creative jewish mom

Crocheted Potato Sack Scrubby With T-Shirt Yarn

I love using those mesh potato sacks to make kitchen and bath scrubbies, and since I have some very thin t-shirt yarn on hand, I decided to give it a try. I usually use mercerized cotton for this project, but I love the chunkier edge that one gets with t-shirt yarn. And just saying, one could use homemade t-shirt yarn, or commercial t-shirt yarn, whichever you have on hand!  These photos are so pink as I ran to take them at sunset, and can't quite figure out how to correct for that and need to post somethiing, so in the mean time, enjoy the pink glow! Want to make some kitchen scrubbies from potato sacks? Lets do it!

Fleece Scraps Pouch For Kids Is Perfect For Holding Magnifying Glasses!

Last week just before my favorite little four year old was to arrive for a visit, I quickly whipped up a pouch to hold the magnifying glass I had promised him on his last visit. And of course since I love giving the kind of gifts that are truly exciting and will be used, I made a pouch with a strap so that it could be worn across the body, and added straps to the magnifying glasses so they could be worn around the neck, for convenience and because the largest magnifying glass is actually glass, and keeping it safely around the neck does seem like the best way to keep it intact!

The good news? The gift was so well received that it was worn constantly for a few days, yippee!  Ah yes, and for those of you who have been following me since Chanukah 2015, well, yes I actually made this pouch back then, and called it quick and cute fleece gift pouch.

And I will say, I was so thankful to come across this lone pouch that was for some reason hanging around with no tie, as I was able to refashion it for this project with minimal time committment, which was the only way to go just before receiving house guests! Want to make one or several to give to the little explorers in your life? Let's get started!

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 Yarn From Boy's Striped Shirts

Passover is in exactly three weeks, and at this point we should be in the middle of turning the house inside out......and so of course at this point the procrastination monster takes charge and says why not make some t-shirt yarn? After all lovely balls of homemade t-shirt yarn just waiting to be used is much more orderly than a pile of old striped shirts that have seen better days, right? Ha, ha ha, but what can I say i just love seeing the balls of yarn from old garments and linens piling up!

Thinking of making some DIY t-shirt yarn yourself? You really should, just keep reading for a few important tips!

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!

DIY T-Shirt Yarn Is The Perfect Way To Do Spring Cleaning!

While you are cleaning out those closets, do put aside some of your kids old t-shirts, as well as anything made from jersey fabric, like undershirts, and collared polo shirts, to make your own t-shirt yarn! If you stumble across a sheet made from jersey fabric while you're cleaning out the linen closet, you've struck gold! (Just by the way, jersey fabric is knit fabric, like that used to make underwear, t-shirts, and other items.)

Make T-Shirt Yarn From Your Kid's Old T-Shirts!

What does any obsessed crafter do in the middle of her intense top to bottom house cleaning in preparation for the holiday of Passover? Why of course, she gathers up all those old shirts that she wouldn't want her kids to be caught wearing out of the house, and she uses them to make t-shirt yarn. A great reason to take a break from all that cleaning and much needed organizing, right? And who knows, once you start using the yarn you've made you may need to clean out some more closets and drawers to find some more t-shirts for the cause, and that would be considered cleaning, right?

Potholders From Recycled Long Sleeved T-shirts

You can make some great woven potholders from up-cycled clothing! The potholders I just made from t-shirts, well I should specify and say actually from the sleeves of my daughter's old t-shirts, are so great I just had to share this idea with you. Plus I do believe that I sort of promised I'd try this out, so of course once again instead of actually cleaning for Passover I'm crafting with things I find a long the way! Well, I did go through some baskets of neglected laundry, which is how I found my materials, so a tiny bit of progress was made. Ha ha ha. Let's just keep it between you and me, shall we?

So while you're cleaning out the closets as a part of Spring cleaning or Passover preparations, do think about setting aside a few articles for some crafting fun. I'm quite sure you'll have more restraint that I do, and you'll be able to try this project out later when all the work is done, or at least hand it over to some kids old enough to do it all themselves?

I actually made two potholders from my finds from the neglected laundry basket. The pink and light green potholder was made from pink girl's knit tights, and the sleeves of a long-sleeved size girl's 8 t-shirt. The second t-shirt was made entirely from long sleeve t-shirt sleeves, and I should add, that with t-shirt material you can get a nicer sized potholder since it's less stretchy than tights and much less stretchy than store bought loops.

You'll Need:

• a potholder loom
• up-cycled clothing for loop making: kid's long sleeved t-shirts, adult or child sized tights and pantyhose of any kind

How To:

1. Cut off the feet of your tights, and the cuffs of your long sleeved t-shirts, and simply cut 1/2" slices along the length of the leg or sleeve. If any of your loops are a bit too long, you can always cut them and tie them a bit shorter if need be at the end of a row, I did this a few times.
2. Stretch the loops so that they curl, and you're ready to go. In the photo above you'll see the pink tights loops already stretched and the t-shirt sleeve loops un-stretched.
3. Set up your loom by stretching loops across the potholder in one direction, and weaving the loops across in the other direction. 
4. For a striped potholder like mine, set up the loom with a pink loop on every other tooth, and when weaving, weave with a pink loop on every other row.
5. For a checkerboard pattern, examine the photo below, and set up the loom with half white and half yellow and then weave with half white and then half yellow.
6. Remove the potholder from the loom by pulling one loop through the next, keeping in mind that the fourth side can get a bit difficult as the potholder tends to come off the loom and you have to do a bit of reweaving to finish it off. So it goes unless you make your own loom with tall nails, which would probably solve that problem!

Have a great time exploring potholder weaving with up-cycled clothing! And yes, you can make loops from t-shirt fabric by cutting elongated ellipses with a slit cut down the middle, though it's surely more time intensive. When I give that method a try I'll be sure to share it with you, not to worry. Happy Passover cleaning, I'm off to round up the kids to start on their rooms, wonder what treasure we'll find there?

 

 

Crocheted T-Shirt Yarn Rug

You can crochet with yarn made from old t-shirts, and making a little rug from t-shirt yarn is a great way to start! Okay, I have to admit, this rug is so little that I had wanted to add to it before sharing it with you, but there's no time like the present. So grab some of those old t-shirts, or thrift some, and get started..... crocheting with recycled materials is so much fun!

Weave Fun Summer Placemats With T-Shirt Yarn!

Isn't this just the cutest? This is the weaving my daughter has been working on using the scraps left over after I used a bunch of t-shirts to make some yarn. Now I'm no weaving expert, but this little project has definitely sparked an interest in weaving, so I have a feeling there's more in store! I honestly didn't really know what I was doing when I made a little loom out of cardboard and string, and realized after the project was under way that I really didn't know how to finish it exactly! I'm relieved to say that the little knotted fringe is just so sweet, and this is a great project for kids! Though I have to admit I want to make one too!

You'll Need:

• T-shirt yarn (how-to here) or 3/4" strips of t-shirt fabric cut across the width of the t-shirt. Stretch strips of t-shirt between 2 hands so they curl.
• Cotton string
• A piece of cardboard (I used the side of a box) sized according to what you'd like to make

How To:

Step 1: Make Your Loom

1. I used a piece of cardboard 14"wide and 19" long, and marked lines 3/4" apart, running vertically on the whole length.
2. Cut 2" slits on those lines at both the top and bottom of your cardboard, and using one long piece of string, lace your loom by simply winding the string vertically around the cardboard using the slits to hold the string in place. Make sure that you have an even number of strings. Secure the ends of the string with tape to the back of the loom.

 Note: While this spacing of loom strings is good for small children, I'd recommend putting them more like 3/8" apart for better construction. In our loom the strings kept migrating towards the center, though I'm really not sure why, but maybe spacing them closer together will alleviate this problem.

Step 2: Weaving

1. If you'd like to make something that looks like our example, so weave according to the photo above, making sure to weave an even number of rows.
2. If you'd like to make a flat piece without having to finish the edges you'll have to weave by starting each piece somewhere in the middle, and achieving exact stripes will be more difficult. Weaving with this method requires a tightly woven piece and strings close together. You weave the first piece such that the end is actually woven into the loom above the first row, and the last row such that the end is woven in below the last row. Got it?

Step 3: Finishing

1. Keep in mind that because t-shirt fabric is stretchy, your finished product will most likely shrink in width once you take it off the loom!
2. To finish your weaving like we (actually I, Mom) did, tie double knots between each pair of strips. It would be wise to mark the border with a piece of tape running vertically so you'll know just where to tie the knot. Otherwise your weaving will most likely be lopsided! (Learn from my mistakes!)
3. After tying knots on both sides, trim fringe to desired length.
4. Cut vertical strings and tie those together in pairs, and trim close to the knot.
5. Instead of tying the knots you could sew the ends together by hand, or tie loose knots and then run the edges of the weaving, just inside the knots, through a sewing machine. Then you can cut the knots off and have a flat fringe, a great option!

Enjoy this fun project! My 8 year old daughter made this weaving in two sittings, but you can certainly use this method to make something a bit smaller, like potholders. I of course envision using this to make larger items like rugs and table runners, which would be great adult sized projects, and wonderful additions to your summer decor!
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