Have you ever tried quilting with old clothes? Using upcycled materials as the fabric for quilting is a great way to maximize your resources and curb fabric shopping. It's also a great way to bring new life to pre-loved clothing. Many keepsake quilting projects are made from old shirts, jeans, ties and other fabric. One of the most common ways to start quilting with old clothes is to cut up some shirts and work them into your patchwork design. The Framed Shirts Quilt seen above uses a mixture of designer quilting cottons and men's dress shirts for each of the quilt blocks. To make your own, press your shirts and cut them into the basic shapes needed for any quilt pattern. Tip: For lightweight or stretchy materials, you may want to add interfacing to the wrong side of the shirt fabric before cutting. Photo via Craftsy member Jodie Hickman T-shirt quilting is another popular way to make a quilt from old clothes. This is a popular project to make before sending off a student to college.

This T-shirt Quilt by Jodie features mementos from three dozen tees. Remember to add interfacing to the back of your shirts to keep your quilt blocks square. If you've saved up years worth of ties from a family member or friend, this Silk Table Runner project is a great option for turning those pieces into a keepsake quilt or home decor project. This Craftsy member combined deconstructed silk ties and paired them with dupioni silk for a luxurious, improv-pieced table runner. Photo by Craftsy member Caraline2 If you don't have enough ties around for an entire quilt, why not use a few favorites to make a patchwork pillow? Caraline2 learned how to make this Tied Cushion while enrolled in Peggy Martin's Quick-Strip Paper Piecing class. It's made from just two neckties, which are opened up and cut into diamond shapes. When quilting with old clothes, consider the possibilities for helping someone to remember a lost loved one with a handmade project. Or, perhaps you can sneak a couple of your spouse's seldom-worn ties and turn them into a quilt to commemorate a special anniversary.

If you have jeans with holes or several pairs that don't quite fit, why not use them as quilting material? This inspiring Denim and Flannel Rag Quilt pairs old jeans with a soft and cozy quilt back for any easy upcycling project. We love how Deb included the jean pockets, which are convenient for stashing a remote control! Photo via Craftsy member Marie Withrow If you have just one pair of jeans to spare, but not enough for a whole quilt, we love this idea to make a smaller patchwork project from upcycled denim. The Recycled Jean Clutch pairs a tiny jeans pocket (think children's sizes) with scraps of checkered and striped denim for a dainty zipper pouch that's as durable as it is adorable. Photo via The Passionate Maker Here's an interesting idea. Quilter Louise Coombes made this rainbow-colored quilt from a unique material: prize-winning ribbons. She collected more than 180 ribbons for the design, which were earned by a 4-H member who showed animals at county fairs while growing up.

Photo via Craftsy member Hideshobby Here's another great idea for using a common accessory as quilting material. The Hav-a-Hank Pinwheel Quilt is made entirely from cotton bandanas, cut and pieced into half-square triangles. Moving Container Company ComparisonThe quilt back is made from square bandanas. Do You Need A Special Light Bulb For A FridgeIf you make this project, take this tip from the creator: "Bandanas and hankies are not the easiest medium to work with as there are never two exactly the same, and they all very slightly is size." Closeout Nike Mens Golf ShoesNevertheless, we love the patterns and fresh, bright colors! Come back to the Craftsy blog tomorrow to weigh in on the debate: to starch or not to starch.

Show All ItemsStep 1: Step 1: MaterialsShow All ItemsHere is a list of all of the materials that you will need. 6 yards denim or scrap blue jeans 6 yards of your choice of fabric for back (I used flannel cut from an old shirt) Denim needles (also called jean needles) Before you get started, make sure that your sewing machine is threaded correctly and that you have tried the thread and stitching on scrap pieces.  Easier to make a mistake on scrap and the fix than to try to fix the pieces that you are actually going to use. It doesn't take long to whiz through a pile of shirts once you get a rhythm going. Pretty soon you have a neat and tidy pile of blocks! As with all projects, there are always several ways to reach an end result, this just happens to be the way I break down a pile of t-shirts for a quilt. Before you start--a very important thing to remember is that they need to be prewashed without laundry softener or a dryer softener sheet. The softeners don't allow the iron-on stabilizer to stick well.

No wasting time with scissors, just cut a narrow strip from each side of the shirt, keeping as close to the sleeve as possible. Then, open it up and separate the front from the back. They look terribly wrinkled, but you can smooth them out by hand right on the cutting mat. I don't cut it off the bolt, just keep it on a stool behind my cutting table and pull it up as needed.  Every time I flip the bolt over, that annoying instruction tissue just unrolls to the floor. Making a freehand cut right at the neckline will give me the most space above the front logo. Pick these two pieces as a unit and take to the ironing board. Press carefully, so as not to get the interfacing stuck to your iron! Don't iron, just press all over the piece leaving a small margin at either side.  I also have to turn down my iron from my usual cotton setting. Yes, I have my iron labeled.  I have 2 irons, this is the only one I ever use with "sticky stuff."  That way my other iron stays clean and I know I will never have any residue on it's soleplate that can transfer a mark onto fabric.