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We all have our favorite t-shirts and some of those t-shirts are coveted a bit more sacredly than others. In our Pittsburgh-strong sports home, we wholeheartedly embrace our sports teams and my kids love their sports t-shirts. This year is a huge year, not only because we celebrated the Stanley Cup win, but because my one son is considering colleges and will soon be college bound.
I am sure you are wondering why I am babbling about both t-shirts and college so let me get right to the point. I have the perfect way to savor those overworn t-shirts that no one wants to part with because in their mind that tee was the reason the team won!
Today I will share with you the perfect way to mix their favorite t-shirt with a college-bound perfect DIY project! Give them a little piece of home when you learn how to craft a no-sew pillow from a favorite t-shirt!
How to Craft a No Sew Pillow from A Favorite T-Shirt
It’s the year to make a lot of decisions with my college-bound son. Which school will he go to? What major will he select and how will we keep his room styled with something that is ‘cool’ looking? Additionally, whatever pieces we choose for his room, we don’t want it to let everyone know that he is missing home so he can maintain his ‘tough guy’ image.
As an ice hockey player, who has played on multiple travel teams, it just makes sense to celebrate hockey. My son’s favorite team is the Pittsburgh Penguins and his favorite t-shirt is way beyond wearing anymore, as it has shrunk beyond the limits of ‘decent’ coverage, lol!
FAVORITE T-SHIRT TO FAVORITE NEW PILLOW FOR DORM ROOMS
Taking an old shirt and turning it into a pillow is super easy, and it gives him his favorite home team with him in an inconspicuous way. His worn-in memories can be turned right into a pillow and have a bit more wear on it! The pillow gives him something to lay on, toss and quietly let everyone in the dorm know what team he will be picking during hockey season without ever saying a word!
Something else to treasure about this particular DIY is the fact that you are recycling your t-shirt rather than tossing it out, so a crafty reuse is perfect.
STEP BY STEP: How to Craft a No Sew Pillow from A Favorite T-Shirt
CRAFTING ITEMS FOR NEW SEW PILLOW
A Pair of Material Sharp Scissors
1 Ex-Large T- Shirt
Pillow (1) 36cm x 36 cm
Tape Measure (optional)
First, take an old t-shirt (it can even be their favorite hometown team)and place it flat on the table. Next, cut off arms
and now cut the neck, 
creating a rectangle.
Let’s review real quickly
Measure from outside of pillow to end of the material this is determining what the strips will be (these are what you will tie the pillow off with.)
Strips will average 1″ & to about 2 1/2″ long and you will cut through BOTH pieces of fabric. (you will tie these into knots later)
Use that measurement to cut out every corner of the square.
(if you make 2 1/4″ tie strands then, each corner is cut 2 1/4″ by 2 1/4″ )
Cut the strips on all 4 sides and tie knots out of every matching strip set until you have it all tied off.
Mhel says
November 23, 2017 at 7:59 amAwesome! I was never good with needles and this is a very clever idea! Now I think I know what I can give as presents to my friends this Christmas without any cost but full of effort and creativity!
Opondo says
November 23, 2017 at 5:12 amWoow, this is a definite yes for me. Now i know what to do with all that old t-shirts i bundled at the end of my drawer. And good luck to your son as he heads out to college.
Dana Vento says
November 26, 2017 at 9:44 amTY. Let me know how your project goes.
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RobertM says
November 23, 2017 at 4:48 amI will definitely make one from my favorite soccer team #Manchester united. Can this method be used for football jersey which are not cotton or will they get spoiled for nothing? Am troubled.
Dana Vento says
November 26, 2017 at 9:43 amI think you can use this on ANY material. I chose cotton because if it is not cotton it is not against my skin. As long as you can cut it you can use it:) Let me know how it turns out
Dana Vento recently posted..Beauty Stocking Stuffers For Holiday Glam
roberachi says
November 23, 2017 at 4:46 amwow it’s so simple and easy to make the pillow case. Awesome idea and thanks I have to try it out.
David Mureithi says
November 23, 2017 at 3:57 amAm going to try this with one of my t-shirt and see what the result will be like. The steps are easy to follow I can admit that.
Edwin Kamau says
November 23, 2017 at 3:55 amIts so nice to read this when you are about to throw away one of your favorite t-shirt. I mean now am going to have so many pillows in my room.
Dana Vento says
November 26, 2017 at 9:44 amLOL. Use the other teeshirts to stuff the pillows as a tip too:) rather than buying a blank pillow insert.:)
Dana Vento recently posted..Beauty Stocking Stuffers For Holiday Glam
Olive says
November 23, 2017 at 1:57 amNice hack! This is a good idea how to remake old clothes of my dad! Haha. I bet he would love to see his old favorite clothe turned into a pillowcase. Thank you for this no-sew easy DIY trick (because I don’t actually know how to sew). Haha. This is cool!
Dana Vento says
November 26, 2017 at 9:45 amIT is so easy and I love the NO Sew part:)
Dana Vento recently posted..Beauty Stocking Stuffers For Holiday Glam
micorobin says
November 22, 2017 at 10:54 pmNow I know what to do with my old shirt. Instead of tossing them out I can donate them to charity or do something like this. Good stuff thanks.
Miaka Yuuki says
November 22, 2017 at 10:50 pmSo glad I found this. My mom is into these types of skills. I feel bad for the good looking shirt though.
Caroline says
November 22, 2017 at 9:46 pmThis is perfect to those who are afraid of needles! Very creative and super easy to make. It can be a perfect gift this Christmas, it’s personalized and at the same time very cheap.
Lovely says
November 22, 2017 at 5:01 pmThis is a very helpful tip to me. I have a lot of shirts that just sit in the closet. You gave me an amazing idea what to do with them. I also appreciate that I don’t need to sew it, cuz I don’t know how to sew.
Dana Vento says
November 29, 2017 at 9:20 pmIT is fast and easy and priceless
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Faith Marfil says
November 22, 2017 at 4:58 pmI love your tutorial. I didn’t expect that I can transform my old t-shirts into a pillow case. I want to try this next cleaning time.
elaine says
November 22, 2017 at 12:36 pm“you are recycling your t-shirt rather than tossing it out, so a crafty reuse is perfect.” What I think that, it’s good idea for reusing old clothing. It can help for environment.
Dexter says
November 22, 2017 at 11:15 amA fantastic way to use my old shirts. Pillow cases are usually styled up and this would be the best way.
Raphael Fabella says
November 22, 2017 at 10:43 amThis is an ingenious idea! Thanks so much for this post! I now know what to do with my old shirts that I don’t use anymore.
Tom Esthber says
November 22, 2017 at 10:37 amThis sounds like a really good idea! Will definitely try this one of these days!
Sheezy says
November 22, 2017 at 8:06 amI like this. No more buying of Pillow cases. Lemme just embrace this.
Yvonne says
November 22, 2017 at 8:00 amWoow! I love this creativity. I perceive that one can undo the knots for laundry purposes, right?
Rain says
November 22, 2017 at 3:43 amBeen wanting to add more pillows to my bed but haven’t had the time to buy. Good thing I came across this post. We got lots of old shirts and maybe if I’m imaginative enough I can make the other shirts into a pillow and the chosen shirt I want can be the cover!
Dana Vento says
November 29, 2017 at 9:20 pmYou will love how easy it is to do
Dana Vento recently posted..Tips For Relieving Your Itchy, Snotty, Congested and Boogie Filled Nose
Lily says
November 22, 2017 at 3:31 amThis is so cool! I will try to do this at home. My dad has a lot of T-shirts that he doesn’t wear anymore. 😀
Mau says
November 22, 2017 at 3:11 amSuch a fun DIY! I wondered how you could create a pillow without sewing only to find out that you have to tie the sides at the end. Genius!
Patranila says
November 16, 2017 at 7:39 pmThis is a cool idea and a great way to recycle old clothes. Love it!
Stephanie Cruz says
November 16, 2017 at 7:10 pmWow! This is such a creative way to upcycle an old shirt! Will give this a try as I have an old shirt I didnt want to throw away but is too small for me now.
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Akshay Malhotra says
November 15, 2017 at 7:43 amSimply Wow! I got so many t-shirts to throw away but I guess I just read this article on time 🙂 This is such a cool way to be make something creative and useful at the same time. I am gonna try this for sure, hope my final products looks as good as yours. Thank you for sharing this amazing DIY with us.
sonali jain says
November 15, 2017 at 6:47 amThis is so easy to make without sew and a good use of the t-shirt also. Thanks for sharing. would love to try this!
Jack bransson says
November 13, 2017 at 12:25 amThat’s genius, we have a lot of shirts that we don’t use it anymore and i think this would be a great way to use them instead of throwing them!
Jessica Hughes says
November 12, 2017 at 11:49 pmI love how easy this is! Now I am thinking about all of the favorite shirts we can make into lasting memories by turning them into pillows. Fantastic idea!
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Cassie says
November 12, 2017 at 6:46 pmWhat a clever idea! This would be perfect for shirts that might not fit right but you still love!
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Andrea says
November 12, 2017 at 6:17 pmFirst I gotta learn how to sew – but it does look very easy for even me to do 🙂
c says
October 28, 2017 at 4:50 amI wanna do this now, you’re an inspiration, the transformation is SO creative, thanks for sharing, keep it up!! we all want to do this now xx
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Times with Kai says
October 27, 2017 at 5:00 amHey! This is awesome! Great job on this post and so detailed. I love what you did there.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
October 26, 2017 at 6:45 pmI love this easy no sew craft! I think this would be better that to keep on buying throw pillow covers. We do have some of our favorite shirts that no longer fit, so I will gather them and make some pillows! Thanks for sharing this easy DIY craft idea.
Dana Vento says
October 26, 2017 at 8:38 pmYou are welcome good luck with your DIY Pillows
Dana Vento recently posted..How to Freshen Up Your Bedroom For the Season
Sandra Lopes says
October 26, 2017 at 1:49 amGreat idea! Love it so much that I have pinned it for later reference but I think I will be making one right now. For someone who has managed to make a crocheted bed cover this is super easy. Thank-you so much for sharing.
David Elliott says
October 25, 2017 at 4:22 pmThat is a very cool project. I know that I have done stuff like that with my daughter’s shirts before, creating the ruffles or ends there. But I didn’t think about doing that with a pillow. I will have to show this to my daughter.
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Dana Vento says
October 26, 2017 at 8:40 pmNow David you have a new trick to try:)
Dana Vento recently posted..How to Freshen Up Your Bedroom For the Season
Charlotte says
October 25, 2017 at 3:00 pmI love this idea and repurposing shirts is an even better idea as we have loads I was going to chuck out! Now I have a use for them!
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Dana Vento says
October 26, 2017 at 8:40 pmPillows are amazingly easy to make. Let me know how yours turnout
Dana Vento recently posted..How to Freshen Up Your Bedroom For the Season
fashionandstylepolice says
October 25, 2017 at 6:08 amThis sounds ands looks amazing. You make it look so easy. I wish I was good at crafts.
Rhian Westbury says
October 24, 2017 at 5:48 amThis is such a simple idea for something which looks so good x
Dana Vento says
October 24, 2017 at 9:31 amI love making these, fast, easy and thoughtful. good luck with your diy:)
Dana Vento recently posted..How To Craft A No Sew Pillow From A T-Shirt
Ali Rost says
October 24, 2017 at 1:39 amWhen I was just learning how to sew, my grandma and I made things like this all of the time. I remember she piled all of the pillows onto her sofa and many of them were still there years later. Thanks for the fun memories .. made me smile. x
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Dana Vento says
October 24, 2017 at 9:31 amI am so glad to hear that it brought back memories, and I hope you make one too, (again)
Dana Vento recently posted..How To Craft A No Sew Pillow From A T-Shirt
Sreekar says
October 24, 2017 at 12:14 amThats such a brilliant idea. Wonder why we threw away all the old ones when we could have used for a pillow cover!
Dana Vento says
October 24, 2017 at 9:32 amThat’s why I reuse them, it just makes good sense.
Dana Vento recently posted..How To Craft A No Sew Pillow From A T-Shirt
Ana De- Jesus says
October 23, 2017 at 2:45 pmWoah I love how you transformed an old T-Shirt into a totally rad pillowcase that is pretty cool. Even better that you have given us a tutorial and that it is no sew as well.
Dana Vento says
October 24, 2017 at 9:33 amI am all about the No Sew, because I once Double Stitched and arm 6 times:)
Dana Vento recently posted..How To Craft A No Sew Pillow From A T-Shirt
Mike Satterfield says
October 23, 2017 at 2:10 pmInteresting way of doing it, I know I hate sewing in my off time. I have a few cool graphic tees that would make great accent pillows. I might need to try this.
Dana Vento says
October 24, 2017 at 9:36 amTry it out, fast and easy and NO Sew:_)
Dana Vento recently posted..How To Craft A No Sew Pillow From A T-Shirt
Kathy Myers says
October 23, 2017 at 11:55 amWhat a clever idea! I have used this technique to make a dog pillow. It is a quick and easy craft to do. Can’t wait to try it with a t-shirt.
Dana Vento says
October 23, 2017 at 11:59 amKathy, this is so easy to do and a great reuse of favorite tees. Let me know how yours turns out. DANA
Dana Vento recently posted..How To Craft A No Sew Pillow From A T-Shirt