Many sewing blogs focus on sewing the latest patterns and fabrics. I do pattern reviews of recent patterns, too, in the hopes of helping out others as they have helped me. However, very few people show their more mundane projects like turning old t-shirts into rags or old towels into terry mop covers for cleaning hardwood floors.
So here's how I turn our worn-out hole-y t-shirts into rags. By themselves, they are too thin. So I cut off the sleeves and neckline/shoulders, turn the shirt inside out (so that the graphics stay on the inside and don't grab/drag on the furniture it polishes), fold them mid-torso, and then sew down the edges to hold it all together. These are now 4-ply thick, absorbent, lint-free and sturdy.
These rags are used and washed repeatedly until they fall apart.
The sleeves are separately sewn on one end to form a polishing mitt. Socks are used to polish shoes or for bicycle chain lubrication. They get tossed when they are dirtied.Leftovers from sewing projects get thrown in a 66 quart bin of scraps. The bin was overflowing and I made 6 baby togs for two toddlers. The blue and white ensemble was made from scraps from my PJ pants (black) and a t-shirt (blue/black print) project.
The pink and purple ensemble was made from an old tie-dyed t-shirt (itself a refashion) and scraps from the two kits hoodies. I had to patch together fabric for some of the pieces. Kids clothes and quilts are perfect for using up scraps.
Here they are, lying on another post-consumer waste sewing project. More on that later.
OMG, I just saw the original leopard hoodie back in 2009 in Camouflage. Cute, cute, cute!Related:
Thanks for the great tip about converting old T-shirts to better rags. Just a little thought produces a much better result, but I probably never would have done the thinking myself.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing the same thing with tees for years. I tend to use the sleeves for polishing shoes though. My spouse wears his wool socks until they are so threadbare they aren't useful for anything, and I tend to hang onto socks forever too. Perhaps the odd single sock can be put to use.
ReplyDeleteI'd forgotten about the mop covers. I could use that idea, and I have the materials at hand, well, will eventually.