After darning and patching my pajamas until there was really not much left to darn or repair on the seams, I just cut out the sections that could be remade into something else. One of the choices was to remake an old well-worn clothes is something like this.
I find that 100% cotton flannel can be made into absorbent makeup remover pads. (I also made some panty liners and cleaning clothes.) Yes, you can buy some "upcycled" makeup remover pads to contribute to the reduction of clothing wastes. But if you can make your favourite well-worn-and-now-very-soft shirt or pants into something you can use, why not?
Also, I find most of the makeup remover pads being sold are just serged at the edge - meaning that a serger is used to keep the edges from fraying. I find that when I only use a serger, bits of fabric or fiber pieces from the edge still fall off when I use it. So, I made mine with clean edges. All the raw edges of the fabric is inside after being sewn twice (once from the inside with the right sides together and once from the outside as topstitches), so nothing can flake off as you use it on your face.
A fabric made of soft 100% natural fibre, like cotton or linen, works best for making items that require high absorbency.
If I use a 100% cotton thread so that the 100% cotton (or other natural fabric) items can be composted when it's time to go back to the earth.
Squares or rectangles are the fastest to make because cutting and sewing in straight lines are easier. With the circles or ovals, it will require a little more care and time for both cutting and sewing (and there will be more waste).
Below is a picture of them just serged on the edge. A little bits of fabric falls off for the first few uses...
