17 Creative Ways To Repurpose Old Throw Blankets Around Your Home & Garden

Cozy throw blankets are one of the best ways to make spaces soft and inviting. Not only do they add elements like texture, pattern, and color to many rooms, they can become well-loved objects over time, perfect for napping, curling up in front of the TV, or snuggling under in the winter months with a cup of tea. Sadly, many of your favorites often face the end of their lifecycle as they become frayed, snagged, stained, or damaged. If you love a throw blanket and don't want to see it wind up in the trash or a landfill, there are a number of great repurposing projects for them both in the home and outdoors. Need a cover to prevent garden frost? A new tote bag? A keepsake stuffed animal? Throw blankets can be a source of durable and soft fabric for other projects. 

These ideas and projects are also ideal for using blankets that may be handed down from others or picked up at thrift or garage sales. Look for blankets matching your existing décor to create DIY projects that fit your aesthetic. Useful fabrics include fleece, plush, chenille, wool, and woven blends, which have ample functionality for many other uses. 

Make a cozy and absorbent bath mat using scraps from old plush blankets. Cut the blanket down to size and create a seam around the edge to prevent any unraveling. For a more finished look, add a complementary fabric on the back from another blanket or sheet. The resulting rug or mat will feel very soft on your feet and, with some additional batting between layers, can create a perfect soft spot for laying on the floor. You can also cut the blanket into strips to make a rag rug from blanket scraps.

Use a warm blanket as a backing fabric for a quilt. Not only is it a good reuse of an old blanket that may be a favorite, but blankets, especially those in flannel or plush, can make the quilt softer and warmer overall. This is a great idea for salvaging favorite kids and baby blankets to create a keepsake quilt. You can also cut the blanket into squares and employ the scraps as part of the quilt's design, which can add additional texture and variation when placed beside other kinds of fabric. 

Pets are often ready to claim human things as their own, so why not turn your pup or cat's favorite blanket into a soft, cozy pet bed? To keep your home looking stylish even when you have pets, use an old blanket to create a slipcover for an older pet bed or a large cushion that has seen better days, or create a bed from scratch with an elastic cord that allows you to draw up the sides. Animals will find the blankets familiar both in feel and smell, making them much more likely to sleep in them versus newer store-bought beds. 

Turn your old throw blankets over to the kids to help them create that centerpiece of childhood play — the blanket fort. This keeps kids with a ready supply of blankets that can be used anywhere, including muddy yards during outdoor camping expeditions that would typically wreak havoc on your other linens. Blankets are also much better building material than sheets, especially when looking for something soft to lay as the fort's foundation. Keep a stash of old ones in the playroom or garage that kids can grab easily when playing. 

Because of their durability and thickness, old blankets, particularly plush or fleece ones, make excellent coverings for door snakes and draft prevention. Just create a narrow sleeve from a blanket and fill the cavity with rice or plastic beads. Or create a more structured cover filled with cotton batting that is lined with cording to keep its shape. This also allows you to make a sleeve that aligns with existing décor by using blankets that you already have on hand and love. Like blankets, the covers are easily washable in your regular laundry. 

A creative way to reuse old blankets, especially those that have become torn, stained, or damaged, is to use the remaining good fabric to create throw pillows. The thick fabric of many blankets makes them excellent soft throw pillow covers that are removable and washable; they may already match your existing furniture. Create a simple cushion cover by cutting two large squares of blanket and sewing them together into a pocket with one side open. Slip a pillow form or old cushion inside and sew up the remaining side. 

Because of their thickness and durability, old throw blankets make excellent fabric to repurpose into adorable tote bags, particularly if they feature beautiful patterns or cute novelty designs. Cut two squares of blanket and sew them together on three sides. Create a finishing seam along the top and add handles made from strips of blanket sewn together or other materials like cording, ribbon, or leather. You can even line it with fabric from another blanket, quilt, or sheet to add extra padding and structure to the inside of the bag.

Cozy fleece, flannel, and plush blankets can be some of the warmest materials in your home, so why not put them to use out in the wintry outdoors? Repurpose old throw blanket scraps into cute and functional scarves for colder weather. The fabric will bear the softness of many years of wear and washing, making the resulting scarf feel really good to touch. Cut your old blankets into strips of your desired length and sew simple side seams to keep them from unraveling and to create a more finished look.

You can never have too many household rags in your home, and they are a great eco-friendly solution to continual paper towel use. Cut old throw blankets into smaller strips or squares, similar to how you'd repurpose an old bed sheet, and grab them for everything from daily kitchen wipe-downs and dusting to messier jobs in the yard or garage. When you're finished, just toss them in the washer, fold them, and stash them away to use again. Fleece and other ruddy, textured fabrics like sherpa or minky are especially good for catching dust and debris, making them ideal for daily cleaning jobs. 

A key element in any automobile emergency kit should be some extra blankets. The warmer, the better. Not only are they great all year long for laying down in the trunk or back to protect your car when hauling messy items like lumber or potting soil, but having at least one thick blanket per passenger can be a useful way to keep warm if you happen to get stranded or break down during the colder months. They can also be a lifesaver if you need to get down on the ground to change a tire.

A fun way to salvage a favorite old blanket is to turn it into an adorable teddy bear or other favorite animal. This works perfectly for throw blankets that may be worn or stained in spots, but you'd still love to hang onto them for nostalgia reasons. There are numerous sewing tutorials for creating stuffed animals that are easy to create with minimal sewing skills. Some companies will even take your blankets and turn them into a custom-designed toy or keepsake. These plush animals also make awesome gifts. 

Looking for a way to create DIY curtains that successfully block both light and pesky drafts? Repurpose an old throw blanket into a set of curtains for your windows that are much thicker and more insulated than many store-bought curtain fabrics. Not only are old throws much more likely to match your existing décor, you can turn them into easy curtains by folding over and creating a pocket along the top to accommodate a rod. You can also add simple grommets for hooks to hang them over the windows. This reuse works especially well for wool and woven blankets.

Another fun outdoor use for old throw blankets is repurposing them as picnic blankets. You won't have to worry about getting indoor blankets dirty or stained if you keep a stash of blankets specifically for outdoor recreation, like at the beach or park. Store them in a closet or garage with other picnic supplies that are easy to grab when you need them. Blankets are usually thicker than sheets or tablecloths one might use, so they can buffer you from rocky and uneven ground when sitting or lying. You can even tack a layer of vinyl underneath to make it moisture-proof. 

While many garden stores sell blankets specifically designed to prevent frost damage on your plants as the weather changes, a much less expensive and eco-friendly approach is repurposing thick blankets you may already have and don't need inside. Use wool, woven, and plush blankets over flower beds, bushes, and vegetable gardens to help stave off frost. Keep a stack of old throws in your garage or garden shed specifically to cover plants from frost that you can quickly grab in a weather emergency. They are also easily washable when needed and can be used year after year. 

A low-cost alternative to more expensive furniture slipcovers is to repurpose things you already have to transform and protect your sofa and other upholstered pieces. Try using a more oversized throw blanket or two blankets sewn together to cover your couch or chairs. Not only will it give the room an entirely new look, but it will protect the existing upholstery from pets, children, and other damage while still looking stylish and cozy. Unlike fitted slipcovers, which can be challenging to remove and put on after washing, blankets can be grabbed and thrown in the washer easily.

Some throw blankets have beautiful designs, whether they are made to look like existing works of art or are dedicated to your favorite sports teams or pop culture subjects. Instead of letting them languish in a linen closet, try hanging throw blankets on the wall as a great way to spice up a big blank wall. Not only will the blanket offer additional texture and visual interest, but the fabric on a wall can warm up a room. They also help reduce sound penetration into adjacent rooms and echo. 

Get a very on-trend boucle-look ottoman cover by repurposing a white or cream sherpa throw blanket. Not only are the blankets much cheaper than buying a new similar ottoman or investing in raw boucle fabric, but you can create a washable and durable cover for the shape of your ottoman with minimal sewing skills designed for the shape you need. The result is a cozy budget-friendly ottoman with a high end look. For a more vintage glam aesthetic, use a fur throw in a cool leopard or zebra print to create your cover.