Upcycled Scarves
How-to Upcycled Scarves, made from old t-shirts
Materials:
old, extra, or second hand t-shirts
fabric scissors
old, extra, or second hand t-shirts
fabric scissors
I’ve been seeing some great upcycled t-shirt tutorials on Pinterest lately, and I’ve wanted to give it a try for awhile now. I think the idea is simple. Want a new scarf to go with an outfit? Then stop by goodwill grab a solid colored t-shirt for a dollar or two and waalaa, you have a new scarf in minutes. After reading several tutorials (and even watching a tube video), here’s my experience with this fun and frugal craft!
We have a drawer overflowing with t-shirts. We save them for our staining, painting and other crafty projects. So I picked out a half dozen men’s t-shirts and got to cutting! This was a fun, easy craft for a girl’s night out too!
Before we get started, let’s talk t-shirt selection:
- ~ Different size shirts create different size scarves. I like the length of a scarf made from a men’s t-shirt. I can double it or wear it long. I think women’s t-shirts make good children’s scarves. I used the leg of a pair of sweatpants to make my toddler a scarf.
- ~ I recommend a solid t-shirt because the design is going to stretch and distort.
- ~ Always check sides of t-shirts for seams. It is possible to make a scarf from a shirt with two side seams, but for this look, it is better to select a t-shirt without side seams.
- ~ Since there is a stretching of the material, I think the thicker the t-shirt material the nicer the scarf.
- ~ The scarves really do keep you warm. A white scarf is my favorite. They can make any color jacket or shirt look new.
Okay, let’s get started…
You’ve selected your t-shirt and you’ve got your scissors. Cut the bottom hem off the shirt. Then cut the shirt pit to pit. You can save the hem and shirt top of the shirt for another project. I save the hems for a garland project I’m working on, and the tops of the shirts are used for wood staining rags.
This was a t-shirt my sis & I purchased to irritate our dad when we were young. 
Lay the tube of your shirt flat on a surface and return the cut ends out. The sides of the shirt will be top and bottom. Start cutting lines/stripes in the shirt. Do not cut all the way through the shirt. You will want to leave at least one to three inches uncut on one side of the shirt tube.
The width of the cuts depends on the look of your scarf. The smaller the cuts, the more layers/strings your scarf will have, the wider you cuts the chunkier your scarf layers/strings. I wouldn’t make cuts smaller than a half inch, or bigger than four inches. I like scarves with about two inch cuts. It is all a preference. You can make thin and thick cuts in the same scarf for a different look as well.
Once you have finished cutting, you need to stretch your scarf and your done! I think the easiest way to do this is to run your arm through the uncut side of the shirt tube, and then just pull or stretch each cut strip to get your desired look. You can pull some harder or lighter than others for variations, or all with the same resistance. Just be sure to pull firm enough so the cuts disappear and the layers/strings look soft on the edges.
Simple, frugal, handmade, upcycled, and stylish. Love it! You can find more (some elaborate) t-shirt tutorials on my Pinterest board.
Happy Crafting!
January 21st, 2012 in
Eco-friendly Crafts | tags: craft, crafting, eco, ecoetsy, ecofriendly, handmade, recycle, scarf, scarves, shirts, sustainable, t-shirts, teamupcyclers, tshirts, upcycled
These are awesome!
awesome Bee … and I LOVE that old T … what a riot!