Fun Ways to Reuse Your Graduation Gown and Create Keepsakes

Whether it's from high school or college, graduation is a milestone to be proud of. Now that you have successfully accomplished your graduation goals, the next step (before applying to universities or entering the job market) is figuring out what to do with your graduation gown. Here are a few fun, easy ways to reuse your gown and create keepsakes that will last a lifetime.

Of course, the easiest way to reuse your graduation gown is to pass it on to a friend or family member to use for their graduation. This will save them money and keep your graduation gown out of the attic and/or a landfill. If you don't know anyone who might be graduating soon, you can help a family with limited income by donating your gown to a local thrift store or organization that assists families in need.

If you would like to keep your graduation gown in one piece, you could also use it (or give it to someone else to use) as part of a costume, or shorten its length and either add it to your child's dress up costumes, or donate it to a preschool for their dress up or imaginary play box.

If you don't mind dismantling your graduation gown to reuse the material for some crafty projects, there are a number of options. With some basic sewing skills, you can reuse your graduation gown material as liners for handbags, zipper pouches or even dresses.

Another great way to reuse your graduation gown - and to make your own graduation keepsake - is to make a throw pillow with part of the gown material and use the graduation tassel as a decorative accent. This is a simple project that only requires a throw pillow insert and some basic sewing skills. The easiest way to make this keepsake is to use a pattern for an envelope-style throw pillow case and attach the tassel at the point of the envelope flap. You will find several envelope throw pillow case patterns online with a simple search, or you can pick up a printed pattern at your local craft store.

If you decide to make the pillow case, you will still have plenty of material left over for other projects. For example, you could use part of the remaining gown material to cover a photo album or binder for your graduation pictures. This is a simple project that can be accomplished with an album or binder, scissors, glue and batting.

This would be a great way to make some post-graduation gifts for your friends that graduated with you as well. Your graduation gown will provide plenty of material to cover several small photo albums that you can then fill with graduation pictures and distribute to your friends for a lasting memory of your graduation day.