How to Make Rope Out of an Old T-Shirt

In this Instructable, I'm going to show you how you can make some pretty strong rope, just by cutting up a T-shirt.

Note: It doesn't even have to be a(n old) t-shirt. You can actually use any tubular piece of clothing or material if you want, but T-shirts tend to be ideal, especially if they are 100% cotton and don't have a side seam.

So whether you're stranded, in an emergency, or just because you want to, you can make excellent rope with only a couple things: a t-shirt and a pair of scissors. Some additional supplies may make the whole process go more smoothly, like a rotary cutter and some cutting mats, and your end result might look better with consistent thickness throughout the length of the rope, but you can still do a really good job with just a pair of scissors and the know-how you'll get from this Instructable.

I have used old T-shirts to make thin rope and crocheted it into rugs, I've used somewhat thicker rope I've made and used it around dressers to secure the drawers during a move, to tie down objects and even braided some t-shirt rope I made to wick water out of a planter. I'm sure there are tons of ways it could come in handy, especially when you don't have any rope but have an old t-shirt laying around that you don't mind cutting up to turn into rope.

Before we begin, just a note about safety:

Please be careful when using sharp tools and take the appropriate safety measures to make sure you don't cut yourself or anything other than your t-shirt.

Rotary cutters especially are extremely sharp and will quickly and easily cut through multiple layers of fabric or whatever they roll over. Keep your fingers out of the path of the blade, cover or close the blade when it's not in use, and make sure you're only cutting through the shirt and not whatever surface you're working on too.

Supplies

1) T-shirt, ideally 100% cotton with no side seams.

2) A good pair of scissors and a ruler, OR...

3) A rotary cutter and self-healing cutting mat(s). I got mine as a kit from Walmart:

Fiskars Rotary Fabric Sewing Cutting Set, 3 Pieces, Gray

Step 1: Choose a Shirt Without a Side Seam

Your rope is going to be stronger if the shirt you use for this project is 100% cotton and is an uninterrupted uniform material with no side seam.

Step 2: Cut the Bottom Hem Off the Shirt

To get just the main center part of the shirt, since that's all we're going to use to make our rope, first cut off the bottom hem of the shirt, either with your scissors or rotary cutter on the cutting mat.

Step 3: Cut the Top Off of the Shirt at the Armpits

Cut a straight line across the shirt from armpit to armpit. This is where that ruler or a second cutting mat comes in handy.
You want the line to be as straight and even as possible all the way across the shirt.
If your shirt is very large, like mine is, you can fold it to make it easier to cut and see if it's even, just make sure the ends are lined up as best you can.

Step 4: Rotate the Shirt and Fold It ALMOST in Half

You now have a tube of material that is open on the top and bottom that was the main middle section, i e., the circumference of the shirt.
1st, Take that tube and rotate it so now what was the top and bottom of the shirt are now on the sides.
(So, what were the seamless sides of your shirt should now be the top and bottom.)
And fold that long tube of material ALMOST IN HALF, bringing the bottom of the shirt up to meet the top, a few inches down from the edge.
Reminder: continue to try to keep the shirt as smooth and the edges lined up as much as possible.

Step 5: Make Your Cuts

Starting at the bottom of your folded shirt, and using your ruler or second cutting mat, make long, straight cuts, minimum 3/4" (~2cm) - max ~2" (~5cm) wide apart, up the shirt and only as far as through the bottom seam that you brought up earlier.
**IMPORTANT: DO MAKE COMPLETE STRIPS OR CUT ALL THE WAY PAST THE TOP OF THE SHIRT.
It is imperative that you don't cut all the way past the top edge of the shirt. Make sure you stop cutting before you get to the end, but after cutting through the bottom edge that you folded the shirt to bring up.

What you're going to end up with after all your cuts are done, is your tube in strips, joined along an un-cut spine of solid fabric.

Step 6: Make Your Final (offset) Cuts, Diagonally Across the Spine, to Make One Long Continuous Strip

Open up your tube of loops so the part you didn't cut all the way through is open flat.
Now you can see the solid spine - the only part of the shirt you didn't cut through with all your long strips.
Cut from the inside edge end of the _first_ loop across the spine, culminating at the inside edge end of the _second_ loop on the other side of the spine.
Continue in this manner till the end.

Step 7: You Just Made Tarn! (T-shirt Yarn) - Stretch It and Ball It Up or Continue to Make Rope

You can now take your t-shirt yarn and, while stretching it as you go, ball it up and either use it "as is," if you don't have any rope to tie things down, or up, or whatever you need. You can also braid or twist it to make it stronger.

Personally, I usually stop here and use the t-shirt yarn to crochet into rugs, bath mats, dish and fruit-drying mats, etc.

In the past, when I cut the strips/loops wider, closer to 2" (~5cm), it made much chunkier material that I crocheted into baskets and heavy duty trivets for under hot pots and pans, and it worked perfectly when I used it to tie down furniture etc. during a move across town a couple years ago.

Whatever you decide, I hope you have fun and enjoyed my Instructable on how to make yarn out of a T-shirt.