As the holiday gifting season approaches it’s time to think about some creative ideas for making gifts your friends and family will treasure but won’t cost you much of anything.
At our house we’ve been getting the winter flannels, sweaters, long johns, excess blue jeans and coats out of the boxes and closets they’ve been hiding in since last spring, and I am once again amazed at how much of this stuff we’ve got. I gave up long ago trying to figure out where it all comes from, since it just seems to show up in my laundry, in 55-gallon trash bags in the shed, piled into storage nooks and crannies, etc. A lot of it doesn’t really fit anybody in my family, and I’ve suspected more than once that old clothes stashed away like that reproduce in the dark just like wire coat hangers do…
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I’m usually amazed as well at how much of this excess fabric is frayed, holey or otherwise compromised enough not to be wearable without major repair (and they’ll still look pretty ragged). These are the kind of old clothes the Goodwill doesn’t want, you can’t really use, and would most likely end up taking space in a landfill somewhere if you don’t do something else with it.
Luckily, there are some really cool things you can do with all these cast-aways that will turn them into coveted gifts for your loved ones and items you may not want to give away when you’re done with them.
All those unraveling old sweaters would make an excellent lap or baby quilt. It takes some care, but could become a regular family heirloom for just the right person. Cut off the sweater body from right underneath the arms, and then cut off the cinch-ribbing at the bottom. Open one side seam and you’ve got a rectangle about 18″ wide and 3′ long. If there are holes in the body, you can cut away that part.
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You’ll want to sew the strip or square to an underlining of lightweight muslin (or material from an old sheet) to prevent it from unraveling. I’d go ahead and zig-zag behind the fine straight stitch as well, just to make the quilt last longer through many washings. The pieces can be large or relatively small, regular or irregular in shape. Just piece them together into the size of quilt you want, and sew them together in the usual way. Line with thin quilt batting and line with flannel. I like flannel for the edging too. Tie-quilt it with color-coordinating yarn or buttons 8-10 inches apart.
The sweater bodies can also be turned into throw pillows, and arm sections can be stitched together to make winter scarves and hats, or mitten liners. Old Christmas-themed sweaters or sweatshirts can be used to make Christmas stockings or tree skirts. The cut off cuffs and waistband ribs of sweaters can be turned into nice coozies for drinks, and smaller squares of sweaters make nice potholders and oven mitts.
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Again underline with muslin and sew the panels right-sides together on three sides. Turn it inside out, turn the fourth edge under and whipstitch.
You might even consider making stuffed animals out of old sweaters. They’re automatically cuddly, and make great Teddy bears, rabbits or other stuffed critters.
Old blue jeans can also be cut and stitched into some nifty items. There is of course the basic blue jeans quilt, but think about the possibilities of a quilted blue jeans slipcover for your couch, or even upholstery! The pockets make useful TV remote holders or a place to stash pens and note pads, etc. Cut off the legs where they join the crotch and sew the bottom with a double seam, maybe some beaded or yarn fringe, attach a sturdy strap made from material from the legs and you’ve a fine purse. Put a rope through the belt loops to cinch it, or attach a flap cut from leg material.
If you’ve got teenage boys (as we do around here) you’ve probably got some of those baggy, big-legged jeans with destroyed pant bottoms where they’ve been dragged on the ground and walked on. There’s enough material in those pant legs to make some nice shopping totes or book bags. I’ve even seen a used jeans backpack with rivets and pockets all over the place!
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Jeans Couch by Karen Robbins
The only thing I’d add to your imaginings of the nifty things you could make out of all those old jeans, is the idea of leaving a topside raw edge when you’re quilting the pieces together, still using the double seam. As the material is handled these raw edges will fray, or you can help them along by pulling the weft. Looks comfy.
Check out some of the great links below to get you going, and follow some of their links to patterns and helpful hints. One of the most coveted of Christmas gifts among my family and friends over the years are new-and-better comforters, quilts and pillow covers, along with the hats, scarves and mitten-liners that go in the stockings. Tell us about some of the cool things you’ve done with old clothes!
Links:
Textile Fusion: Project Workshops
Wise Bread: 25 Things To Do With Old Jeans
Simply Thrifty: 13 Things You Can Make Out of Your Old Blue Jeans