My line of work entails many community “events”. Each of these events often includes some sort of branded t-shirt. I only need so many t-shirts, so I am always looking for ways to up-cycle them. That’s why, when I saw this pin on Pinterest, I knew I had to give it a shot. But, there were no instructions. So, I’ve spent some time experimenting, and I’ve been very pleased with the results. I thought I would share!

What You need:

• Old t-shirts, in as many colors as you desire.
• Old belt buckle, brooch pin, necklace pendant or any other sort of bobble you might want to add.
• Scissors

How To Make It:

1. Assemble your materials. For this tutorial I’ve gathered 3 different colored t-shirts, and one belt I picked up at a thrift store.
2. Cut the hemline off of the first shirt. Discard.
3. Cut a 1/2 inch strip from the same shirt. Repeat with the other two shirts.
4. Your loops will look like this. Cut more if you would like a bulkier necklace. My cats seem to really enjoy this part.
5. Take the first loop, and stretch it out so that the knit fabric curls and becomes thinner-looking. Repeat with the other strips.
6. Your loops will now look like this. Again, much to the delight of my cats.
7. Now, cut all of the loops into strings the same length. Don’t try and estimate the necklace length yet- we’ll do that after the braiding.
8. Now, collect whatever charm you will use on your necklace. I removed that adorable heart belt buckle for use in my design.
9. Time to assemble. If using a belt buckle like mine, go ahead and tie a knot to collect all the strands in one place. Then, slip one strand through the buckle loop as an anchor. (If you’re using a charm like a bead or a pin, just start with a tied knot to anchor  your necklace.)
10. begin by braiding about a 4inch section of the necklace. Then, allow another 4-6 inches without braiding. When you begin your second 4inch braided section, make sure the braid begins in a different configuration than the last one ended. That is, if you last braid strings came out (left to right) *pink, darkpink, red* you would start your new braid with the strings in a different order such as: *red, pink, darkpink*. This keeps the braids separate, instead of just becoming one big one.
11. Repeat step 10 until you’ve reached your desired length. (If you’re using a bead-like charm, add them wherever you’d like!)
12. Finally, secure the end of the necklace to the beginning. In my case, I tied another knot around the belt buckle.

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Kayla Domeyer

My name is Kayla and I am a Graphic Designer. That means that I love pretty things, and also that I like to make free printables! I'm so happy that you've stopped by to visit my blog, and I hope you will follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest or Instagram!! (Yeah, and I'm totally addicted to the internet).

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