Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Easy T-Shirt Pillow DIY

Salutations my fellow DIYers! I have been playing softball since I was 8, and with sports, you often get to keep the jerseys you sweat in for three months. Most of the shirts I have collected through the years ended up being donated, but I was inspired by this t-shirt quilt to recycle old remains of past seasons into something that can spice up a plain bed. Even though I am a teenager who loves this idea all the same, I would really recommend this décor for younger kids that have old jerseys that are no longer in use.

 


 

What you will need:

T-shirt or jersey

Fabric scissors

Old pillows or polyester fiberfill

Sewing machine or the good ol’ fashioned needle and thread

Ruler

Sewing pins (optional)

Pencil or chalk


First decide how big you want your pillow to be (keeping in mind the size of your jersey or shirt).  Mark where you are planning to cut with a piece of chalk or a pencil. Something that is easily removable works best to avoid long-lasting marks on the exterior. I did this step in the picture above, but light grey pencil doesn't seem to show up on fluorescent fabric (surprising, I know).

 


Cut along the lines you prepared on both sides. Most of the cuts will remain unseen, but one side will be exposed for all to see. Personally I think it is wisest to do your best cut on the bottom so that is the side that is shown. This will truly be hidden behind blankets or other pillows anyway, so I find this to be the best location for the exposed side.

 


Flip both sheets of the t-shirt or jersey you cut out over so that the logo and number are facing each other.

 


Start sewing three of the sides, leaving one side open to flip the soon-to-be pillow inside out and to stuff. For this part, I would recommend picking thread that matches your cloth closely (I didn’t have lime green thread shockingly, so I used this shade).

 


After completing 3/4ths of the stitching, flip the fabric back to how it was before with the design sticking out. Tear open your old pillow or open your polyester fiberfill bag and stuff until you think that your cute pillow is stuffed enough for your liking while still being able to sew it shut.

 


Do your last side of stitching. This side of thread, unless you go with the ladder stitch, is going to be revealed. After three sides of practice, though, you should be a pro!

 

Once you are done, throw your new pillow on your bed and flaunt it!

For any more requests, email me here.

7 comments:

  1. This is an amazing way to repurpose some old shirts that I want to keep for their sentimental value. I can't wait to try it out!

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  2. I really enjoyed reading this post(:
    I liked how you included a lot of pictures to show all of the different steps and procedures. It made it really easy to follow and understand unlike a lot of other DIY project instructions on pinterest and other sites.

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  3. I love your idea, and your pictures and steps make it simple to understand. You see, I am not a crafty person at all, but this doesn't seem daunting. I will try it, once I master the art of threading a needle.

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  4. This is so cute! The pictures worked out great and the steps were really easy to follow. If only I actually played sports and had jerseys to do this with. Maybe someday I can try this with a T-shirt or something ☺

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  5. This is such a great idea! I love DIY crafts! I have so many old shirts that I could use to make a pillow! The pictures you added made it clear to follow the steps!

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  6. I don't have any jerseys, but I bet some old band t-shirts or shirts with funny sayings on them would be perfect. I like this.

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  7. I have seen a lot of runners do this with old race t-shirts. Maybe I will do it as a project while I'm on maternity leave! I have wayyyyy too many road race t-shirts...

    -Ms. G

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