If you are anything like me, you have a bunch of old shirts in your closets that hold far too memories to throw away. So you end up keeping them in there collection dust, never to be seen.  What if I tell you that there are MANY creative ways of using those shirts and repurposing them into something new and fun?  Who's ready for some old shirt DIY? Let's begin

1: T-Shirt Quilts/ blankets!

It's kinda a right of passage that I begin with what I love the most- T-shirt quilts! If you have a stack of tee's that you would love to repurpose- this is by far the best way to go! You have a couple of choices- you could either send them to us at RE-Vive the TEE (or any other reputable creator of your choosing) for a simple quick option if time is short, or you could attempt to create one yourself! Check out our recent blog post showcasing exactly what you need to do to create one of your very own here

2: A reusable shopping bag!

With most Canadian stores going down the 'plastic free' route right now, this is an amazing and super handy idea! Great if you only have one or two spare shirts to upcycle and it's something that can be folded up and stored in your bag or trunk of the car for your shopping trips.  There are lots of tutorials I found online and lots of styles to choose from- here is a great 'no sew' option which is super simple yet effective 

3: T-Shirt yarn

What I love the most about creating blog posts is that when I am carrying out research- I come across the coolest ideas I've ever heard of- like this one, T-Shirt yarn!  You can take your shirts and cut them into strips, join them and use them in crochet or other yarn projects like a rug! Sooooo awesome! I am most definitely going to give some of these a try! Here is a tutorial on how to create the yarn here

4: T-Shirt crochet rug!

This looks like such a great addition to any home! You most likely won't want to be using your lovely motif shirts, but what you can do is use the back plain sections to create one of these awesome rugs (while upcycling the front into a blanket or another craft)  Check out this tutorial on how to create this one of a kind piece

5: Wall Art from old shirts!

Create a wall of art with your shirts by mounting them onto canvases! It's kind of like hanging photos only much much cooler (in my opinion) Having them on your wall is sure to make you happy and reminisce of the memories every time you look at them. And bonus, this is a super cheap but effective way of repurposing them- check out this tutorial here

6: A cat tent!

I laughed out loud when I came across this one but I do think it's lovely! Your little cat will be so happy surrounded by your memories and scent! Turn your fave tees into a cute little home for your feline friends- here is the tutorial

With lots of options here, you can get your crafty hat on and create some super cool one-of-a-kind memory pieces! Be sure to tag us on social media with any of your completed projects- we would LOVE to see them!

So why is it so important to upcycle clothing rather than throw them away?

Textile waste is one of the largest growing waste streams in Canada with each person throwing approx. 81lbs of clothing into landfills each year- that's around 44 T-Shirts! Did you know- all discarded outfits release methane gas as they decompose - the famous substance that is responsible for global heating. Unfortunately, most of our garments, even if made with natural and biodegradable materials, are usually sewn with additional materials which causes this.

So you see, it is super important to try and help the environment in every small way that we can- and if you can have fun and preserve memories while doing it- that's a win-win in my books 

Want more information on our T-Shirt quilts?:

https://www.revivethetee.ca/pages/faqs

Ready to order? : https://www.revivethetee.ca/collections/all-products

Want to know why we are Canada's no.1 choice for T-Shirt blankets?: https://www.revivethetee.ca/blogs/re-vive-the-tee/3-reasons-to-choose-re-vive-the-tee-to-create-your-t-shirt-quilt