Upcycle Sewing Projects

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I’m always on the lookout for good upcycle sewing projects. Here are a couple that I have done a lot of.

Why Upcycle Sewing Projects?

There are many reasons why one would want to upcycle something.

As mentioned above, there are just so many reasons why you would need upcycle sewing projects. I have come across many people who want to remember a passed loved one with their favourite shirt. There are also all those childhood garments that were either favourites or have a special memory. With upcycle sewing projects, you can keep those special items, but simply repurose them.

Upcycle Sewing Projects – Memory Bear

I have made many a memory bear. Be sure to check out my post that reviews the pattern I used.

I have sewn Memory Bears for many different reasons – out of a loved one’s clothing, out of outgrown children’s Christmas pyjamas, sweat shirts and t-shirts that are outgrown but hold a fond memory.

Check out all these bears that I have made!

I love playing around with the layout. Note that large logos don’t particularly work well with bears – unless you can cut them exactly in half – it could work for the chest, but keep in mind that the pattern piece curves, so it won’t be exact.

Memory bears can be made from a single garment or from multiple garments. I tend not to use more than 2 and try to get them to coordinate. Quite often, a garment with a logo will also have solid coloured sections. It’s easy to incorporate it all. Here are some tips.

Upcycle Sewing Projects – Throw Pillows

Okay, so maybe not everyone wants a bear, but we could all use a decorative pillow. These work well with larger pictures or logos.

First, you need to consider the size of the pillow. I typically make square pillows or rectangular pillows. Both come in different sizes.

I like to start off by cutting out the logos as big as possible. I tend to cut on the seams and leave it as large as possible. It’s always easier to trim down after the fact.

Keep large sections of the garment intact to use as the back of the pillow. If you have a lot of garments with logos to use, consider putting more than one logo together.

When creating the pillow front, I typically add an extra inch to all sides, which creates a half-inch seam allowance all around. So, for example, if it is a 20-inch square pillow, I would create a 21-inch square. But who says the logos need only be on the front? If you have a lot that you want to make (and don’t want to make several pillows), consider putting it together on both the front and the back. This makes the pillow reversible.

In order to make it the right size, think of it as you would quilting – keep adding strips to the sides until it is the correct size. As these tend to be long, thin strips, consider using the sleeve material so that you can keep that back intact. I generally like to add strips on both sides to keep it balanced, but you don’t have to.

Here are some pillows I made using sweatshirts and t-shirts. Some were using a single logo, while others were a combo.

Pillows don’t always have to be about logos. I made this one using Christmas PJs that had been outgrown. To incorporate all the patterns, I cut small squares and sewed them all together.

I also sewed some simple quilting lines so that it has that quilted, patchwork look.

Another thing to consider is the style of pillow. Do you need the cover to be removable? Some pillows I made were donated for a silent auction, and so I made them as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible – meaning that they are sewn completely closed. To do that, I sew the two pieces together (right side facing) and sew all around, leaving an opening. After I clip the corners and flip it right side out, I add the pillow insert. Be sure to leave the opening big enough – not all pillows squeeze in easily. Then I just hand sew the opening closed.

Envelope-style pillows are a bit more work. The easiest I have found is to construct the back from two pieces that overlap so that you can slip the pillow inside. Check out my post from when I made Minky Pillows for more details on the envelope style.

Upcycling Sewing Projects – Throw Blanket

Making a blanket is probably the hardest, mainly due to size. You also need a lot of garments to work with.

Now I am not really a quilter, but I understand the concept. I kept it simple by just piecing a lot of squares together. The bigger the squares, the easier it is. I also made things easier by not making the blanket too big.

This throw blanket was made from 4 shirts. I had to use every inch of the fabric. The final blanket is 36 inches square. There was a request to use a logo as the centre. The shirts were all different – there were a couple of dress shirts, a sporty Lululemon-type shirt and a knitted lightweight sweater. Again, the thinner shirt (the Lululemon one) had to be stabilized with interfacing so that it would hold its weight with the other garments.

I used up every bit of those shirts to make this work. It’s not entirely symmetrical on the back, but I used what I had to make it work.

Simple quilting is necessary to hold everything together. I just sewed diagonal lines using the boxes as guides.

So there you have it. Here are 3 good upcycle sewing projects that I have done and have found to work well. Want to remember these upcycle sewing projects? Be sure to save them to your favourite Pinterest page.