Crafting by not a very crafty mum - textile recycling

Big E goes through clothes cycles. In the past he has tended to do a bulk shopping trip to replace his disintegrating clothes, but of course they then all seem to bite the dust at the same time. He has recently had to have a purge. Beloved t-shirts he has had since we were students, etc.

I've been thinking a lot about textile waste and I wanted to try something creative with ours. If something isn't fit for a charity shop, it's tough to do much but chuck it in the bin!

I kept looking for inspiration, but I don't want a rag rug, I don't need anymore cushions, I don't need a dress for a little girl...

Finally two very simple ideas came up. A non sew tote bag from a t-shirt and making myself a hankie.

Just search how to do this. It took minutes with no sewing. You just cut the bottom of the t-shirt into ribbons and tie together. This does mean there are small holes, but I use this now as a "sandpit grab bag" for going to the park and all the sand falls out the bottom as we head home. If anymore t-shirts head my way, I'm planning to make more bags to hang Little E's toys up in.

I'd like to reduce my waste in other ways and it had occured to me recently that hankies instead of tissues would be ideal for this. I always need one to hand for a quick wipe of a snotty nose. I was going to ask for one for a present, but then I thought surely they are just a square of fabric?

I thought these tutorials were great.

https://byhandlondon.com/blogs/by-hand-london/16666540-diy-handmade-hankies-napkins

This was a great little project for me. Got to practice different hand stitches (I could only do running stitches basically) and I even tried mitred corners. I didn't know what those were! They do look smart, but I need more practice to get mine perfect.

I now have a hanky that reminds me of Big E every time I wipe one of our babies' noses! Made me realise I could make a selection of hankies and napkins instead of disposable ones. Looking forward to it.