T-shirt Rescue

Ever notice how boys are so hard on their clothes? My guys beat up their clothes much more than my daughter! Guess that's part of their rough-n-tumble nature. But by time the hand-me-downs make it to boy #3, they often have stains or holes. With a little creativity, those clothes can be rescued!

Here are two shirts in pretty good shape. Both had dime-sized stains, as well as a tiny hole on the blue one. My little guy's recent fascination with narwhal whales provided the needed inspiration. I cut out a basic narwhal from wool felt (they're basically a chicken-leg shape with a horn), fused it to the shirt over the offending stain and hole, then "drew" in the lines with my sewing machine along the edges. I did some quick embroidery for a mouth and eye - voila!

Big brother had a navy t-shirt with holes everywhere - beyond saving! But there was a good sized piece that I used to cut out the letter Z. Basic running stitches of varying size outline the letter. The raw edges of the knit won't unravel, but will get a distressed, curled edge. I think this shirt looks kind of like a superhero shirt, don't you? Perfect for a little guy with super speed and energy!

I love rescuing and recycling clothes. It's like a second lease on life! I've used Dad's t-shirts to make shorts for the kids, perfect for pjs or underneath skirts. Before you toss out those clothes, look around on the internet - there are tons of tutorials and ideas on how to revamp them into something unique and useful. What have you done to save or repurpose nearly-perfect clothes?