Retread Your Threads: T-Shirt Necklace Pendant

Welcome to week 3 of our Retread Your Threads Series. Today is extra special because it’s Earth Day! We’re so thrilled to have a brand new tutorial from Jenelle at TrashN2Tees. Have fun with this one — we’re loving it!

Hug a tree, plant an organic garden, have a picnic, or cut up discarded t-shirts — however you’re planning on spending Earth Day (today!) have fun & make it count!

We all know about the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle but the statistics are staggering when it comes to the amount of clothing/textile waste we toss into our landfills. According to the EPA,13 million tons of textiles are thrown away each year (in the US alone) and while our recycling rates continue to rise, only a meager 15 percent of textile waste is recovered for reuse and recycling, wasting nearly 11 million tons each year! Even the most worn out items can be collected and processed into new materials, whether it’s cleaning rags, carpet padding or rubberized playgrounds. What do you do when your clothing gets worn out?

I’m committed to changing the way we consume and create and I’m honored to be here on the Pellon® Blog all month long for the Retread Your Threads series. Through TrashN2Tees I’ve been able to not only raise awareness about clothing recycling, offer options for collection and processing, and teach creative workshops that transform unwanted items into wearable and practical works of art — to date I’ve been able to divert more than 20 tons of clothing from our landfills. Join me today & let’s create change together with these sweet upcycled t-shirt pendant necklaces. (Pssst! Mothers Day is coming up too!)

 Materials Needed:
Tshirt or Fabric Scraps
Scissors
71F Pellon® Peltex® I Ultra Firm
Pellon® Clear-Fuse® 800
Needle and Thread
Jewelry Findings (Chains, bails, jump rings)
E600 Adhesive or Hot Glue Gun

1. Cut t-shirt material (2 layers) and Pellon® Clear-Fuse® to the same size. Fold your Pellon® Peltex® in half and cut desired pendant shape. This will give you two exact shapes. My pendants are approximately 2 inches. I tested out different shapes including tear drops, rectangles, hearts, and circles.

2. Press Clear-Fuse® following directions. Tip: Let cool & be sure to remove clear plastic film before proceeding to Step 3.

3. Stack both Peltex® shapes on top of each other and place onto fabric. Tip: If you don’t have Peltex® on hand you could substitute with cereal box cardboard or the like.

4. Cover with second layer of t-shirt and press.

5. Use needle and thread to hand stitch around shape.

 

6. Cut out pendant shape.

7. Finish pendant either a jump ring or gluing a bail to back. Tip: I love the jump ring because it offers a little more versatility and you could use 2 different colors for a reversible pendant. 

All of our Retread Your Thread tutorials offer you a creative way to curb waste and pollution, and inject a sense of color and wondering into our communities. Doesn’t it feel good knowing that you’re creating change? Be sure to tag your creations using #retreadyourthreads and share with us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram– we’ll be featuring all of your upcycled designs here next week.

Previous Posts:
Cornhole DIY by Pellon®
Denim Cylinder Sleeve by TrashN2Tees
Triangle Tee by Pellon®
T-Shirt Trays by TrashN2Tees

If you would like to learn more about TrashN2Tees Clothing Recycling,  join the movement to change the way we consume and create, shop my designs, or are looking for more upcycling inspiration- please visit me at www.trashn2tees.com.

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Thanks so much Jenelle! What a sweet and perfect gift for Mother’s Day! We’re pretty sure everyone needs a custom t-shirt necklace;).

About Jenelle: (in her words)
Hi! I’m Jenelle. Though these days I am most frequently referred to as Mommy, I used to hold such titles as President, Waitress, College Student, Mud Bog Racer, and I even donned a big furry cat suit in high school as Suzy Stateliner- the school mascot! Between crushing cars with Monster Jam trucks, judging silly dance contests, and those other less fun household chores… I rescue clothing and textiles from our landfills. I’ve been called a recycling and repurposing revolutionary. I am here to not only encourage and inspire you to consume less and recycle more but to transform discarded materials into wearable, practical, fun, personalized and stylish works of art. When we find creative ways to repurpose what we no longer need we can inject color, texture, personality, and wonder into our lives and communities. You can find out more about my commitment by visiting  www.trashn2tees.com.

Find Jenelle online: Website :: Blog :: Facebook :: Twitter :: Instagram :: Pinterest :: Etsy