Repurpose a HUGE Shirt and Make a Pillow

The holidays are a time for snow, family, togetherness and, of course, the ever present activity of gift giving. Sometimes it’s hard to find the perfect gift for someone. Sometimes a gift can be close to perfect, but just needs a little helps. Recently I found a great stocking stuffer for my father’s stocking, but it happened to be one of those needs-some-help gifts. The shirt was perfect with a saying to make him laugh, but it was three sizes too big. To me it didn’t matter. I wanted him to have something funny. He could use it as a towel if it was better for him. Until a friend, thanks Ellen, gave me an idea of making the big shirt into a small pillow.

And thus a repurposing began…

Oversized t-shirt: Costs between $4.99 to $14.99. It really depends on where you buy the shirt and the kind of shirt you buy. Could be any kind of shirt, really, just something oversized and cutable.

Needle and thread: Any color of thread will work. You can be creative. Match, choose something opposite. If you end up sewing it right, the giftee won’t see the thread anyway. But if it does show, the color could add to it.

Fluff and stuff: Most bags of stuffing can be purchased for less than $5. Most hobby stores or craft stores will have the stuffing available.

Oh, and, of course, scissors.

First you need to determine what size you want the pillow. Once you have decided, it’s important to give yourself marks to know where to cut. As can be seen in my photo, I marked the four corners and then added a staple to keep the cloth smooth as it was cut. You can also use pins or anything else you want to use to keep it smooth.

Next, it’s time to do the cutting. I cut both sides of the shirt at the same time to make it a bit easier, but that process is entirely up to you. However you think will be easier, then do that. The jagged edges that you see in the photo don’t matter in the end. The way the two pieces will be sewn together, the jagged edges will disappear.

The hardest part of this whole repurposing is the sewing part. Take the two pieces as you have them, and place them back to back. This way, after you sew the edges together and turn the pillow right side out, the jagged pieces will be inside the pillow and the edges will look straight and even. Once you have sewn it all the way around, stop with about 2-3 inches available for stuffing. Slowly turn the pillow right-side out and stuff the pillow to whatever thickness you want.

Finally, once the stuffing is in as you want it, it’s time to sew up the rest of the pillow. This takes some concentration as sewing the last part is not always easy to hit the stitching. You can search the Internet for videos if you are having trouble. When you are done, you will have a fun, hand-made and repurposed gift.

Any shirt can be used to create a pillow. If the shirt is big enough, you can even make multiple pillows. Feel free to add any extras to the pillow which includes beads or rope or anything else you can think of. Whatever it is that you add, it will add a personal touch and not break your wallet.


About Crafter: Miscelleana Rhinehart enjoys sharing her crafts with others when she's not searching for queens used cars or writing on her novels. Feel free to contact her with any questions or comments!