Turning Old Clothes into Something New | The Beauty of Upcycling
Do you have those clothes that you can’t
seem to get rid of, but you also can’t really wear them either because they are
outdated and worn out? Worry not, because I am going to be introducing you to a new way
in which you can creatively transform them into something fashionable and new. Specifically, I will be acquainting you to the beauty of upcycling.
I will also be giving you a small background on how I got to know of upcycling,
as well as showing you some of my successful upcycling projects to kick start your
creativity wheels.
What is Upcycling?
Upcycling is reusing old products or
clothing and turning them into something new and more valuable. I personally like
to define upcycling as turning straw into gold. Like, the Rumpelstiltskin story.
Where clothes are concerned, it is like taking
those rugged jeans of yours and turning them into a cute skirt or a fashionable
top. Honestly, the possibilities are endless!
How I discovered
upcycling.
Now, I have always been a hoarder. Meaning, I like holding on to things a little bit
longer than I should, and this problem is more prominent in the clothes I own. For
real! I have clothes that were bought nine
years ago. I still wear these clothes, and some of them are still in a decent condition.
As you know, fashion is ever evolving and as much as I would like to keep wearing
some of my clothes, sometimes they just aren’t fashionably working anymore. I always got stressed out about this and as a
creative person, I often wondered how I could
modify them so they look fashionable. One
day I was scrolling through YouTube, and I came across a video tutorial about turning
old jeans into a skirt. I was hooked! I ended up making my own jeans to skirt transformation,
and I still wear the skirt to this day. The most fantastic thing about upcycling
is you don’t necessarily need a sewing machine.
In fact, my first upcycling projects were hand-sewn. Surely, it does take time. However, the more time you
spend on something, the more you appreciate
it.
Some of my upcycling
projects
This is my first upcycling project. I had this old jean that wouldn’t fit at the waist. In fact, it never did. I remember when I bought
it back in 2015, the store did not have my size, but it was so beautiful. So, I ended
up buying it thinking I would grow into it. I continued to wear it for years even
though I never grew into it. In 2020, I got fed up and decided to turn it into
a skirt. I fixed my waist problem by putting
an elastic band because I hate wearing belts. I think the results turned out well
for a first timer.
This is my favorite upcycling project. My best friend had these mom loose pants she wanted to turn into shorts. I am not a huge fan of animal printed clothes. In fact, you can even say I dislike them. However, I wanted to experiment, so I asked her to give me one of the legs she had cut out. Initially, I was just going to make a simple top, but I wanted to combine crochet with fabric to see what it would look like. I call this combination blended design.
Anyway, I used crochet to
make the edging of the top and the straps that would lace down the back of the top.
I even made cute flowers at the end of each strap. I was on a full girly mode. While
the crochet part was small, it was what ended up putting together the entire top.
Basically, it was the minimalistic heart and glue of the entire top. This process
took a bit longer, but it was worth it at the end. I just love the way the top comes
together, and I love the entire components that made up the top.
Conclusion
Upcycling is essential if you are the
type of person who just can’t let go of old clothes, but feels uncomfortable wearing
them because they are outdated. As a matter
of fact, it feels good to save the fabrics
of what was once your favorite clothes. If
you haven’t started on upcycling, you can go on YouTube to look for inspiration
and in no time, you might be making great designs. Who knows? Upcycling might end up being your thing.
Links to some of
my upcycling YouTube videos.
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