Handmade Christmas Ornaments: Snowflakes from Recycled T-Shirts

I’ve got to confess something: lately, I’ve gone crazy making recycled t-shirt crafts.  Oh, just wait.  You’ll see.  But I have a quick craft idea to share with you today to get you into a winter mood.  You can use t-shirt yarn, or cut cut a few quick strips of fabric from an old t-shirt to make up this easy knotted snowflake ornament!

You only need a couple of supplies to make this fun recycled craft:

• An old t-shirt, or a skein of t-shirt yarn
• Scissors
• Fabric stiffener
• Optional: an ornament hanger

I already cut my shirt into yarn before beginning this project, but you don’t need a full skein of yarn to make these.  You just need to cut six 10-inch lengths.  The width doesn’t need to be exact, but I’d recommend between 1/2 – 1 inch wide.

Group 5 of your strings together, and tie them in the center with the sixth one.  Next, separate them into 6 pairs.  Tie a knot in each pair about an inch from the center, and then separate the strands from each pair.  Couple each strand with an adjacent strand, and tie a second knot about an inch from the first knot.

Here’s a closer look at that second set of knots – take one strand from each pair, and tie them together.  It’s this set of knots that really gives it the snowflake shape.  Then, cut off the excess.

Next, soak each flake in fabric stiffener, and set it out to dry overnight.  I just dried mine on wax paper.

These would make fun package tie-ons, or add to vignettes for your winter decor.

Or just add an ornament hanger (or not!) and it’s tree-ready!

Are you making any of your own ornaments this year?  Are any of them recycled?