10 DIY Projects That You Can Do To Upcycle Old Baby Clothes
Before you throw them out or hand them to someone else, here are some ways you can upcycle old baby clothes and turn them into something unique!
By Aaron Kok -
Our kids grow up so quickly, and the parents in our midst can attest to how quickly our little ones grow out of their clothing. One moment it’s oversized, and the next it’s snug and a little too shrunken looking. Soon, you’ll have a whole trunk of baby clothes that your young ones can no longer fit into.
Sure, you could offer it to friends who are expecting, but pregnant friends don’t just sprout up all the time. So what do you with your old baby clothes?
Turn them into your next DIY project! By giving these pre-loved threads a second life, you have a great way to keep your baby’s clothing around for the sheer sentimentality of it, and it’s also a fun way to upcycle clothing and prevent them from ending up in a landfill.
We know that not everyone is an expert with the needle and thread, so here are 10 creative DIY projects that we sourced at varying challenge levels. This allows you to still get in on the upcycling fun, whether you’re a novice or a pro at sewing. And from memory games to activity books and memento bears, check out these super-cute ideas!
Not only is this a fun activity for your kids to play, it’s a super-easy DIY project that sees you cutting and sewing some square pieces of fabric together. Plus, because the activity remains relatively open-ended, you can think of fun ways and rules to introduce along the way.
Level of difficulty: 1/5. Easy, and great for beginners!
Learn how to make it here.
Memory quilts are a great idea for preserving your baby’s old threads and still getting something practical and fun to look at out of it. Start by gathering up all your old kidswear – the more colourful, the better – and snip square patches out of them. Then it’s a simple task of stitching them all together in a design that pleases you.
Level of difficulty: 1/5. Easy, and great for beginners!
Learn how to make it here.
Who knew that six square patches, a couple of ribbon loops and some stuffing could turn old baby onesies into a fun ribbon block to keep your infant entertained! Try playing with different coloured ribbons as well, so you can make it more exciting for your baby.
Level of difficulty: 2/5. Requires a little bit of pre-preparation, but the steps are easy to follow.
Learn how to make it here.
Rather than buy a brand new headband for your newborn, save some money and fashion stretchy headbands out of existing clothing. Bonus: You could get extra creative and fashion yourself some hairbands as well, so you can have matching “mummy and me” patterned bands!
Level of difficulty: 2/5. Requires a little bit of pre-preparation, but the steps are easy to follow.
Learn how to make it here.
This is a project that we really love! Turn your old children’s clothing into reusable sandwich bags, so you can upcycle pre-loved clothing and do away with single-use snack bags! Plus, they are easy to wash and you can create different snack bag sizes for different purposes!
Level of difficulty: 2/5. Requires a little bit of pre-preparation, but the steps are easy to follow.
Learn how to make it here.
Rather than get an off-the-shelf throw cushion, make one out of old kiddy clothes for that sentimentality factor! It also allows you to exercise full creative control over colours and embellishments.
Level of difficulty: 3/5. Most novice sewers can attempt it, and it only gets trickier when creating fabric embellishments. Skip that part and improvise using other decorative trims to suit your level of expertise.
Learn how to make it here.
With this project, you’ll never have to buy new toys for your kiddos for a while! Reuse the clothes that they’ve outgrown and turn them into fun plush toys!
Level of difficulty: 3/5. Most novice sewers can attempt it, but to really finesse the details will take some patience and skill. For beginner sewers, try plush toy designs that require simpler or no detailing.
Learn how to make it here.
Memory bears may not be a common concept amongst Asian households, but they are great fun to have. The assembling of each bear takes a bit of time, but with enough practice, you’ll get to the end product easily. Start collecting memory bears made from your kids’ old clothing!
Level of difficulty: 4/5. Building the bear’s parts can require a bit practice, so you can attempt this if you already have a basic understanding of sewing and patternmaking.
Learn how to make it here.
Another project that really caught our eye is this activity book that teaches your kids how to close their own clothing. Making use of old clothing closures – such as buckles and zips – you can create a fun activity book for your child as well. Consider adding your own page activity on tying shoelaces too!
Level of difficulty: 4/5. Best suited for sewers who are comfortable using a sewing machine.
Learn how to make it here.
Given how soft baby clothing are, just imagine how comfortable baby booties fashioned out of old clothing will feel!
Level of difficulty: 5/5. Requires a higher level of comfort working with pattern cutting and using a sewing machine.
Learn how to make it here.
Main image credit: Matilda Wormwood/Pexels