How many of you can think of one or two clothing items that you don t wear? Why? Many people don t wear certain clothing because it doesn t fit right, it s out of style, they are sick of it, or it is damaged in some way. What should you do with these articles of clothing?
A stitch in time saves nine. What does this mean? Restitching seams Restitching hems Replacing fasteners Fixing snags Mending tears Patching holes Covering worn areas Removing stains
Redesign: to change an existing garment to make it suitable for more wear. Typically done by changing Style Fit Color Trim
Fashions change from year to year, so having the ability to make small changes to update your clothing can save you a lot of money! Raise/lower the hemline on pants An oversized jacket can be taken in to be fitted A belt can change the waist-line on a full dress Wide-legged pants can be straightened or narrowed Denim jeans can be turned into shorts
Clothing that doesn t fit correctly can be annoying to wear. By altering the fit, the garment can be more comfortable for your body type. Length adjustments Width adjustments
Sometimes simply adding an accessory can bring a garment to life! Jewelry Scarf Belt Updating buttons Lace
Recycle: to reclaim items for another use. Often times we think of recycling aluminum, glass, and plastic. How can you recycle clothing?
One person s trash is a another person s treasure. Sell unwanted clothing at a second-hand store, garage sell, flea market, etc. Switch articles of clothing with a friend. Pass items that you have outgrown to a younger sibling, cousin, or friend. Donate unwanted but useable clothing items to people in need.
If your clothing is too worn or too out of date, give it a new purpose! Be creative! Make something new. Accessories Children s clothing and/or dress up clothing Patchwork projects Cleaning What could you make with an old pair of jeans?
Do you have some pants that don t fit quite right? Make a skirt! http://laviediy.blogspot.com/2012/0 2/pants-to-pencil-skirtrefashion.html
http://www.c ountryliving.c om/crafts/pro jects/how-to- make-pillows- 0909 Make some pillow shams!
Pillow shams not your thing? Make this cute outfit!
Pick and choose your favorite t-shirt pieces! http://refashioncoop.blogspot.ca/2013/03/teeshirtsmake-tee-dress.html
T-shirt/polo up-cycle! http://www.clothedmuch.com/2013/08/h ow-to-make-colorblock-dress-fromt.html#.vitsmldf-sq
Take that xxl t-shirt and make it a fashion piece!
Make a cute hat with an old t-shirt and some scrap fabric.
http://chichideehandmade.blo gspot.com/2011/06/how-tomake-upcycled-t-shirtbag.html?spref=pi
Extra ties laying around? Make a skirt, dress, shirt, etc.
http://www.ehow.com/e howcrafts/blog/bundle-upyour-hot-drinks-in-adiy-felted-wool-cupcozy/ Old sweaters have a TON of potential!
http://www.craftstylish.co m/item/28927/how-tomake-hats-from-recycledsweaters?utm_source=ema il&utm_medium=eletter&ut m_content=20110923- modern-fallcenterpiece&utm_campaig n=craftstylish
http://wvstyleteam.com/tuesday-tutorial-turn-that-ugly-sweater-into-leg-warmersan-infinity-scarf-and-finger-less-gloves/
https://chicenvelopements.wordpress.co m/2013/04/01/no-sew-infinity-scarfdress-for-change-day-one/ Make a super easy, no sew, infinity scarf.
https://chicenvelopements.wordpress.co m/2012/11/24/let-your-footwear-takecenter-stage/ Tired of your flare or bootcut jeans? Turn them into skinny jeans!
Take a nonclothing item and make it stylish! Ex. Raincoat.
Turn old bed sheets into beautiful dresses!
http://www.trashtocouture.com/2012/1 0/diy-v-neck-into-gathered-cowlcollar.html Have an old v-neck shirt or sweater? Up-cycle it by adding a cowl neck and buttons!
Add some handstitching or embroidery to embellish http://www.tambouille.fr/2012/04/04/sw eat-shirt-customise/ a shirt or sweatshirt!
Spice up a plain shirt or sweatshirt with an accent pocket.
Use quilting techniques to make a patchwork scarf!
Make a t-shirt quilt! http://whiletheysnooze.blogspot.com/20 11/09/fall-t-shirt-quilt-tutorial.html http://www.cheapchichome.com/ 2011/08/t-shirt-quiltcompleted.html
Too worn? Stains that won t come out? Use it as a rag!
The average American throws away nearly 68 pounds of clothing every year, which amounts to about 11 million tons of textile waste in our landfills. Creating new textiles takes energy!
Think about the clothing and other items that you own. What items get a lot of use? Can you think of anything that hasn t been used and/or worn in over a year? Make a list of 5+ textile items that don t seem to get much use. Why do you choose not to use/wear this item? For each item, write a brief description of what you could do in order to get more use out of that item. Next, choose one of the items. Sketch a before and after picture, showing how your item/clothing was changed. Ex: Black and cream dress This dress is too tight on my shoulders, causing pain and discomfort. In order to get more use, I could cut the top part of this dress off, hem the raw edge, and create a cute high-waist skirt.
http://www.weardonaterecycle.org/index.html http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/wheredoes-discarded-clothing-go/374613/?single_page=true