5 Ways to Make Something New From Old Clothes

Kids go through clothes fast. Whether they grow out of them or wear through them at the park, they never seem to last long enough. Here are 5 ways to make something new & fun out of old clothes!

1. Reuse a Monogram

Love monograms but hate that that you can pass them down to the next child? Here is how we reuse our monogrammed clothes once they’re too small. 

This was one of my favorite outfits from Maggie’s first summer:

Now it’s her favorite t-shirt!

Cut out a square around the monogram. Use the monogram on something new. I sewed this one onto a summer shirt (one that happened to have a stain right in the middle of it!). I used some pink trim from the craft store to outline it. You could also use iron on backing. It would be fun to use the monogram on a beach bag or coverup too. 

2. Tie Dye

Have shirts & onesies that look old, worn & stained? Bring them back to life with tie dye! These were made from some of our worst looking shirts. Also, last spring I bought Maggie white leggings (I know who buys a 2 year old white leggings). They were so awful looking, but now they are bright yellow for Alex to wear this year!

3. Headbands & Necklaces from Ripped Tights 

My girls go through tights fast. Especially when I buy the micro fiber ones for holidays & ballet class. They will wear them once & end up with giant wholes in them. I had a pile to throw out & then thought of this project: turn them into braided headbands & necklaces. 

Cut 1 to 2 inch strips from the top of the tights down to the toes. Take 3 strips & braid them. Alex wears them as headbands & Maggie thinks they are the perfect necklace. 

4. Painting Over Stains with Pompoms

This one is a fun project to let the kids do. We had a shirt with a few dark stains on it. We used fabric paint on pompoms to cover them up & make a polka dot shirt. We used clothes pins to hold the pompoms while making the polka dots. Maggie thought it was fun & it made less of a mess. 

5. Trendy Triangle Leggings

These gray leggings are very warn out. It’s hard to see in the picture, but there are a bunch of stains. I decided to cut triangle shapes out of a sponge & sponge paint the leggings with fabric paint. Now these old faded leggings look new & trendy!

Do you have any ways you like to “revamp” old clothes? Please share them below!