creative jewish mom

How To Make Yarn From Old Sheets!

It has been quite some time since I've made yarn from sheets, but the need for a homemade crocheted rug for a bedroom I'm redecorating has arisen, and so let the sheet yarn making begin! I will admit, after all the cutting I developed a blister on the top of my pinky, so do think about wearing gloves or being aware of your hands. Ah yes, and then I developed a blister on my ring finger from the crocheting, the hazards of crafting! Okay, back to the  idea of making yarn from sheets, one of my very favorite all time upcycling activities! While I have crocheted a number of things like bags and baskets from sheet yarn, my favorite is rugs, as you can toss them into the machine and they are truly original, depending on which old sheets you end up re-purposing! Of course to crochet a nice sized rug you will need a pile of sheets, so let the friends, family and neighbors know you'll be happy to receive their old sheets and they'll thank you for helping them clean out the linen closet! Okay, let do it!

Make Yarn From Your Old Sheets And T-Shirts

I'm reposting this from last year, and this year there is no time to make yarn from sheets and I even tossed some old sheets in the recycling! Granted they were not 100% cotton, so no great loss and the Passover cleaning continues! Here is the post from 2017!

Yes, dear readers, when you see photos of DIY sheet and t-shirt yarn, you can surely guess that the Pesach house cleaning and organizing has begun! And of course, since I'd rather craft than clean, one of the first things I always do is look for old sheets that are no longer presentable, and clothing whose condition is too poor to pass along to those in need. (We happen to have many neighbors with large families who always appreciate out hand me downs, so I only cut up really ragged t-shirts and night gowns and such.)

Lucky for me, one of the things that was begging to be made into sheet yarn was a comforter cover, the optimal thing to use as from the giant tupe that results cutting off the two ends, one can make one continual piece quite easitly. And that green yarn? That is from my daugher's old nightgown, yippee!

DIY Boho Fringed Placemats For Summer Entertaining

I have pulled this post out of the archives because it is a keeper, and I'm still enjoying my DIY boho place mats, which are great indoors or outdoors, and perfect for that little extra something this summer! Enjoy! And I just had the thought that these could also be great for the Succah, so why not plan ahead!

I love t-shirt yarn, and have been thinking about using it for macrame and embroidery, not just crocheting! Industrial-waste t-shirt yarn also supports eco-consciousness, as it is made from odds and ends of fabric left after the pieces for making clothing is cut from the yardage. What I found after making these fringed and embroidered place mats/wall hangings is that t-shirt yarn is a great way to add color to a project that might have called for rope of some kind, and it works great for fringe, tassels (see my t-shirt yarn tassels) and more. So if you're looking for a simple and stylish summer project, this is it! These place mats work great placed on round side tables or outdoor tables or anywhere to add some flare our protect a wooden surface. Ah yes, and of course you can easily make some wall hangings, which I truly am going to do as I have a bunch more of these place mats to craft with!

Hello Prague: Huge Crochet Applique Mural

One of the amazing visual treats that we experienced in Prague last year, was in fact a treat within a treat, though that describes just about everything in Prague, what a city! On our visit to Vysrehard, see  my post here, not only were there amazing views and ancient history, but also the biggest yarn bombing installation I've ever seen! Ever seen a crocheted mural, constructed on a base of recycled sweaters? Me neither, so I was very excited to capture this and share it with you. I'm not sure how many years something like this can hold up, especially in a place with cold winters, so if you decide to do something similar, I'd hang it in a way that it can be removed come rain and such. All this wonderful crocheted art is both a sign and an eye catcher at a place called Indigo Kids, which is a kindergarten. You can see the main sign in my post about signs in Prague, and here I've presented you with all the many ways to make pictures with crochet. enjoy!

Embroidery With T-Shirt Yarn On Benches In Jerusalem

I came across these photos of benches embroidered with t-shirt yarn in Jerusalem, and I just had to share them with you because truly I just love everything about this project! Yes, of course I'm bound to like just about anything that uses t-shirt yarn plus creativity, and the peacock bench (continue reading) takes the prize! I don't know too much about this commissioned yarn bombing project, or whether the benches are still intact, but I may just have to go and see for myself sometime soon.

The photos here are courtesy of a great article on mymodernmet, and the copy below is quoted from that article as well, which you should check out, so inspiring!

"Jerusalem-based artist Talya Tomer-Schlesinger sees artistic potential hidden within every corner of the world. The director of the Baka neighborhood asked Tomer-Schlesinger to brighten a local road for an upcoming arts festival and, when she was deciding what to create, the artist looked to the street’s benches. These latticed structures reminded her of her grandmother’s embroidery grids, which inspired her to weave recycled materials directly onto the seats. Since the benches are outdoors, Tomer-Schlesinger used old bathing suits in place of thread or regular fabric to prevent weather damage.

While she embroidered flowers, leaves, and even a vibrant peacock on the bus benches, the artist invited locals to join her. This expressive production evolved into a community project, bringing joy to those who participated in and witnessed the benches’ evolution. Hopefully, this venture will inspire other cities to bring their residents together as they add a bit of creative color to their own streets."

Fabulous Wire Frame Tree Sculptures As Summer Street Art In Montreal

One of the things that Canada does really well, and Montreal in particular is celebrating the outdoors during the summer, as winter is harsh and very long! This summer in Montreal we came across many many examples of street celebrations and I especially loved these vibrant metal trees defined with strips of fabricm delineating an area in downtown Montreal used for lunch time concerts....a lovely program and wonderful sculptures that were made without investing a huge sum......I am assuming they are saved from year to year, at least hoping that is the case!

And this dear readers can certainly be a source of inspiration for your own creative fall crafting, right?

Rustic Wire And Fabric Flower Craft

I saw this idea for making a rustic wire and fabric flower sculpture with a wine cork base on our travels just a few weeks ago, and I just had to share it with you! The idea of stitching fabric scraps onto a wire shape can be used in so many ways, to make flat ornaments for a wall hanging or mobile or to get a bit adventurous and go for something with dimension. I love the looseness of the results, and a flower sculpture like this one is not only a perfect summer craft, but also would be great moving into fall.

As far as taking this idea as a project for kids, I think it would be a fabulous way to introduce the idea of abstract sculpture. Give kids some easily bendable wire, and at least four wine corks, and have them make a three dimensional wire doodle.......sounds great to me! To add color glue or sew little scraps of fabric or colored paper to some of the resulting shapes.

Sorry, lest I digress, back to the specifics of this sweet little flower.......

DIY Loom Potholder Using T-Shirt Yarn And DIY Potholder Loops

After cutting up a bunch of my boy's old striped polo style shirts to make t-shirt yarn, I just couldn't bear to toss the remnants, namely the section above the armpits, so rather than clean for Pesach I embarked on a small research project regarding using a pot holder loom to make potholders from t-shirt yarn and presented you with the post 3 Ways To Use Old T-shirts To Weave Potholders.

Of the three potholders that we wove for our research project, there was one that in my eyes was just right, so I now present to you the technique that we used, and hoping that this craft will not only get you too on the road to cleaning out those closets, but also teaching kids about the idea of re-using what we can, and recycling what we can't. Ready?

DIY T-Shirt And Sheet Yarn Is A Spring Cleaning Tradition!

Yes, dear readers, when you see photos of DIY sheet and t-shirt yarn, you can surely guess that the Pesach house cleaning and organizing has begun! And of course, since I'd rather craft than clean, one of the first things I always do is look for old sheets that are no longer presentable, and clothing whose condition is too poor to pass along to those in need. (We happen to have many neighbors with large families who always appreciate out hand me downs, so I only cut up really ragged t-shirts and night gowns and such.)

Lucky for me, one of the things that was begging to be made into sheet yarn was a comforter cover, the optimal thing to use as from the giant tupe that results cutting off the two ends, one can make one continual piece quite easitly. And that green yarn? That is from my daugher's old nightgown, yippee!

The Best Way To Make Yarn From Sheets, Hands Down!

Passover is just around the corner, which means we have started going through closets and organizing our possessions, for starters! Of course, this includes a good look at the linens and choosing things which have seen better days and are ready to be made into rag yarn. I have had more time letely to make yarn from sheets and linens than actaully crochet with them, but just knowing those balls of rags are ready and waiting is a great feeling, whenever their time may be!

After years of making yarn from sheets, pillow cases, comforter covers and of course t-shirts, I have finally realized the simplest and best way to go about doing this, especially when it comes to making yarn from a flat sheet. Can you guess? No sewing strips together, no cutting or tearing in a spiral, nope, the results are so much better, and I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner!