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T-shirts are pretty much a staple item in everyone’s wardrobe, and very cheap to pick up in charity shops. But they can be a little on the boring side.

Here are five ideas for either jazzing them up and changing them, or re-purposing them into something else entirely.

1. Alter the neckline or sleeve

One of the brilliant things about T-shirt material is that it doesn’t fray. This means that you can hack away at it with a pair of scissors without giving any thought to needing to hem.

Just decide where you want your new neckline to be, and start cutting.

A great tip is to gently pull the fabric edges once you’ve cut them, as if you are trying to stretch them. The fabric should curl out slightly, giving a nice finish.

You can do exactly the same for sleeves - shortening them to cap sleeves for a new look.

I ‘mended’ a top which had a grease stain on it that I couldn’t shift by simply altering the neckline a while back- you can read about it here.

2. Make an eco-friendly shopping bag

If you can sew a straight (ish) line, then you can make one of these bags in less than 10 minutes.

Chop off the arms and sew the bottom hem with a machine (or by hand, if your hand sewing is more reliable than mine!).

These look very cute if you make small versions for your kids out of their old T-shirts, especially if they have a favourite cartoon character on them.

3. Add a trim around the bottom hem

If you have any lace trim or ribbon kicking around, then this can be put to good use by adding it to the bottom hem or sleeves. Simply pin in place and then sew on, either with a machine or by hand.

This is also a great way to lengthen any T-shirts that are too short.

4. Create T-shirt yarn (tarn)

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If you knit or crochet, you can easily make your own T-shirt yarn from old T-shirts, which works out much cheaper than buying it from the wool shop.

There are loads of great tutorials online, or you can check out mine on my blog.

5. Jazz up your sofa with a T-shirt cushion cover

This is a great way to make use of an old T-shirt that you no longer wear, but you don’t want to chuck out-maybe one that has a sentimental attachment, like an old childhood favourite, or an old football shirt.

Simply fold and pin the sleeves and them hem to the back of the shirt, and then sew in place by hand or with a machine. If you fold rather than cut, the cover can always be unpicked, and the T-shirt pulled back into service at a later date if required.

Jen Gale is a money saving blogger. She wrote about her year of buying nothing new in My Make Do and Mend Year.

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