Marta Hayworth writes about the arts,
personal finance & more at http://www.grouphealthinsurance.org. Today she
guests at Killer Crafts & Crafty Killers with directions for making a
pillow from an old T-shirt. -- AP
5 Steps to
Make a Cushion From an Old T-Shirt
Maybe you
have some old t-shirts that you have been thinking about tossing in the
rubbish, but they are just so hard to part ways with. These special t-shirts
have special meaning and you wish you could do something with them to hang on
to them for some wonderful memories. Well, guess what? You can! Instead of
wasting these shirts, why not pick out the ones that are really special and
recycle them into something comfortable like a cushion that you can have on
your bed or sofa?
What You
Need
What you
need to begin your cushion project are a few memorable t-shirts that are
special to you, a needle and some thread, a good pair of scissors, and more old
t-shirts for some filling for your cushion.
Step One: The first thing you need to do is turn your t-shirt inside
out. The reason for this is that your seams don’t want to be showing and will
be hidden when you turn the shirt back right side out.
Step Two: Next you will want to sew the bottom of the t-shirt together so
that it’s shut. You create the bottom seam of your cushion by going right
across the center part of your t-shirt which is parallel to the hem on the
shirt. You need to repeat this going back again so make sure your seam is good
and strong. The fabric that is leftover from the middle part of the t-shirt to
the hem of the shirt can be used later as stuffing for your cushion when you
turn the t-shirt right side out.
Step Three: Next you want to take the sleeves of the t-shirt and sew them
both shut. You do this by sewing right up to the shoulder so that the arm hole
is closed completely.
Step Four: Next put your hands right through the neck of the shirt and
pull it back to have it right side out. The fabric that was excess you can now
use as the filling and your cushion should be of a rectangular shape. At this
point, if you want your cushion to be a little fuller, add some more t-shirt to
the inside and stuff it tighter before you sew the end product all together.
Step Five: The last step is to sew the neckline back together and your
cushion is complete!
You have
successfully recycled an old, but nice t-shirt and made a comfortable throw
cushion out of it. There are lots of things you can do now that you are done.
You can decorate your new cushion however you want to. You can go and get some
sequins from the store and decorate your cushion this way or you can get some
fabric pens and have it decorated just the way you want. What about
embroidering? If you know how to embroider, you can put your name or something special
on your cushion in embroidery that will keep that t-shirt special for a
specific reason. Whatever you choose to do, you now have a special cushion with
your special t-shirt and you didn’t even have to throw it away! Do this for all
your t-shirts! Who knows, before you are done you may have all your friends and
family bring you t-shirts to make into cushions too!
Thanks for joining us today, Marta. Readers, you may also
want to sew your pillows using a sewing machine for tighter seams and stuff them
with polyester fiber-fill for a smoother finish. -- AP
