Everyone goes through the question of what to do with your child’s old clothes. You can always hand them down, but what about the rest of those other clothes? Try these five fun ways for repurposing your children’s old clothes.
1. Make New Garments
Instead of adding to landfills find ways to recycle the fabric from old clothes to make new garments. If a long sleeved shirt has stained cuffs, then change the garment to a short sleeved one. The same idea works for jeans to make cutoff shorts or crop length pants. Have fun making a new t-shirt by redesigning it with dye in a solid color and adding embellishments such as ribbons or rhinestones.
2. Sew a Quilt
A homemade quilt is inexpensive to make with fabrics from children’s old clothing. Parents can remember the small pieces of fabric in the design from when a child was an infant or toddler. There are various ways to create a unique quilt from used children’s clothing. There are patchwork, album or crazy quilt formats for making a homemade blanket. Many parents make a quilt from old clothing to give to their kids.
3. Create Stuffed Pillows
Children like to sit on the floor while playing games or watching television. Parents can quickly make large stuffed pillows out of old clothing. It is easy to cut apart old jeans and t-shirts to stitch together fabric as a casing for a floor pillow. Older children can learn to sew with this simple project. After the outer casing is sewn, children can stuff it with polyester fiber. Kids will love helping out mom and being a part of crafting.
4. Resale Shops
Children constantly want to buy the latest trends including new tops from Australian designers. An easy way to afford the newest fashions is by going through a closet to find clothing that is no longer wanted. Before taking a garment to a resale shop, make sure it is clean and ironed. Verify there is no damage such as loose buttons or stuck zippers before placing it on a hanger. A resale shop may buy the garment for cash or credit. A credit purchase means that a customer can trade for barely worn garments in the resale shop.
5. Hats and Mittens
A nice way to reuse old yarn from worn-out knitted sweaters or coverlets is by making new garments. Begin by washing and air-drying the old garments or coverlets to have clean yarn for new projects. After the items are thoroughly dry, find a loose thread of yarn to unravel the item to make new garments. Roll the yarn in a ball shape to knit or crochet colorful and inexpensive mittens and hats for children.
Maria Iemma says
I never thought of this – very clever. We try to reuse and recycle as much as we can and this is another way to save money and save the earth.
Kimberley Thomas says
Great Fresh Idea’s