Coaster
A braided rug is a cute, cottage-y way to protect your floors. Apply the same design idea to coasters for tabletops and nightstands using handmade t-shirt yarn. And it doesn’t take a stitch of work! Start with strips of t-shirt fabric that you turn into yarn by pulling, which causes strips to curl. Braid three strips of yarn together then curl braid into a spiral and secure the ends with hot glue. Attach a circle of t-shirt fabric onto the bottom to finish the piece and you’re done.
What You’ll Need
- Seamless t-shirts in coordinating colors
- Cutting mat and rotary cutter
- Metal ruler
- Scissors
- Hot glue gun
- Glue sticks
- Heavy book
To make t-shirt yarn, choose a shirt that has no side seams or printing. Lay the shirt flat on the cutting mat and cut across from side to side below the arm seams with the rotary cutter. Make the next cut about ½ to ¾ inch from the first. This will give you a loop of fabric. With scissors, cut the loop apart for one continuous strip. Gently pull the strip to form a tubular shape and lengthen the strip.
To make the coaster, stack three strips of yarn together with a dot of hot glue between the end of each strip. Let dry and place that end under a heavy book. Braid the three strips, then gently roll the braid into a spiral while keeping it flat on the table. Don’t pull too tightly or it will start to curl. Once the spiral is finished, wrap the end under the coaster and secure with a dot of glue. On the reverse, squeeze a few dots of hot glue in the spaces between the spiral to make sure it holds its shape.
Cut a circle of t-shirt fabric in a coordinating color that’s slightly smaller than the diameter of your finished spiral.
Attach the circle of fabric to the reverse of the spiral with glue to stabilize and flatten. Make a few sets of coasters, stack them, and tie together with pretty ribbons for easy and inexpensive, but much appreciated, hostess gifts.
Embellished Lampshade
Bland, uninspired lamps can be such a missed opportunity in a room’s decor. With just a little effort and almost no cost, you can upgrade a lampshade from basic to brilliant. Here we embellished a plain shade with a flirty nosegay of jersey-knit roses. Create these all-American beauties with strips of t-shirt fabric stretched, folded, and rolled into pretty petals, then hot-glued for stability. Paint the lamp base a coordinating color to complete the transformation.
What you’ll need
- T-shirts in a coordinating palette
- Cutting mat and rotary cutter
- Metal ruler
- Scissors
- Sewing machine (optional)
- Thread
- Hot glue gun
- Glue sticks
Cut 2-inch-wide strips from t-shirt fabric and with a sewing machine or needle and thread, sew with a basting stitch down the center of the strip. Pull the basting stitch gently to create a ruffle. Fold the ruffle in half lengthwise at the stitch line. From one end to the other, roll the folded strip into a flower, creating a petal effect with the ruffled edge. Using a glue gun, dab glue on the backside of the flower to hold it together.
Cut strips of t-shirt fabric to create yarn (see instructions for making the yarn above). Start to roll yarn strip at one end. With every wrap, add a fold to the yarn. This will create the contours of petals rather than producing a simple roll of fabric. Using a glue gun, dab glue on the backside of the flower to hold it together.
To embellish the lampshade, cut a piece of t-shirt fabric that is just slightly smaller than the circumference of your shade. Stretch the band around the center of the shade, scrunching it a bit at the ends and attach with hot glue (you may need to secure the ends as the glue dries but avoid using anything that could crimp the shade). At the band seam, arrange the flowers in a cluster and hot glue in place.
Photos by Steven McDonald, produced by Jodi Mensing Harris
© Caruth Studio