What to do with worn out clothes and shoes

[RecoveringKinkoid]

RK is right - and I didn't notice the potential hoarding issue in the OP. Sorry!

Well, you tend to notice stuff you struggle with yourself. I am not a hoarder...but I do have that demon and I do have to overcome my own through processes in order to maintain that "not a hoarder" status.

I grew up poor, and like I said, the old man clearly has some issues. It shows up on my radar like a phalanx of spaceships.

[Seshat]

I have a tendancy to overstock on 'things to mend' and 'things to make'. I have too much of a 'use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without' tendency.

Thus my knowledge of the trick of allowing yourself 'one basket' or 'one box' for assorted things.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Alright. Went and counted. I have 7 pairs of jeans, and about 10 t-shirts that I don't want to just throw away. They have awesome designs, pretty fabric, and/or are just visibly appealing to me. So, about two boxes of clothing. I know one pair of jeans has a design on the butt that will make at least two awesome clutch-wallets (those clutchy things that aren't purses, but function like wallets). I can give the other as a gift. :3 Helloooo Christmas! Teegs will love it, it's just my sister's style. I'll have to post pictures... um... I set the date as November first! There, goal. I have very little idea how to make them, so... eyah.
I also have three pairs of pants that need like, a button sewn on or a drawstring fixed (and one that actually should be starched and ironed to hell); and two (and three skirts) that I want to fit into again... and am well on my way there! I can actually fit into one of the skirts, but it doesn't hang just right, so I still have a bit to go. Stress is not kind to my weight.
I have like ten bras tho. .___. Maybe I can use the soft bits to store electronics (as padding).
I also found two pairs of pants that need to be given away, seeing as I'm too skinny for them now. ... and a few shirts.
(note about my 'wardrobe': some of it is still from high school, and from my sister who gives me her stuff for various reasons, and from my mom who tries so hard and usually does ... an okay job... at getting me clothes. This amounts to a silly number of clothing and shoes, which I've been weeding out. I need an adult wardrobe, seeing as I've been an adult for at least five years, and I'm in that transitory phase.)
I am currently looking at and for websites that outline what one needs in a wardrobe, so have no fear.
And I'm not (truly) offended by the 'accusations' of hoarding... I know I have stuff that's superfluous, and several of the 'mantras' mentioned are good to remember; it helps me when sorting through stuff.
EDIT: trailerparkmedic, thanks for the info on Goodwill. I thought they sent stuff to rag traders, so I'll make sure to ask wherever I give my stuff.

[Seshat]

Mantra:

You keep that which
- you know to be useful
- you believe to be beautiful
- you cherish for memories.

Discard everything else.

[Kogarashi]

Following on Seshat's mantra there, here are my suggestions:

T-shirts: make a big blanket out of the ones you really really like. I don't have enough t-shirts that I like enough for this, but I am planning on making just such a "memory quilt" out of my kids' baby clothes once I stop having children. I'm going to take my favorite designs and make quilt squares out of them, put them together in a fun quilt top, and go from there. If you want to make your t-shirt blanket more interesting, use some of the denim from the jeans as borders around each shirt block. Coordinate with a pillow or two from shirts if you want.

Jeans: aside from the aforementioned quilt accents, you can use neat patches for things like those wallet-clutches you mentioned, you can make skirts, and you can also make blankets. Well-worn denim is usually soft enough for a comfy quilt top. Go googling for other project ideas for gifts and the like, but make sure they're useful.

Shoes: you can look into places that collect shoes for recycling if they're too worn to wear. I know my church recently had a shoe drive, and even wanted too-far-gone shoes (they would be recycled by the group we were collecting for), and I've heard of shoes being used for athletic surfaces before. Look into shoe recycling in your area.

Bras and socks: toss 'em, or scrap them down for stuffing materials (only do this if you're actively making something that needs the stuffing right away, so they don't sit around gathering dust).

Underwear: bleach them really well and trim them up for cleaning rags if you want. Otherwise, toss them too.

I really like Seshat's suggestion of keeping one bin for "I'll mend it" and one bin for "I'll use it in a project" and purging the rest.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Here's the thing...that's all well and good, and I used to do that.

Or, I should say, I used to THINK I'd do that.

I didn't. I just kept the crap around thinking I would.

Most people don't. They just end up living with sacks and boxes of crap cluttering up their living space.

[Kogarashi]

Indeed, Kinkoid, and that's where you have to know when to draw the line. Do the project now, or toss it. In my case, with the blanket, I know I'm going to do it once I stop having kids because I already do projects like that. I'm just waiting for my kids to be completely done with the clothes before I go cutting them up. But since Blumchenkinder's shirts don't need to wait for someone to finish using them, it's a case of "make it now or get rid of it."

[Food Lady]

I have a couple of ideas. Cut off the bra fasteners. Sew the cut ends together to make a bra extender. Underwires could possibly be used for a craft project. Colored elastic brastraps can be made into headbands. All my worn tanktops and camis become pajamas. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of clothes, and what I have lasts for years, so I'm able to give to Goodwill what I haven't worn in a year or two. So I don't have a lot of advice for really worn clothes. Socks and undies just get tossed. They are cheap and I just can't see donating my underwear.

[Kogarashi]

I just can't see donating my underwear.

Agreed. I know I wouldn't ever buy underwear from a thrift store. Not worth it. Hence the suggestion to use the undies as cleaning rags if you must put them to use rather than trash them.

[ShadowBall]

If I think I can make something out of old clothes, I'll hang on to it. I like to keep an eye out for interesting patterns and colors at the thrift store - if I see a shirt I think would make a fun plush doll, I'll buy it. And kids' clothes often have some cool colors and designs, and it's enough fabric for a one-time project without having to pay out the ass for something from a fabric store.

An example of this would be me taking an old shirt of mine and turning it into a plush doll for a good friend. He wanted striped fabric and all I had was this shirt, so that's where I got it from. If a t-shirt isn't in too godawful of a condition, you could probably turn it into a pillow. Stick some patches over any big holes.

I have a whole dresser full of stuff that is just for crafts - all manner of fabric, some of it being entire shirts that I intend to one day turn into something. Tons of ribbon, little trinkets and bits of junk to adorn my creations with.

I also turn knee socks into arm warmers by chopping off the foot part when it gets too holey. Or if stockings/leggings with a cool pattern and they don't fit, I cut a hole in the crotch and chop off the feet - more arm warmers. And once I took a shirt I liked the pattern on but didn't fit me (it was left out for free for whoever wanted it in my old dorm), chopped up the shirt and turned it into a little pillow.

I'd say don't bother recycling underwear or normal socks. If I had a bunch of old jeans to use up, I'd probably hang them on the clothes line, throw bleach on them to make some cool patterns, wash them to get the bleach stink out and turn it into a plushie with lots of buttons and big stitches.

[Seshat]

Here's the thing...that's all well and good, and I used to do that.

Or, I should say, I used to THINK I'd do that.

I didn't. I just kept the crap around thinking I would.

Most people don't. They just end up living with sacks and boxes of crap cluttering up their living space.

That's why I restrict myself to X amount of space for project storage.

But I can get away with it because I DO do the projects.

[Kiwi]

I have a pair of leather boots that are 8 years old now. They have been resoled and reheeled 4 times. The top still looks brand new (last time I wore them someone asked where they could buy them).

I sew my jeans into couch covers and blankets using the other old t-shirts as batting or making it double sided.

Bras.... no ideas for them, I would personally break them down into remnants for uses on my other crafts

edited to add

on the socks front I use them as dusters. The BF chews through socks like you wouldn't believe so I have a shopping bag full of them. Putting them over your hand makes them super easy to dust with or to clean up messes you need a glove for. Then they either get pulled inside out trapping the icky mess inside and tossed or the dusty ones are thrown in the towels load with the dish cloths and tea towels.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Seshat: mantra copied!
Kogorashi: thank you, thank you, *makes note to look into shoe recycling* I'll need to look at the unders I have for use as stuffing, and the rag thing I'll have to trim them
RecoveringKinkoid: I'm now moving past the stage of "keeping stuff and not doing anything with it." this is step one.
Kogorashi, RK: moving right now, otherwise I'd totally start today. I'll be done with the moving crazy by the third.
Food Lady: several pieces of clothing have moved into jam-jam territory, and are now too worn/manky for even that I have a set from sixth grade... o___O That yes, still fit like they did back then!
Yeah, totally not donating underwear. I wouldn't buy underwear, socks, bras, or bathing suits from used stores. :shudder:
ShadowBall: plush dolls... not something I've thought of! Arm warmers, must look into that.
Kiwi: that's awesome! Couch covers, totally useful, and something to 'save for,' definitely an asset! Dusters... only after I bleach the sin out. .____.
Thank you, everyone!

[BookstoreEscapee]

I didn't read the whole thread, so if I'm repeating anyone, sorry.

I have a throw pillow that my mom had a friend make out of an old college t-shirt that I didn't wear (it was white and starting to yellow in certain areas) but I didn't want to throw out. So her friend cut off the top and turned it into a square pillow, with piping around the seam to match the ink on the shirt. (Though it needs to be restuffed cuz the stuffing is all lumped up.) She did this as a Christmas present after verifying that I didn't plan to actually wear it again.

I've also seen quilts made out of graphic t-shirts. That would only use the front; the plain back can be turned into dust rags. Or ask local schools if they might use fabric scraps for craft projects?

Other than that, if it's not useable or easily made so, toss it. Be realistic. Maybe it can be made into something useful, but will you actually do it? If it is useable and you don't use it, donate it. The local Starbucks stores do a clothing drive for a local charity, and I'm waiting for their box to come back. I have some stuff set aside that I don't wear and I'm sure I have stuff in my closet to throw in, too.