Recycled T-shirt Pillows
6 Materials
4 Hours
Easy
Want your family to give up some of those old clothes they love? First time my man was excited to clean out his closet! Make something fun and useful out of them. Once he understood that I planned to keep and use the parts he loved, he was giving me more than I could use at the time. I needed some pillows for the kitchen window seat. The kitchen is being turned in to the man cave so what could be better than having his favorite patches, T-shirt decals, and handmade shirts decorating his space? You can sew these by hand while watching tv if you enjoy hand work.
You will need old shirts, any kind will work. I used T-shirts for one side and button up shirts for the back sides. My future mother in-law is a wonderful seamstress. Her son loves his shirts even though they are way too small now. This way he still has the shirts and he can enjoy them again. I used the simple envelope pillow case as I did in my post for the Pet Bed. Old bed pillows, varying sizes. Thread and scissors. Sewing machine or hand sewing needle.
Choosing a button up for the back panel saved me from having to hem or do any extra sewing to have a nice edge. You could also use the bottom from two T-shirts so the hem is already done for you.
Pick out a large shirt, place your pillow on it and measure around it. Remember to add for a seam. I made mine 1/2 inch all the way around. Place the buttons horizontal. If it helps on the button up shirt, cut the shirt down the back so you can put it flat. Pin the front together if you plan to remove the buttons as I did. You can unpin it after you sew the front and back panels together.
This is the overlap on the back panel. I took off the buttons because I have small dogs and foster dogs. This way I have no small parts to chew off. Plus I can use the buttons for other projects.
You could leave the opening vertical. If you do, leave the buttons on or you may have to safety pin the center to keep it closed. Make sure you have an overlap which ever way you do it.
For the front panel, I used the back of an extra large T-shirt. Laying the large rectangle of T-shirt on the pillow, take your decals/patches/pieces and move them around until you get them arranged the way you like. Pin in place. I cut out mine with en extra inch around them so I could turn the edges under when sewing them on to the T-shirt rectangle.
Sew around your pictures using a zig zag or decorative stitch. If you sew on by hand, try using embroidery thread for a fun look.
I'm still using up my odd threads. You could use a thread color that goes with your decor.
These are for my dear man, so all that mattered to him was having his memories saved.
Take the bottom panel, the one with two pieces, and place it face up on your work surface. Turn your top panel face down and place it on your bottom panel. Sew all the way around. Turn right side out and put your pillow in it.
This room is a project in progress, but now the dogs have a place to hang out with dad and I have so much more room in the closet.
Dogs love it!
This is right after I moved in. I was so excited when I moved all of the boxes and stored items, to find a window seat! The wallpaper was falling off in many places. That is gone and the walls are primed and ready for the paint.
Someday the kitchen man cave will be done. For now, baby steps in the right direction. The next project in here will be the bottom cushion for the window seat. Happy Valentine's Day to all!
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4 comments
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These are cool! They add such a fun factor to your decor :)
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Very cool. Perfect for a man cave. But also would be great for a teen's room. Just the choice of t shirts.
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Thank you, William. Yes it would be nice for a teen. I made my daughter a quilt with her shirts when she graduated. You can really do a lot with recycled clothing.
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