Old Dress Shirts

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, our son brought me yet another bag of old dress shirts to repurpose. Mostly linen blends or cotton. All in light blue, gray, or similar light colors. Do you have any ideas for something useful I could make with them?

Best regards, Ina

Ina, you can sew great shirt quilts out of old dress shirts, just like these here—I sewed these for my grandsons   If there are chest pockets, you can incorporate them as I did

Best regards, Inge

Dear Inge, the shirt quilts look great! It’s really painstaking work, because there are so many different stripes and patterns. But my shirts are all solid-colored (mostly light blue), so the effect is a bit different.

I’d love for the shirts to find their way back into my son’s household in a new form and with a new purpose.

Maybe I’ll try my hand at making some summer dresses for my 4-year-old granddaughter. But first, I’d need a suitable sewing pattern. I certainly have enough old shirts to practice on. The fabric is breathable and light, so it’s perfect for a summer dress. To make it look chic, I could sew some lace along the bottom or combine the shirt fabric with a bit of colorful cotton. We’ll see—ideas usually come as I’m working on it.

But first, I need to think this through a bit more. Maybe more ideas will pop up here.

Best regards, Ina

The only things that come to mind are fabric bags, painter’s smocks, and little summer dresses—if you want the finished items to go back to your son’s family.

Fabric bags are very practical; you can fit quite a bit in them. For example, they’re great for packing various toys or clothes when going on vacation. Shoe bags are also very popular in our family. 

 

Dear Claro, those are wonderful things you’ve sewn from the old dress shirts! It shows us that nothing made from “good” fabric has to be thrown away. 

Dear Petra, thank you so much for your ideas, too. 

Yesterday I sorted them, and now the nicest ones can become something new at my place. I’ll let you know and show you what I’ve made from them.

Best regards, Ina

Dear Ina,

I’ve made pillows and a stuffed animal out of them. 


But I’d also like to try making a dress.

Fabric gift bags? For birthdays, Christmas, and more.
I’ve got that on my to-do list.

I’m still thinking about what I can make out of a blazer... 🤔

 

Yes, dear Anja, you’re right—hearts of all sizes and heart-shaped pillows are always a hit!

I find it harder to repurpose a blazer, though. It’s a good thing we don’t have anything like that lying around.

Best regards, Ina

I once saw a TV segment where they made pillowcases out of old men’s shirts. Decorative pillows and seat cushions for chairs

How about a clothespin pouch? You only need one or two of those, but I think they’re pretty handy. 

Cushion covers and clothespin bags would also be worth considering. Thank you so much for your ideas.
If another woolly project hadn’t pushed its way to the front, I would have already started working on the first shirt. But as is often the case, it’ll have to wait. Luckily, we have this thread and our collection of ideas. That way, nothing gets lost—it’s just waiting for the right moment.

Best regards, Ina