T-shirt as batting?
 

I have a lot of old t-shirts and I was trying to come up with something to do with them. They are all 100% cotton. I like to make potholders out of practice and orphan blocks and I was thinking I could use two layers of t-shirt and one layer of insulbrite for the batting. I can't seem to find any information on the web about if this is a bad idea or not. I would love to know what you guys think!

I am sorry but I don't think that would work for a potholder. Batting has a thickness while t-shirt don't.

Are the t-shirts wearable? If so, why not donate them to Goodwill/Salvation Army/etc. If not wearable, how about cutting them up and using them for stuffing dog beds? What about taking your favorites and making a t-shirt quilt? I've also seen on Pinterest "upcycling" t-shirts - cutting them/slashing them to make scarves, new t-shirts, etc. Just some thoughts...

I've never seen anything about using t-shirt weight material instead of batting. I believe it would be too thin, so it wouldn't work as batting. I'm interested in what other QB members have to say on this.


Anita

Actually, I would just cut the tee shirts up and use them as dust cloths. Even with insulbrite, I don't think they would be appropriate as batting for hot pads.

I think I would rip strips and use them as yarn for crocheted potholders or hot pads. here is a tutorial...
http://6ichthusfish.typepad.com/6ich...irt-yarn-.html

I made a number of scarfs from recycled t-shirts for Christmas gifts and I have alot of jersey knits that I want to cut up and start a rag rug. I think it is too stretchy to use as batting, sorry.

I would try it with one pot holder and test it in the kitchen. You might have a good plan!

Debbie

Tshirts being fully cotton, would work either way, In my church, we use old sheets as batting for our quilts that go overseas, that I would think if you put tshirts together, they would work just was well. In the old times, people used lightweight fabric as batting for summer quilts. I also think that tshirts being cotton would work as hot pads, if you had enough layers, they would be better than polyester batting, due to the heat and melting. I also think if you use them and insulate it would give the potholder some poof as well as insulation. That is just my opinion of course.

Just make sure they are all cotton...some are poly cotton mix and might melt under excess heat

I don't see much difference between using t-shirts and flannel, both are fairly thin. So, one or 2 layers of t-shirt material may work for a quilt. It would take more layers to make a hot pad, I would probably start with 5 layers. We have a bunch of t-shirts that have worn out. If you make a t-shirt quilt, you're using just the graphic or text on the t-shirt, so there is the rest of the t-shirt that can be used for something. Since t-shirts would end up with a seam in them in a quilt, I think they would be best for things like rag quilts or other blocks that are sewn together after quilting the block (including QAYG).