Hello everyone! We have a fun, creative and green project for you while you’re at home. This is a ideal time to clean out your closets and give your not-so-worn clothes a make-over and also save the environment! We’re talking about recycling your outfits, which some refer to as ‘upcycling’ clothing. There are several easy and low-cost DIY methods to upcycling your outfits. Instead of dropping off your old clothes at a thrift store or disposing of them, check out some of these unique upcycling ideas.
- T-shirt to Grocery Bag: Repurpose an old and unwanted t-shirt into a useful tote-bag for your shopping trips. All you need to do is cut off the neck and sleeves of the shirt, and sew the bottom. That’s the easiest way. If you would like to try a different method, click here to get instructions.
Photo credit: Oh the Things We’ll Make
- Sweater to Pillow: You can easily make a cute pillow out of an old sweater you have stopped wearing. All you need is some interfacing and stuffing to complete this project. You start by cutting two rectangles out of your sweater. Then, sew around each side, and leave a hole to stuff the pillow. Once it is nice and plush, you need to stitch up the hole. Check out The Hallmark Channel for detailed instructions. You can also use t-shirts and jumpers or other garments.
Photo credit: The Hallmark Channel
- Old Clothes to Reusable Food Wraps: Ditch foil and plastic wrap and spend the money on some beeswax to make a reusable food wrap. It doesn’t need much fabric, so you can use scraps from some of your other upcycling projects. When you have a reasonable sized scrap, melt some beeswax, jojoba oil, and pine resin to put on the scrap. Then bake it for a couple of minutes. Here is the complete recipe to help you get started.
Photo credit: Mountain Rose Herbs
- T-Shirt Quilt: Have a pile of t-shirts that are too special to throw away? Make a memorable quilt out of them and you can snuggle in it and feel cosy. This project might take slightly longer than the others, but it is definitely worth it. Once you’ve gathered some old t-shirts, cut out the front and sew each of them together. Then you can easily sew on the back part. Finally, put this all together and sew on all four sides together. Get the detailed instructions here.
Photo credit: Jo’s Country Junction
- Jeans to Rug: Don’t let your old jeans go to waste. You can use them to create a stylish ‘new’ rug for your bathroom! The first step is cutting, then sew some strips and braid them together. Once it is all braided, stitch the ends of the strands together in a spiral or circle. Check out Cut Out and Keep for some great tips on completing this project.
Photo credit: Cut Out and Keep
Remember,
sprucing up old worn out clothing into brand new pieces helps in saving money and in decreasing your carbon footprint. Do connect with us on social media and share your innovative upcycled projects!
