Repurposing old oxford shirts?

[goldfinch]

DH has a beard and has frayed/worn through many of the collars on his work shirts... so we've now got a pretty big supply of oxford-cloth shirts in perfect condition except for the collars. Cutting off the collars and continuing to wear the shirts is not an option (for work, anyway) and so I'm looking for something else to do with the yards and yards of nice oxford cloth (white, yellow, blue, striped, windowpane, the works.)

Has anyone made a simple quilt top or other project out of old work shirts? I'd love some ideas. My ability level is low but I'm willing to try.

Thanks!

Goldfinch

[annethcz]

First thing that comes to mind is art/messy shirts for the kids.

Depending on absorbency, you could make cloth napkins. Placemats is another idea...

A simple patchwork quilt wouldn't be too hard at all. Start with just big squares, and go from there...

[KariM]

If you want to get a bit more life out of the shirts, you can rip out the collar and flip it and sew it back on! My DH frays the collars on his shirts too, but if the fabric on the other side is in good shape you can try to sew the collar back on.

[kate42]

Originally Posted by goldfinch

Has anyone made a simple quilt top or other project out of old work shirts? I'd love some ideas. My ability level is low but I'm willing to try.

Thanks!

Goldfinch

This is exactly what I am doing with my DH's old shirts...trying to make the easiest quilt ever (I'm sewing-challenged). My DH, enginerd that he is, keeps pens in the pockets, which tend to leak.

Soooo, I've cut up the non-inked fabric into squares and at some point will try to sew them together. We shall see.

Wanna be my quilt buddy? :

[BetsyS]

I think oxford cloth would make lovely napkins. Easy, too, cause they are just hemmed squares.

You could also make little kid outfits out of the fabric. This is a really easy pattern. http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M2...hildren&page=8

[alaska]

there's a great thread over at craftster for repurposing old shirts - let me find it...
here's the thread turning the shirt into a dress:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=170402.0
and here's a thread turning the sleeves of the shirt into matching play pants:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=178322.0

[goldfinch]

This is exactly what I am doing with my DH's old shirts...trying to make the easiest quilt ever (I'm sewing-challenged). My DH, enginerd that he is, keeps pens in the pockets, which tend to leak.

Soooo, I've cut up the non-inked fabric into squares and at some point will try to sew them together. We shall see.

Wanna be my quilt buddy?

I would love to! What's your time line?

What type of squares did you cut? I am thinking about 3X3 (although that seems so small now that I've written it out!) and then making a 9-patch sort of thing without a formal pattern... although I should really look at how many shirts of each color I've got. I might have enough white ones to make part of each little square white. Not sure.

I am completely abysmal at sewing. I don't even really know how to use my sewing machine and may be hand-stitching each of the squares... for reasons to do with space and time as much as machine ignorance.

Space meaning room in the house, and time meaning time to work... wasn't trying to get metaphysical there.

[goldfinch]

I love the craftster stuff... but it's waaaaaaaaaaay beyond my abilities, I'm afraid. Will go back and check it out some more, though. I also like the napkins idea... definitely time to get in and figure out exactly how many shirts I'm hanging on to!



Thanks, mamas!

[kate42]

Originally Posted by goldfinch

I would love to! What's your time line?

What type of squares did you cut? I am thinking about 3X3 (although that seems so small now that I've written it out!) and then making a 9-patch sort of thing without a formal pattern... although I should really look at how many shirts of each color I've got. I might have enough white ones to make part of each little square white. Not sure.

Yay! Well, DH's birthday is in December, so I'd like to have it done by then.

I cut out six-inch squares, because I figured I'd go batty with anything smaller than that. Sewing in a straight line is a challenge for me, and I think with larger squares there is less chance that I could mess it up.

I bought a plain navy blue sheet set at the Salvation Army for $2.99. My plan is to cut up the fitted sheet into more squares and use the flat sheet as the back of the quilt.

Is that a good idea? I honestly don't know.

[SusannahM]

That dress from crafster.org is SO cute! I am really going to have to try this.

[goldfinch]

I bought a plain navy blue sheet set at the Salvation Army for $2.99. My plan is to cut up the fitted sheet into more squares and use the flat sheet as the back of the quilt.

Is that a good idea? I honestly don't know.

Sounds like a good idea to me, but we're talking about the blind leading the blind here.

I haven't yet checked the shirt supply to see what I've really got for fabric and I don't have any ideas about the back yet... but December sounds, um, like a good working deadline. Maybe a Christmas gift?