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DIY: Recycle Old T Shirts into Yarn

18th February 2015

T Shirt Yarn - header image

Last night, I became aware that I’d got through the day having made nothing. I’m leaning quite heavily on creative pursuits at the moment to keep me calm and sane. (Do you find therapy in DIY?) So last night I was feeling a bit twitchy and decided to try making some T Shirt Yarn. Little did I know how addictive it would be!

Now there are more than a few tutorials on this out there. I could have just linked to any one of those but a) that would be a boring post for you! and b) there were a couple of  things that I discovered that I wanted to add into the mix, that I think helped me achieve a better result than my first attempt.

 

Supplies:

Old T Shirts (light to medium weight jersey is better)

Masking tape

Scissors

T SHIRT YARN - SUPPLIES

 

 

Firstly lets talk about side seams. Some T’s have ’em. Some don’t…. This one doesn’t and will make smoother/better yarn because of it…

T SHIRT YARN - NO SIDE SEAM

 

This one does so the yarn I make from it will have little slices of side seam in it every 12-20″, depending on the width of the Tee. We can reduce that bulk a little but it will be there nonetheless. The moral is, if this sort of thing is likely to bug you, pick a tee where the body has no side seams and is one continuous tube of fabric

T SHIRT YARN - WITH SIDE SEAM

Other things to avoid are too thick jersey (like sweatshirt  or ponte thick) and anything with print/transfer or embroidery below the chest area as this prevents the jersey from curling effectively.  So now you’ve got the right kind of Tee this is how you do it…

Step 1: Cut the hem band neatly off the tee. Keep as straight and even a cut as possible…

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 1

 

Step 2: Cut straight across the tee under the arms. Again keep it straight and at right angles to the side seams.

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 2

 

Step 3: Remove any care labels in the side seams as close to the stitching as possible without cutting the stitching itself

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 3A

 

Step 4: Now this may prove controversial, but the full bulk of an overlocked seam in my first ball of nice jersey yarn, bugged me. So this time, I trimmed some of it off. Just the bulky edge, about a mm a way from the double row of straight stitch. Note the double row of stitching as I think this could be key. Not all overlocked seams are formed in the same way. If your overlocked seam looks in any way loose or you see only one row of straight stitch, personally I wouldn’t trim it down. It worked great on this tee and the pink one…but the yellow one (they’re all pictured at the bottom of this post) had a slightly different overlock and unravelled and pulled apart in places so I ended up with several lengths instead of one continuous one…so use your best judgment and if in doubt, cut a strip off the bottom & test first…

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 4

 

Step 5: Now fold the tee body almost in half  (side seam to side seam) but leaving about 1-2″ extra of the bottom layer poking out along the top…

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 5

 

Step 6: Cut strips at least  1″ wide (or marginally wider) up from the folded edge. I used masking tape as a cutting guide to keep my widths even (more uses for masking tape here!). Cut straight up, through all layers, at right angles to the folded edge, and cut through the first overlocked edge but NOT the second. Stop 1-2″ before and leave that part uncut…

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 6

 

You’ll end up with one overlocked edge and a bunch of jersey loops hanging from it

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 8

 

Step 7: Slide the uncut edge over an ironing board.  Start with a tapered, diagonal cut from the outer edge to the first slit. Then from the base of the next slit cut diagonally across to the next top slit. ( Not straight across to the one opposite). You can see the first 2 cuts I made, and the next 3 are marked with dotted lines. Do this all the way along…diagonally from the bottom slit across to the top slit….

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 9

 

…and you’ll end up with a continuous strip like this…

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 10

 

Step 8: Working in approx 18″ lengths, stretch it out and it will roll in on itself to form a skinny tube like this. I found that holding the little bits of side seam, one in my left and one in my right hand, and stretching out just one section at a time, avoided putting undue pressure on the seams.

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 11

 

Step 9: Roll it up!

T SHIRT YARN - STEP 12

 

I nipped to the local charity shop this morning and bought each of these t shirts for 50p each so a super thrifty and eco friendly project. (I’ve kept the leftovers for another project) If you’ve got some lurking in your wardrobe even better! ( BTW, Elliott wanted me to tell you that he helped me style this picture 🙂 He also helped me style another where he artistically arranged leftover strips of each colour in the background. For those of you that don’t know, Elliot is my 6 year old son. He’s actually sat looking over my shoulder as I type this, making sure I type this, and let you know that! Give it a month and he’ll be writing my blog posts for me)

T SHIRT YARN - FINISHED

Now I just need to decide on a project. Have you made or used T Shirt yarn? Please feel free to leave any ideas in the comments below!

 

Related

51 Comments

  1. Toria says

    18th February 2015 at 7:45 pm

    Great tips! Looking forward to seeing what you make 🙂 Definitely need a rummage around in my local charity shops!

    Reply
    • portia says

      18th February 2015 at 7:55 pm

      Thanks Toria 🙂 I shall be trawling for inspiration this evening. Have a couple of ideas…

      Reply
      • RI says

        20th September 2019 at 9:12 am

        I really just didn’t understand the instructions which went from easy to follow to completely baffling once you got to Step 7. I don’t have an ironing board and even if I did, it isn’t clear what you are cutting. I have yet to find a continuous t shirt yarn instructions that shows you in an extra step or photos exactly which bits you are cutting!

        Reply
        • portia says

          17th February 2020 at 2:16 pm

          The image with the dotted lines shows you where to cut. If you don’t have an ironing board you can slide a large book or chopping board or similar inbetween the layers. Anything that gives you a flat surface to cut on. Apologies for the very delayed reply but found this message in my spam folder for some reason.

          Reply
  2. Ginger says

    18th February 2015 at 8:48 pm

    Suuuuuuper cool! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • portia says

      18th February 2015 at 9:13 pm

      Welcome! Beware…it’s addictive! Px

      Reply
  3. Redhedhels says

    18th February 2015 at 8:59 pm

    I’ve been meaning to try this for ages, but still haven’t got round to it. How much yarn (roughly) did you get from your t shirts?

    Reply
    • portia says

      18th February 2015 at 9:23 pm

      Hi Helen, ah, ok. So this is a tricky one as it depends on the size (width and length) of the T Shirt. The grey one was a men’s XL and yielded a ball of yarn roughly the size of a large orange/small grapefruit. (not very technical I know, lol!). The pink one was a ladies size L and yielded a ball of yarn roughly the size of a small to medium orange. Does that help at all?
      It is possible to calculate, in length, how much yarn your t shirt will yield if you measure it. If you want to know how to do this I can work out a little formula for you! Px

      Reply
      • Redhedhels says

        20th February 2015 at 11:24 pm

        Thanks. Don’t worry about the formula, you’ve already confirmed what I already knew in my heart! I need to buy a heap of white tshirts and then dye them bright yellow so I can make a rug for my kitchen. Looking forward to seeing what kind of rug you make.

        Reply
  4. Pam says

    18th February 2015 at 10:34 pm

    I made a bath mat for my son in college, which is great because you just toss in it the laundry with everything else. I crocheted mine.

    Reply
    • portia says

      18th February 2015 at 10:46 pm

      Thanks Pam! Been thinking about rugs! Picking up my crochet hooks and knitting needles from storage tomorrow! Whoop! Px

      Reply
  5. Sue says

    18th February 2015 at 11:57 pm

    Yes, I’ve used t-shirt yarn, but a little differently, to make a rag rug – http://fadanista.com/2015/02/01/proggy-rug-from-knit-fabrics/. I have also tried making the continuous yarn from t-shirts, but it didn’t end well. Your tutorial has prompted me to have another go, thanks! What are you going to knit from your yarn?

    Reply
    • portia says

      19th February 2015 at 7:40 am

      That rug is fantastic! I am considering a rug but more of the latch hook kind, and probably quite large! But I may have a play with this yarn on smaller projects first…still browsing the interwebs on that…

      Reply
      • ANGEL MCHENRY says

        15th June 2016 at 4:56 am

        Portia, I like the idea of using the tshirt yarn for a hooked rug!

        Reply
  6. eimear says

    19th February 2015 at 9:08 am

    ha – I did something similar and have 3 balls of white in a bag for the last 9 months looking for a project! I was originally going to just do a bathmat (crochet) or shopper but have not got around to either! looking forward to seeing what you make

    Reply
    • portia says

      19th February 2015 at 11:05 am

      I’ve got a little inspiration post planned! Watch this space 😉

      Reply
  7. kay says

    19th February 2015 at 9:29 am

    I’ve been looking at t-shirt yarn rugs on pinterest lately, your yarn tutorial is definitely the easiest to understand, thanks, I now have great hopes for part two!! (No pressure there!) I can’t crochet (yet) so please be gentle!!

    Reply
    • portia says

      19th February 2015 at 11:00 am

      Yeah I can feel a t shirt yarn rug coming on (don’t tell but I’ve ordered some rug backing already;) But I may try a few smaller projects first!

      Reply
      • jennifer says

        19th February 2015 at 8:00 pm

        How about a bag, One with those big round wooden handles like from the 1950s beach holdall. Quite bulky as a yarn and you need a lot for a rug but tjree Ts should do a bag

        Reply
  8. Ethel says

    20th February 2015 at 4:49 pm

    Crochet round rugs about 24 inches in diameter…takes 8-10 tshirts…also made hot pads for table with leftover scraps…Put in church bazaar…everyone loved them…

    Reply
    • portia says

      20th February 2015 at 4:51 pm

      Awesome Ethel! Sounds like I could pick up some tips from you! Px

      Reply
  9. patsijean says

    22nd February 2015 at 2:11 am

    It is much easier and faster to make the T-shirt yarn using your serger. One just goes round and round after cutting off the hem.

    Reply
    • portia says

      22nd February 2015 at 10:27 am

      Wow thanks Patsijean. This method takes about 10 minutes so is pretty quick. The serger idea sounds intriguing though! Can you tell us more?! Do you disengage the threads? Am trying to picture it in my mind…

      Reply
  10. Zoe says

    24th February 2015 at 8:19 pm

    This is very very cool. Your blog looks soooooo beautiful BTW xxx

    Reply
    • portia says

      24th February 2015 at 8:43 pm

      Aw thanks hun! It definately feels more me. My technical skills were not quite up to doing it myself so I finally took the plunge and invested some cash. So glad I did 🙂 Lovely to hear from you! It’s been too long…we should catch up! Px

      Reply
  11. Cynthia says

    11th March 2015 at 2:36 pm

    This is so cool!

    Reply
    • portia says

      11th March 2015 at 4:48 pm

      I love it Cynthia! I’m obsessed!

      Reply
  12. Kathy says

    13th March 2015 at 4:06 am

    in step 4 you suggest doing a test strip from the bottom of a t-shirt if yo are unsure about trimming the stitching to reduce bulk —I suggest doing a test strip from a sleeve as the same stitching will have been used!
    Great tutorial and pictures!

    Reply
    • portia says

      13th March 2015 at 8:08 am

      Great idea! Thank you Kathy 🙂

      Reply
  13. Kathy says

    13th March 2015 at 4:24 am

    I just finished reading the entire post and comments and thought of a wonderful way to brighten up white t-shirt yarn —-while it is rolled you could drip dye on it and let it dry then re-roll and do another colour and so on!!! Oh the colours that one could create!!!

    I have a daughter who has terrible hand dermatitis/eczema and I will use the yarn to knit her fingerless gloves!

    I also thought that keeping the content tags with each ‘yarn’ roll might be a good idea too!

    oh my! my brain is in overdrive!!!

    Reply
    • portia says

      13th March 2015 at 8:11 am

      Dip dyeing the yarn ball would be awesome 🙂

      Reply
  14. Vivian allen says

    23rd March 2015 at 1:46 am

    I’ve never seen this idea before ! Have printed out instructions and do plan to make something when I am good enough ! Just learning to crochet but this has inspired me !
    Thanks so much for this super information.

    Reply
    • portia says

      23rd March 2015 at 7:02 am

      Vivian, hi! You’re very welcome but be warned….highly addictive! 🙂 Px

      Reply
  15. Nancy says

    23rd March 2015 at 6:49 pm

    Thank you for this much easier tutorial, than others I’ve read. I will be using mine to make a round crocheted rug.

    Reply
    • portia says

      23rd March 2015 at 7:06 pm

      Ooooh, that’s on my wishlist too Nancy! You’re very welcome 🙂

      Reply
  16. Jan Somers says

    6th April 2015 at 2:33 am

    Super idea. To make cutting faster, try folding the T-shirt toward the top (Step 5) as many times as your scissors will cut through. You’ll only have a couple inches to cut instead of the full width of the T-shirt, easier to keep a straight line and retain consistent width of the strips. Putting a ruler along the top of the shirt where you’re not cutting will also ensure strips of consistent width as well as preventing you from cutting all the way through the top seam.

    Reply
    • portia says

      6th April 2015 at 9:28 am

      Nice tips. Thank you Jan 🙂

      Reply
  17. Barbara Flaxman says

    11th April 2015 at 10:33 pm

    My husband who is a Wheelchair bound Disabled Veteran took a weaving class (Rigid Heddle)to help pass the time during the winter Now he weaves all the time. One day instead of the fiber from our Alpacas or Angora Goats I suggested using some of his old Tee shirts that he didn’t use-Ted made me a set of beautiful placemats! They wash well, look terrific and cost nothing!

    Reply
    • portia says

      12th April 2015 at 7:43 pm

      How fantastic Barbara 🙂 I love that he weaves and that you have your own wool source too!!

      Reply
  18. Catherine says

    19th January 2016 at 7:34 pm

    Thank you so much – I have always wondered how this was done, and I have a trunk full of T-shirts that I haven’t been able to part with and can now repurpose!

    And BRAVO ELLIOTT! You did a great job and have a very bright future ahead of you!!!

    Reply
  19. Sandie says

    21st March 2016 at 12:27 pm

    As a recent follower, I found this article a real inspiration. But one thing puzzles me – how do you join this type of “yarn”. Surely knotting it would be too bulky? Have you any inspiration on this?

    Reply
    • Portia Lawrie says

      21st March 2016 at 1:01 pm

      You can sew it together with a zig zag or stretch stitch Sandie. Or by hand if you don’t have a machine. 🙂

      Reply
  20. ANGEL MCHENRY says

    15th June 2016 at 5:15 am

    I have been making and using Tshirt yarn for a few years now!
    — I Do have a few suggestions:

    1. To make the crocheting easier, cut the strips at about only 1/2 inch wide.
    (- I use a rolling cutter, mat & quilting ruler… comes out perfect everytime!
    2. Use polyester/jersey or poly cotton blend Tshirts. . . makes the hook or needles slide over the yarn better… To me, 100% Cotton is sometimes tough to manage.
    3. I use the largest crochet hook possible probably a M crochet hook (and picture this– I cut the strip at only 1/2 in.
    4. Also at 1/2 in. wide strip, you will net more yarn to play with!

    I only use shirts with-out side seams. . . no matter what I tried, they always came apart at the seams when I stretched & rolled it. . . I had to knot it back together to use it.

    I have been working off & on making a rug to go beside my bed. . . Next project will be placemats– Thanks to the one you mentioned it!

    You can do basically the same thing with plastic shopping bags!! Its called “Plarn” (plastic yarn). . . great for bags, sleeping mats (say for camping, etc.)
    — I once read about a project group that made Plarn Sleeping mats & handed them out to Homeless people!

    Have fun everyone! Keep Crafting!
    Lady Angel

    Reply
  21. Sylvia says

    24th March 2017 at 12:18 am

    Ok I’m hooked! Thanks for the idea and the tutorial! Love it!

    Reply
  22. Angie says

    19th April 2017 at 7:10 pm

    Do you have a crochet pattern to make an afghan from t-shirt yarn?

    Reply
    • Portia Lawrie says

      29th April 2017 at 12:00 pm

      Afraid not. Check out Pinterest. You should find something there 😊👍

      Reply
  23. Lisa says

    26th May 2017 at 12:58 pm

    Hi! I’ve just found your blog and love it, Portia. I have used t-shirt yarn to make a knitted newborn cap, though I purchased my t-shirt. 🙁 I’ve also used an old flannel sheet cut into strips to make yarn, but I have yet to use it. I’d like to make a crochet crop top, with open stitches, to wear over a tank top this summer. Love all of your ideas!

    Reply
    • Portia Lawrie says

      4th July 2017 at 6:48 pm

      Ah thanks Lisa!Love yours too!

      Reply
  24. Wendy Veen says

    13th June 2017 at 11:42 am

    Great idea, looks like this would make great slipper yarn. (I make slippers for Ronald McDonald House – especially during the winter months, helps protect their floors!)

    Reply
  25. Cathy Singleton says

    28th May 2019 at 12:42 pm

    I used tee shirt yarn to make a table pad to protect my oak table from hot dishes. It was a round table so I threaded a draw string around the outer edge of the circle and tightened it to secure it on the table.I put a table cloth over the top. No hot pads needed under dishes.
    I actually saw rolls of yarn made from tee shirt knit at the Dollar Tree.

    Reply
  26. Harvey Lee says

    16th September 2019 at 6:19 am

    Making yarn is best way to use old t-shirts and it would be so easy to make it by following your steps. I like this article so much. Thanks a lot for sharing.

    Reply

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