T-Shirt Pom-Poms

Lots of people make yarn pom-poms; theyre great for sewing onto a childs outfit, a womans sweater, or another garment. But whats more fun than creating yarn pom-poms is making t-shirt pom-poms. Theyre made in basically the same manner but, instead of using yarn, you use strips cut from a t-shirt, or from another type of stretch-knit fabric. The t-shirt pom-poms can be used on clothing, can be hung as decorations over a party food table, or can be displayed in a bowl, as a centerpiece. Its a little time-consuming to make them but theyre pretty, cheap, and washable!For each shirt you cut, lay it on a table so that one side faces you, and cut straight across, just below the underarm areas. Remove the top of the shirt and save it for another project. Use just the bottom of the shirt to make a pom-pom. After cutting the top off, begin cutting half-inch strips, from one side to the other, until you go from the top, to the hem. Do away with the hem itself. If youre cutting a shirt that has side seams, cut them off before cutting the strips. Cut each band once to open it up into one long piece. If youre using fabric, instead of a shirt, just cut long strips.A pom-pom can be made in any size but the form you use to make it is always the same - just larger or smaller. Create a doughnut shape from cardboard by drawing around a large circular object, and then around a much smaller one, to make the circle within a circle. Cut a wedge out of the circle so the doughnut then looks like a "C". Cut two of them from the cardboard and, together, they make the pom-pom form.Lay one of the form pieces on a table, so that the open area of the form is facing you, and lay one of the fabric strips on it. Shape the fabric strip like the form - like a "C" - and leave the ends of the fabric hanging off of the ends of the cardboard. Lay the second cardboard shape on top so that both cardboard shapes align, and so that the fabric strip is trapped between them.Begin wrapping one of the long strips of fabric around the "C" shape until you get to the end of the cloth. Overlay another cloth piece and continue wrapping. Keeping adding another piece on until you get to the very end, and the entire cardboard shape is covered. Then, tie the two loose strips, which are trapped between the cardboard, once; dont tie a knot.Hold your hand down on the fabric to keep the pieces in place as you cut along the edge of the cardboard, so that you follow the entire large curve of the "C" shape. Just slide the scissors between the cardboard and the fabric and cut the strips, all the way around. After that, tie a tight knot in the two loose strips and take the cardboard out.To shape the pom-pom it can be helpful to set it between two plates, two pieces of cardboard, or two similar things. Cut the edges so that they all line up with the edge of the plate and, when you remove them, the pom-pom will be even, all the way around. Its necessary to fluff the pom-pom up to round it, but then, you can hang it, set it somewhere, or even sew it onto something. Its a most adorable accent that you can use in many different ways, to create new things for you and your family.