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Old T-Shirt, New Necklace

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Have you seen the pictures all over Pinterest of old T-Shirts made into infinity scarves? So pretty!  I decided to try this simple craft myself. However, as is often the case (at least with me), my simple craft didn’t turn out quite the way it was supposed to.

 I began with an old T-Shirt out of my closet. Any type of T-shirt will do, the bigger the better, and it is a plus if you can find one that is seamless.  
   Lay your shirt out flat and start by cutting off the bottom hem (lay this piece aside to use later). Begin cutting 1-2″ wide strips horizontally from the bottom of the shirt up to the armpit. Don’t worry about keeping your cuts perfect.
When you’ve cut all your strips hold them together and give them a BIG LONG stretch so that the raw edges curl in on themselves.
 Taking the reserved hem piece make a cut in it so it becomes one long piece and wrap it around the strands to hold them in place. Wrap it a few inches in one direction and then back in the other direction. Bring the ends of the hem together, tie them in a knot, trim the loose ends and tuck them under the wrapped area, out of sight and voila! 

This is where I realized my scarf wasn’t really long enough or full enough to look like much of a scarf. Maybe if I’d used an extra large men’s shirt it would’ve turned out differently. Soooo . . . , not being one to give up in defeat I decided to cut it a bit shorter and make it into a necklace instead. Since it looked rather plain  for my taste I decided to embellish it with some handmade rosettes.
 This rosette was made from hem tape and a sheer organza-type fabric that I tore into strips for a frayed look. For a tutorial on making your own rosettes you can link back to my post OldButtons&Lace.
I wrapped and sewed the rosettes onto the T-Shirt strips in two places, a grouping of them on the bottom, and a single rosette on the top (to hide the cut I made to shorten my scarf into a necklace!)
 
The necklace can be worn off-center or centered, depending upon the style of blouse one is wearing. 

I’ve had many compliments on my necklace and I am so happy with the way it turned out. Of course there is a LESSON to be learned here. I cannot tell you how many times my flops have turned into something much better than what I originally had in mind. Why is that? When I was a child my mother always said, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  Thanks mom for the values you instilled in me as a child, both in the little things and in things of eternal value.
Philippians 3:14 “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
 
So, I really wanted to get one of my younger friends to model this for me so I could share pictures of the necklace being worn by an actual person.  Since I never seemed to get the opportunity I’ve included a self-portrait so you can see how it looks. NOTICE the strategically placed OldThingsNew logo placed across my “seasoned” neck. Haha!
I’ve had quite a few compliments on this necklace and I’d like to try making it in some other colors. Look at the lovely washed out colors of these T-Shirts belonging to my husband. Hmmm . . . I wonder . . .
 
 
This craft project is so quick and so easy. Without the addition of the rosettes you could easily make one in 10 minutes. I like the way it dresses up a simple T-shirt but it is also pretty enough to wear with something dressier. Next, I think, will be a bracelet to match!
 
      Blessings,
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  13. Patti so cute. I love the addition of the flowers! My youngest daughter once told me that she loved how my neck was ‘sun dried’. lol! What kind of compliment is that? Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    Reply

  17. Super cute! I do the same thing, try to copy something and them make something completely different. I found you via Not Just a Housewife.

    I would love it if you visited my cleaning blog.
    Have a wonderful day,
    Angela

    Reply

  18. Thanks for revising your directions! I’m not sure what you changed, but it totally makes sense to me now! I might just have to try! But first, I have to read your post on rosettes! 🙂

    Reply

    • So glad it makes sense now. I think I was too tired when I hit the publish button and needed to go back the next day to re-read my post! Rosettes are so fun and easy. I’ll be doing an updated tutorial in the next week or so.

      Reply

  19. Newest follower here! I found you through the six sisters’ stuff blog hop 🙂 You have a super cute blog, I can’t wait to read more. You can find me at meandmr.com

    -Melanie @meandmr.com

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  20. I CANNOT believe you made this!! It is so current and elegant. I am really interested in trying this. I love to upcycle and it seems like a project I could do. We are starting a link up party on Thursdays (today:), and we would love for you to join us with this post and/or any others you would like to include. We are at allthingswithpurpose.com. Hope to see you there!!

    Reply

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