With Halloween right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to make this fun Frankenstein t-shirt! Amanda at Crafts by Amanda created the face by tracing circular objects and using a ruler to draw straight lines. No fancy-schmancy artistic skills needed! And once Halloween is over, it’s adorable for year-round wear too. [how to make a Frankenstein t-shirt]

Project estimate:

• Green t-shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric paint, on hand or about $3 and up
• Objects to trace, on hand

Total: Free and up!

The post Make a Frankenstein T-shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Pineapples have been an extremely popular motif lately.  We aren’t really into jumping on bandwagons, but this is one trend we whole-heartedly love!  This fun pineapple tee, which looks like it came off the rack at a fashionable boutique, was actually made by Sam at The Pretty Life Girls using a stamping technique and materials that would have otherwise been garbage.  So not only is it adorable, it’s also insanely cheap to make!  [how to make a stamped pineapple shirt]

Project estimate:

• Shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• Foam takeout container, on hand
• Pencil, on hand
• Fabric paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a Stamped Pineapple Shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

There are a zillion ways you can dress up the humble t-shirt.  One of our favorites is this super easy method of making dandelions – no special artistic skills required!  Check out Heather’s video to see how it’s done, or keep scrolling to read more.

Project estimate:

• T-shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• Shower pouf, $1
• Fabric paint, on hand or $1 and up

Total: $1 and up

Pour some white paint onto a paper plate or other surface.

Dip the shower pouf into the paint and dab off the excess on the edge of the plate or on a piece of paper.

Press the pouf onto the shirt to create a dandelion shape.  Repeat as desired.

Use green paint to make a stem on each dandelion.

Let the paint dry and your shirt is ready to wear!

The post Tutorial: Painted Dandelion T-shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Last week I showed you a really versatile t-shirt cutting technique that involved looping strips of fabric.  You can find that tutorial here.  Today I’m going to show you another really cool t-shirt cutting technique that looks complicated but is actually really simple to do!  Once you get the hang of it you’ll be able to use it in different ways to alter your t-shirts.

Project Estimate:

• T-shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• Scissors, on hand

Total: Free and up!

Step one:  Cut slits in the t-shirt.

Step two:  Cut off every other strip.  Save the fabric and cut each piece in half if they are too wide.

Step three:  Use the saved t-shirt strips to tie together pairs of fabric, as pictured.

Step four:   Next tie together alternating strips to make the diamond pattern.

You could apply this idea to different parts of the shirt to get different effects.  I used the same technique on the bottom of this shirt, except I cut long fringe and tied the pieces together so they would be more gathered.  Have fun cutting and creating with your old t-shirts!

The post Knotted T-shirt Tutorial appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

I’m sure we all have stacks of t-shirts that are out of date or don’t fit.  Instead of leaving them in a pile in the closet, why not craft with them?  I’m going to show you a very simple technique for t-shirt cutting and looping that can be applied in different ways.  It looks complicated, but it’s not!

Project Estimate:

• T-shirt – on hand
• Scissors – on hand

Total:  Free

First, choose what part of the t-shirt you want to work on, and fold it in half.  For this example, I am cutting the back of the shirt.  You can see how I painted the front of this retro orange t-shirt in this tutorial.

Cut slits in the t-shirt on the fold.  For this design, I cut long slits of varying lengths.  Keep all the pieces intact EXCEPT for the very last one.  Cut that one in half.

Start at the top of the line of cuts.  Lift up the top piece, and pull the one below it through the loop.  Release the top piece and hold on to the second piece.  Now pull the third piece through the second one.  Continue in this manner, always pulling the bottom piece through the top one and releasing the top one.

Once you reach the end of the loop sequence, use the bottom row, which has been cut in half, to tie the last loop in place.

This technique is so versatile and looks different depending on how wide and long the cut rows are.  For the white t-shirt, I cut very short (one inch) slits on the sleeves and at the bottom of the shirt to create a pretty braided look.  You could also do this on the sides of the shirts to make them a little tighter.  Have fun cutting t-shirts and creating!

The post Learn a Basic T-Shirt Cutting Technique appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

It’s getting to e spring cleaning time – are you clearing out your closets this year?  Heather has a great idea for you to recycle an old vest into a fashionable new shirt, no sewing required.  This is a great idea for those dress clothes that your kids have worn once and then promptly outgrown!  Get the details how to make this fun shirt over a iLoveToCreate.  [how to make a no-sew vest t-shirt]

Project estimate:

• T-shirt, on hand or $1 and up
• Vest, on hand or $1 and up
• Fabric glue, about $6 and up

Total:  about $6 and up

The post Make a No-Sew Vest T-shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Looking for a quick and easy way to dress up a plain shirt?  Check out how Heather used some cute fabric to make these no-sew appliques!  This is a great way to use up scraps of cute fabrics – or a good excuse to buy the next adorable remnant you see.  Check out the how to on the iLoveToCreate blog!  [how to make a no-sew owl applique t-shirt]

Project estimate: 

• T-shirt or onesie, on hand or $1 and up
• Owl print fabric (or other cute motif), on hand $1 and up
• Aleene’s Fabric Fusion, about $4 and up

Total:  about $4 and up

The post Make a No-Sew Owl Applique T-shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Do you have any kitties?  I have three of them, and I bet they would all absolutely love one of these!  Jessi from Practically Functional used an empty box, a wire coat hanger, and a t-shirt to create this adorable recycled cat bed.  You could even add a pillow on the inside for extra comfort – though one of my cats loves sleeping on cardboard so much that he would probably prefer it without a pillow, so I guess that depends on what your own cat prefers!  [how to make a recycled t-shirt cat tent]

Project estimate:

• Box, on hand
• Wire coat hanger, on hand
• T-shirt, on hand
• Pillow, on hand or $1 and up

Total:  Free and up!

The post Make a Recycled T-shirt Cat Tent appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

The post I Made It, Just Say You Love It & Shut Up! T-shirt appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

If you’re a dog owner, chances are you like to spoil your dog. So next time you have some old t-shirt to recycle into a crafty project, make your pooch this DIY doggie toy! Kelly from Upstairs Circus broke out her macrame skills and turned a handful of t-shirt yarn into a tug-of-war style toy that her two French Bulldogs absolutely love. And if your pup destroys it, it was made from recycled materials anyway – far better than shredding an expensive store-bought toy! [how to make a recycled t-shirt dog toy]

Project estimate:

• Old t-shirts, on hand or $1 and up

Total: Free and up

The post Make a Recycled T-shirt Dog Toy appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.