DIY: Make a Souvenir T Shirt Pillow

I'm not sure who said it first but I've always agreed with the adage of adding something unexpected to a room's decor. What better way to repurpose some souvenir tshirts than turning them into little personality pieces in the man room?



This has certainly been done before but I've put my own twist on it by using souvenir shirts picked up while traveling as well as adding interfacing to make the flimsy tshirt material a bit sturdier for use.

If you are already a pillow making pro, feel free to skip right to the end. But if you want to know the details read on...

Start off with a few of your favorite travel tshirts. I used XL shirts to make 17 inch square covers for 18 inch pillow forms.



Cut the front of the t-shirt to 17.5 inches square. If you want to make a standard pillow, just cut an equal sized piece of material from the back of the tshirt. But if you would like to make an envelope style pillow cover (as I did), you'll need two pieces: one strip made from what is left over of the front bottom hem as well as a larger piece cut including the back bottom hem. Specifically, I cut a 17.5 x 6 inch piece from the front bottom hem and a 17.5 x 15 inch piece from the back. Using the already hemmed bottom band of the shirt will save you on some sewing to form the finished edges of the envelope closure.



Ok, the math part is now over! Phew. Next, I ironed-on interfacing (I happened to have medium weight handy but heavy would have been even better) to the wrong side of all three pieces of fabric. This did two things: it gave the material more weight as well as negated some of the stretchy quality of the t-shirt fabric so it would be easier to sew.



Now that was done, all I had to do was pin the cushion together wrong sides together, sew it up and flip it outside in.



Voila! One conversation starting, memory jogging pillow cover.



Meet your new life partner, 18 inch pillow form.



It was so easy, I even made two!

It should be noted that I can not cut nor sew a straight line to save my life and this project is quite forgiving. Very good for any novice.

Now wouldn't one of these make great personalized gifts? Maybe a tshirt of an alma matter for a new graduate's first apartment? A honeymoon location for newlyweds? An ironic saying tee for your favorite hipster? The possibilities are endless.

Have you ever cut up a favorite souvenir for a good cause??