T-Shirt Necklace
Martha shows Queen Latifah how to craft a unique necklace using a recycled T-shirt.
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T-Shirt Necklace
Martha shows Queen Latifah how to craft a unique necklace using a recycled...
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Body+Soul, April 2010
The last time you made a necklace, it probably involved macaroni.
Here's an idea inspired by a project on the blog Cucumbersome.com: Turn an old shirt into a piece of wearable art that's quite grown-up.
Tools and Materials
- Soft cotton T-shirt
- Ruler
- Scissors or rotary cutter
T-Shirt Necklace How-To
1. Lay the shirt on a flat surface; cut off the hem and discard. Then cut the body of the shirt horizontally into strips approximately 3/4 of an inch long. (They will actually be loops.)
2. One at a time, pull the loops open and stretch until the fabric starts to curl. Stack the loops on top of one another so that all the T-shirt side seams are in the same spot.
3. Once you have the thickness you desire, wrap the seams with a scrap piece of fabric (about 6 inches long) from the same shirt. Tuck the end of the scrap under itself.
Good job
t-shirts without side seams work great for this.
To get the strips to curl, you must cut the fabric horizontally across the t-shirt (even with the bottom hem). If you cut vertically, the fabric will not curl as desired.
This worked great for the concert t-shirts I never wear :D Yes I could have made them into a quilt but meh I'm not a quilt person AND this is so much easier :o
I read in a previous comment, then learned by trying, that you can't use t-shirts with even the slightest bit of ribbing. Soft, thin, tissue cotton t's work best
I am having trouble - I cut up 4 100% cotton tee shirts and only one curled when stretched !! - Any suggestions??
I just made this after seeing it on Martha and i have to say it really does work. be careful not to drop the whole bundle before securing it as it all get s knotted up. I also stretched all of them all at once rather than one at a time to make they were even (different to how Martha demonstrated). Looks cool too!
I just made myself one and it was great! I just wondered if it might/might not be necessary to wash the shirt first? I had little bits of red shavings on the shirt I wore with it. Bracelet is a great idea! You could also tie the whole thing together with a piece of ribbon to make it a little more decorative! Just a thought!
Ryder: You can't use a tee that has even the slightest ribbing to it. Try finding a cotton tissue tee. I used one that had a 3/4 sleeve and made a matching bracelet. It might be cute with a broach as well.
It's a great idea. I know you need to wrap the ends where the seams are but
how do you attached the two wrapped ends. I missed that portion of the show.
Please help.
I thought this was too easy to be true, so I got out an old t-shirt, rotary cutter, and cutting board. In less than 10 minutes I had my necklace. I have some pendants from the 80s and this is how I'm going to use them. What a great way to recycle stained t-shirts. Thanks Queen (you too Martha)
BJ LaVann
To: ryderwoods
It could be the fabric you are using. Mine was 100% cotton but polyester works too. I would stick to cotton blends or stretchy fabrics...hope that helps.
To: ryderwoods
It could be the fabric you are using. Mine was 100% cotton but polyester works too. I would stick to cotton blends or stretchy fabrics...hope that helps.
To: ryderwoods
It could be the fabric you are using. Mine was 100% cotton but polyester works too. I would stick to cotton blends or stretchy fabrics...hope that helps.
This project was really fun! I made it using one of my boyfriends old shirts and it ended up being really long...so shirt width is something to take into consideration.
I just tried this and no matter how hard I stretch the fabric it doesn't curl...HELP!!!
hahhaha biiig mistake
Don't you mean "strips approximately 3/4 of an inch WIDE"?