways to repurpose those old garments gathering dust in your wardrobe.
Turn your sweater into a winter hat and mittens
Got an old sweater that you no longer wear? You could upcycle it into a winter hat and mittens. The collar on a sweater can make the perfect rim of a hat – you can simply cut a section out and sew it together to form a hat. You can meanwhile cut off parts of the sleeves to make your own makeshift matching mittens. It’s also possible to make beanies and slouchies using old sweaters (you can also repurpose cardigans and use the buttons as features).
Turn your t-shirt into an infinity scarf
You can create all kinds of new items of clothing using an old t-shirt – crop tops and t-shirts are some of the most popular. If you’re looking for a simple craft project, however, an infinity scarf could be a great project to try. This can be done by simply cutting a strip out from around the collar of a shirt. It’s also possible to make a scarf using the sleeves.
Make your own headband
Another simple DIY upcycling project could be to make your own headband from recycled clothes. If you’ve got a t-shirt with an elasticated collar, this could be perfect for turning into a headband. You could also make your own denim headband out of old jeans.
Make a quilt out of t-shirts
For those feeling a little more ambitious, it’s also possible to turn your old t-shirts into a quilt. This could be a great way to repurpose lots of old shirts. There are companies out there that sell quilts made from t-shirts – you could try approaching one of these companies if you don’t fancy taking on this craft project yourself. Quilts can also be made out of other clothes such as jackets and jeans. You can go as wild as you fancy with different textures and colors or you could try to keep them all to a similar theme such as old sports t-shirts.
Turn your shirts into pillowcases
To go with your quilt, you could also try making some of your own makeshift pillowcases from old shirts. You can do this by simply cutting the sleeves off and then sewing up the armholes and neck-hole (you could even add your own zip to the bottom). This also applies to making cushions.
Make your own tote bag
It’s also possible to turn an old t-shirt or jumper into a tote bag. This can be done by cutting the sleeves off and cutting the neckline away and then sewing up the bottom. You can decide how deep you want the bag to be by choosing where to sew the bottom of the bag. It could even be a cool idea to use a shirt with pockets, giving you extra compartments in your tote bag for small loose items.
Cover a notebook in denim
For a cool and unique notebook cover, you could consider using an old pair of jeans. By using the top of the jeans you can make use of the back pockets (these could be used to store pens or pencils). It’s also possible to use other types of clothing to make your own notebook covers. You can even go one step further than a notebook and create your own trendy phone cover or tablet cover.
Create DIY dog toys
If you’ve got a pet dog, you could even try turning your old clothes into chew toys. By twisting a few old t-shirts together and knotting them at one end, you can make your own tug toy. You can also repurpose jeans and leather jackets in order to make tougher chew toys. This could be a great way of saving money on dog toys.
