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How can you reuse more? 

 

Have you thought about how much we go through as consumers?  Old shirts get holes in them and go into the trash.  We love our pets and buy them large bags of food, and throw away the bags.  We redecorate and suddenly we don’t want old bedsheets anymore. Well, I am here with some ideas for each of these.

 

Each year I throw a Halloween party and the entry fee is at least two old tshirts.  I cut the front and back off in big squares and sew those into blankets for the animals at the shelter.  What is left over is strips of fabric, and I take those and knot them together (using square knots- thanks boysouts) and roll it into a large ball.  Then I take that and simply knit the strips together and make rugs!  100 % of the tshirt is reused, saving things out of the landfill, and I have unique, colorful, and STURDY rugs! I love them.

 

The bags that our pet’s food comes in?  They’re very sturdy, right?  I mean, they hold 20-50lbs of pet food. I reuses these guys in a few ways.  My first and favorite way is to sew them into reusable shopping bags!  (see link below.) Just cut two strips off the top, trifold, and sew into strips for handles, rolls down the top and hem, then sew the handles on!  It’s a quick and cute bag!  I use them for shopping all the time, and have given them as gifts!  Also, much more simple than that you can just roll down the top and poke a couple holes in the bottom and use them as a planter! You can even cut slits in the sides and put plants in there to increase surface area and production!  Strawberries, tomatoes, and many flowers grow well like this! 

 

Lastly, old bedsheets- granted they might have a stain or wear spot here and there, they often have a lot of cloth area that is still good for use! My grandmother used to make lovely curtains out of them.  You can make sew many things!  (See what I did there- it’s ok, I’m not funny.)  Cut two quick squares, sew and stuff for a throw pillow.  Again, cut into strips and make a rug!  Or, I even once made two entire pairs of pants (pictured below) out of a kind sized bed sheet I bought at a thrift store for $1.  A one dollar bedsheet, some Youtubing for patterns, and an afternoon of sewing and I made two awesome pairs of pants! 

 

So a small amount of time and some creativity is all it takes to save things from ending up in landfills, and it’ll save you a few bucks! You can make yourself or your loved ones some truly unique items, and do a little more for our environment. Remember even that the holiday season is right around the corner so this is a perfect time to start!  And listen- don’t tell me that you’re bad at crafting- try, and try again.  And these are great crafts to practice on because they cost literally nothing! 

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CN-xw1CjPSq/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link  -shopping bag tutorial

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNfJARhj6jo/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link  - knitted tshirt rug