Upcycling a T-shirt design—do you have any ideas?

Dear friends,

There have already been so many ideas here for upcycling clothes. Now I’m looking for something very specific. I want to reuse old T-shirts that have a nice design on the front.

Do you have any ideas on how I can save the design and what I can turn it into?
I’d love to hear your suggestions and look forward to them.

Spring greetings from Monika

I like to wear denim shirts open over a T-shirt when it’s too warm for a jacket but still a bit chilly for just a T-shirt. I like to make the backs colorful—sometimes with pretty fabric, but I’ve also sewn a motif from a T-shirt into the back panel. These denim shirts almost always have two vertical seams on the back; I sew the appropriately cut piece of fabric between them, leaving the existing denim fabric underneath—that looks neater from the inside since I tend to wear them more like a light jacket.
This would definitely work with other shirts or lightweight jackets too—it doesn’t have to be denim.

Thanks, Veronika, for your idea. Let’s see what else comes up.

hello Monika, I feel exactly the same, and I’ve already been thinking about the best way to do it (if I ever find the time).
Years ago I bought a pretty T-shirt on the Baltic Sea coast, black with an anchor motif, with little glued-on rhinestones that sparkle in the sunlight. Unfortunately it doesn’t fit anymore.

My idea is: to cut out this motif generously, and then sew it back onto a well-fitting black T-shirt with the sewing machine. Either round or oval.

Maybe someone has a tip on how to sew it on more or less wrinkle-free and straight in the center.
I don’t have such a large embroidery hoop to stretch it in.

It’s too nice for me to throw away, and as a small cushion cover, I already have so many. Maybe a small bag—far too nice for that.
So I’d rather use it as a shirt for summer.

Do you use a regular stitch or zigzag for sewing around it? I have no idea. I don’t have an embroidery machine.

I’m also looking forward to ideas and tips. Thanks in advance.

and I wish everyone a lovely weekend

Get some Vlisofix—it’s a double-sided iron-on interfacing available at pretty much any well-stocked fabric store or on Amazon. This Vlisofix has a paper backing on one side—DO NOT peel it off yet, because that’s the ironing side. Use it to iron the interfacing onto your fabric. Once you’ve done that, let it cool, and only then peel off the paper. Then place the adhesive side on the backing fabric and iron it in place. Now you have your cut-out motif nice and smooth exactly where you want it, without any major wrinkles. Once it’s ironed on, I’d still recommend stitching around the edges with an appliqué stitch. If your sewing machine doesn’t have one, a tightly gathered zigzag stitch works just as well.

Best wishes, Inge

Hey there!
You can definitely sew shopping bags out of them. And if the fabric itself is too thin or stretchy, just double it—use a sturdy fabric like twill or canvas as the “base fabric” and add the T-shirt on one side.
Or turn it into a pillowcase.
For small designs, you can also sew potholders out of it or use it to sew a colorful patch pocket onto a pair of jeans.
Egg cozies, baby hats—it all depends on the size of the design.

Hi everyone,

those are really great tips—thank you!

Inge’s idea is interesting. I’ll give that a try when I get the chance.
I sew so rarely that I wasn’t familiar with Vlisofix. It helped me a lot. Thanks

Best regards

Oh, your tips are great. I don’t want to sew it onto a T-shirt, since I already have plenty of shirts.
But the idea of sewing a bag or a pillowcase out of it—I like that.

I’d like to use the entire shirt—that is, the fabric. It’s perfect for a pillowcase. I just need to sew the front and back together. I think that’s what I’ll do.

The shirt has a picture I painted on it, and I’d really rather not donate it to a clothing drive. It just means a lot to me personally. It could still serve well as a pillow, especially since the fabric is pure cotton.

Another idea that just came to mind is a kitchen towel—you’d just need to hem the edges. Maybe that’s an idea for others here, too.

In any case, thank you all for your great ideas and expert advice. It’s already helped me a lot. I’m realizing right now that a pool of ideas like this one always sparks even more ideas. I wouldn’t have come up with this on my own.

Sunny greetings from Monika

Dear Monika, will you show us your pillowcase—or whatever you end up making from your hand-painted design? I already regret all the clothes I’ve donated to the used clothing drive in the past. I’d think twice about that today.

I wish you the best of luck and a beautiful result.

Warm regards, Ina

Thanks, dear Ina—I’d be happy to do that. As soon as I get around to it.... ;-)

I also find the idea with the bags appealing. I make a lot of bags for gifts and as packaging, and afterward, the recipients—like my grandson—can keep the bag for toys, for example.

Now I’m going to try it with a T-shirt. Another spontaneous idea was to sew bags out of them for my grocery shopping. I like it when the vegetables are neatly packed in the basket. 

All of our ideas are very sustainable. I think that’s great! I’d also love vegetable bags. Can you imagine how wide-eyed the other customers will be when they look into your basket? That sparks interest and that “I want one” instinct.

Warm regards, Ina

Wow, that’s exactly what I’m going to do too—it’s so easy. Bags!! That’s it! For example, for bread, rolls, or vegetables.

Sunny greetings
Monika

I could imagine it as a picture mounted on canvas.