How to Make T-Shirt Yarn

By contributing writer Jackie

One of my goals this year is to not purchase any new yarn until I use up all of what I currently have in my stash. So, what’s a gal to do if she can’t buy yarn? She makes her own. 🙂

How to Make T-Shirt Yarn

Supplies Needed

• T-shirt
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Rotary Cutter & Mat (optional)

Instructions

1. Lay the T-shirt out so that it is smooth.

2. Cut off the bottom (hem) of the T-shirt.

3. Cut the T-shirt just below the design, if there is one. If there is no design, or if it a small design, cut the T-shirt just below the sleeves.

I used an XL T-shirt and got a nice amount of yarn. The larger the shirt the more yarn you will get.

4. Fold the right side of the T-shirt towards the left side approximately one inch short of being folded in half.

In the picture below my ruler is lined up with the fold I made in step 4. The other fold is aligned with the numbers of my cutting mat.

5. Use either the rotary cutter or scissors to cut the T-shirt into 1 inch strips. Stop one inch from the left edge.

6. Unfold the T-shirt so the uncut portion is in the middle and the strips are out of the way.

7. Use scissors to cut the uncut portion, cutting from one side to the other diagonally.

The dotted lines in the picture below should help explain this step better. (The strips on the right side have already been cut.)

8. Stretch the yarn so that it curls inwardly and becomes more rope like.

You can see the transformation in the picture below.

9. Roll the yarn into a ball and it is ready to use for any number of yarn craft projects.

I decided to use this ball of T-shirt yarn to make a hot pad.

I am excited to make more T-shirt yarn and use it for all sorts of projects. Have you ever made T-shirt yarn?

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