got an old tee or two {or 20!} that you don’t wear anymore? turn them into *pretty little pom poms!* they’re fun and easy to make and turn out oh-so-fluffy!
Supplies
- t-shirts, 1 per pom pom
- scissors
- cardboard
use round objects to trace circles onto cardboard to make 2 templates like those shown above. i used a roll of tape and my camera lens cap…. the diameter of the outer circle is 6.5″ and the diameter of the inner circle is 2.5″. you can play around with different template sizes to get different sized pom poms.
cut your t-shirt into 1/2″ strips. i only used from the arm pits down on each shirt. .
take one strip and one template and place strips as shown close to the inner circle.
sandwich the strip by putting the other template on top.
take a fabric strip and place on cardboard with the end even with the outer edge.
wind around the template as shown. pull the strip tightly so that it stretches the material. when you get to the end of the strip….
take another strip and place the edge even with the outer circle like you did at the beginning. when you wind it around the first time, be sure to overlap the end of the previous strip so that it is held in place.
continue winding the strips around the template until you reach the other side.
do 2 more layers of strips {so that you have 3 total layers}
now take the sandwiched strip and pull tight and wrap around each other once. this will help hold things in place for the next step.
Warning: this next step is messy. trust me.
with one hand holding the strips in place, use scissors to cut the fabric strips along the template. i recommend sharp scissors, and preferably pointy ones. unlike mine.
after all the strips are cut, pull the string tight and tie into a knot. remove templates.
should look something like this.
now give your crazy ball a good hair cut! i cut two 4.5″ diameter circles out, then sandwiched the ball and cut around to make a nice round pom pom. remove circles, fluff and trim as needed.
{doesn’t it look like a yummy aqua ice cream sandwich….if only it were warmer outside…haha}
*added later: for more Tips and Tricks on making T-shirt Pom Poms, see this post.*
pom poms are so whimsical and fun! i made this fab v-day door decor with mine. i used a pair of left over t-shirt sleeves to create the simple bow. perfect!
i would love to see the t-shirt pom poms you make, so please drop me an email when you’re done! {pretty pretty pretty please!! with a red cherry on top ;o)
*added later: for tips and tricks on making T-shirt Pom Poms, see this post.
More ideas for using tee shirt pom poms:
About Linda@CraftaholicsAnonymous
I absolutely love these!
i so love this , what a great creation, gosh i have so many white t shirts that I can dye and use to make these , so cool thanks so much for sharing this great idea
I was so excited to try this but, it was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Anytime I tried to cut it fell apart. I ended up cutting the strings into smaller pieces and laying them on top of a longer strip and then tying. It definitely was quicker and turned out super cute. Thanks for a nice idea.
This is awesome. Love the idea
I just threw a couple of pastel tee shirts away & dug them out of the trash!! Thank you!!! They Can’t wait to make these today!
Awesome! :) They’ll be perfect for spring poms!
happy crafting,
linda
I just made a t’shirt pom pom and it turned out so cute!!! Thanks for the tutorial. Have you tried making one pom pom with multiple colors? I’m just wondering if it would come out looking kindof striped or if the colors would be integrated well.
Hi Angela,
Awesome! Glad you used my tutorial. No, I have not done multi colored poms, but it would be fun to try!
happy crafting,
Linda
I love this idea. It is such a simple and easy project. I used to have pom pom makes when I was younger and this makes me think of years gone by.
Thanks, Pam! I’m glad you stopped by!
happy crafting,
Linda
HI! thank you so much for this! I just made a tie dyed pom pom from my old work shirt =D
Geniale!!! Mi piace. Rimpiango le maglie che ho buttato fino ad ora.
These look beautiful but I tried and failed at making my own :(
If I didn’t create such a mess I’d be tempted to try again, maybe I can persuade a friend to do it at their house.
Thank you so much for sharing this idea. I was trying to remember only the other day how to make pom poms as I haven’t made one since brownies a long time ago! I going to make some today with my children – they will love this! Thanks again x
AWesome!! So glad you stopped by, Nicole! Hope you had fun making pom poms with your kiddos!
happy crafting,
Linda
Holy crap you’re a genius! I’m wincing at the memory of the bags of potential Pom-poms I dropped off @ salvation army the other day :(
Thanks, Nicole!! I’m so glad you stopped by! :)
happy crafting,
Linda
I love these pom poms & your blog is so cool! Have a great week!
i made one of these about a year ago. Except I used a white bed sheet. I used a record for the size of my template. my pom pom came out the size of a basket ball, and full of FLUFF. And for the finishing touch I used a sprat bottle with an adjustable nozzle set to fine mist. Added drops of food coloring for color (if u use 2 different colors of food coloring it comes out wit a tie die effect. It turned out so pretty. My kids love them. I can’t wait to try this out using t-shirts. thanks for the idea.
What a cool idea to use a sheet and to die them, Kallie!! Love it. Thanks for stopping by! If you had a second, I would love to see your bed sheet poms!
happy crafting,
Linda
Love these! Found you on Pinterest! I know I have at least 2 shirts I plan on using to make some Pom poms! I can’t wait to try it out!
Since they are t-shirts, couldn’t you use them as a shower / bath pouf? You can just throw them in the washer and dryer as needed. That was the first thing my daughter said when I showed her what I was making.
Hey I was wondering where you got your frame? I have the pom poms made but now need the frame! Thanks!
Hi Jody,
I found it at Michaels :) Hope this helps!
happy crafting,
Linda
I would love the cameo portrait. I want to decorate my kids room and have been collecting picture frames.
I am going to use my husbands old stained t-shirts and dye them the colors I want for a babyshower :) what a great idea!!
Love your crafts, they are great inspiration! This tshirt pompom one gave me an idea for my daughters bday party that we are doing in a few weeks. She will be having a crafting party and I thought it would be really fun to buy some old white t’s from Goodwill and have the girls tiedie them then they can follow your tutorial and make tiedied pompoms. Thanks for the inspiration.
A Craftaholic mom,
Melissa
What a fun party idea, Melissa! I love it!! Love the tie die twist too.
happy crafting,
Linda
Love this! Thank you so much for the detailed tutorial. :) xo
You are very welcome, Dawn! Thanks for stopping by!
happy crafting,
Linda
Love the Pom Pom tutorial and working on making one right now (especially liked the specific instructions on how to cut the cardboard forms) I have a lot of old tee shirts because I am having the worst menopause ever (according to my gyn) so I go through as many as 13 (that was the worst night) tee shirts a night due to night sweats – now I have something to do with them – I am also collecting old white tee shirts from everyone I know to make a rug.I look forward to following you and your future ideas and colaborations.
Some new inspiration for our South African crafters. Love your site! Heili
LOVE THIS!!! Great idea…..I must try this!!!!! Thanks!
What a fantastic and wonderful idea. Thanks for taking the time to show.
lovely receycling