Shirt As a Canvas
Shirts are an absolute wardrobe essential. Different fits, colors, and styles can work for all different occasions. Needless to say, our shirts eventually reach the end of their lives and we’re faced with the task of throwing out some of our favorite wears. If you’re not quite ready to throw away that favorite shirt, here are a few cool ideas to upcycle it and give your shirts a whole new life!
Pendulum Painting
Pendulum painting is a super fun and active way to decorate your shirts. This Jackson Pollock inspired method lets you create really unique paint patterns. This will look great on white shirts or on any colorful shirt as long as it’s not too dark. You’ll just need a cup, some paint, and string. Take your cup and poke holes in either side and on the bottom. Tie the string to the sides of your cup so that you have a long (about 2 foot) handle. Place your shirt on the ground and make sure to place a protective cloth underneath because this will get a bit messy! Fill your cup with your chosen paint color and as soon as the paint starts dripping out, swing your cup so that it starts moving in a circle. Continue until you are satisfied with your design.
Stretch Into a Canvas
If you’ve ever looked at the side of a painting, you may have noticed that a canvas is simply a frame with fabric stretched over it. This can be done with any fabric, including your old t-shirts! If you want to save a shirt with a cool pattern or design, this is the perfect idea. You can purchase different sized canvases from any art supply or craft store. When you get home, lay your shirt out flat and place your canvas over the section to determine where to cut. Leaving about 1 inch on each side of the frame, cut out your design. Then fold the fabric over the back of the frame and, using a staple gun, staple the edges to your frame. For the corners, pull the fabric up and fold to the side, creating a diagonal crease and staple it down. That’s all! Your favorite shirt is now a piece of art you can hold on to forever!
Fabric Mosaic
This is a great project if you have a few different colors and patterns to work with. If you want some extra colors to work with, you can get our Retro Ring- Spun T-shirt in a ton of different colors. All you’ll need is space to mosaic (a canvas, a wall, a table, it could be any surface!), some craft glue, and scissors. You’ll want to start by snipping out different sized pieces of fabrics. You can cut out squares, or make your own design. Just make sure they somewhat fit together. Then, starting in a corner, start gluing down your pieces. This is a super easy project that you can make up as you go!