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T-shirt yarn swatch

T-shirt yarn is a brilliant way to repurpose your old tees and turn them into fun crochet and knitting projects. Use the yarn to crochet home decor, kitchen accessories or, why not try your hand at macramé to create plant holders and wonderful wall hangings? Follow along with this simple step-by-step tutorial to see exactly how to make t-shirt yarn as well as inspiration for what to make with your new yarn! 

Materials

  • Old t-shirts from your closest or the thrift store (the bigger the better!)
  • Fabric scissors or rotary cutter

1

tie dye t-shirt laid flat

Flatten your shirt so it sits smoothly. 

Pro Tip

I had this fun tie-dye t-shirt that one of my kids outgrew and I thought it would make colorful coffee and drinks coasters this summer!

2

cut the hem of your t-shirt and under sleeves

Cut away the bottom hem and just under the sleeves so you are left with a long tubular piece sewn up on both side seams.

3

cutting strip into your tee

Cut the tube into strips, cutting through one side seam and leaving about a gap of an inch before you reach the second side seam.

4

step 4

Open up the tube so that the un-cut fabric is now laying flat over your hand or on the table.

5

cut diagonal strips of t-shirt

You will need to cut on the diagonal from one side to the other. The first cut you make will be from one cut strip straight into the edge of the t-shirt. Each cut after that you will cut from strip to the other.

Pro Tip

It’s important you get this step right, so that you get a continuous length of yarn not individual strips.

6

homemade t-shirt yarn

Keep cutting until you get to the end and you should have a long continuous length of t-shirt ready to be rolled into a ball.

7

stretch your handmade yarn

Before you roll it into a ball, if your t-shirt is quite stretchy give the entire length of yarn a gentle pull. Some t-shirt don't have much stretch in them so just leave this step out if its not stretching easily.

8

And there you go! Now, just roll it all up into a ball, grab your knitting needle or crochet hooks and create a project! 

t-shirt yarn balls

T-shirt yarn projects to make with your new yarn!

About the author

Jane Gois profile picture

Jane Gois

I'm the founder of Tea and Crafting - a cute and tranquil craft room in London's Covent Garden. We host workshops ranging from embroidery, crochet, knitting, water colour, screen printing . . . to candle making, Jesmonite making and silver jewellery and so much more. We also host the most memorable crafty hen parties and baby showers.

https://www.teaandcrafting.co.uk (opens in a new tab)