Thursday, February 16, 2012

Upcycled Clothing!


 

I've been in a shopping mood lately.  It doesn't happen often but once in a while I feel a strong urge to buy some new clothes.   I normally talk myself out of the shopping trip to avoid spending a ton of money. 

Because I've been blessed with hand-me-down clothing from friends and my mama through the years, I rarely "need" anything in the clothing department.  Sometimes I just want something different.   To satisfy the shopping urge, I decided to look through my own closet to see what pieces could be recycled into a "new" item.  These are a few items I altered into new pieces.

1)I love the fabric but hate the
 way the shirt fits.  I feel
like I look like a clown in this shirt.
 

2) I unattached the sleeves,
 hemmed around the
arm holes and took in the sides
by 1 inch each to take some
 of the bulkiness out of this
blouse.  Now I feel good wearing it!
  

Next project  1) I cut an ordinary
t-shirt up the middle of the front.
I then cut the neck band off.
 

2) Then I pressed a 1 inch seam up
the front both sides and around
the neck.  I stitched, leaving both ends open to
allow me to thread a string.
 

3) Voila!  After threading a ribbon through the seam and cinching it up,
I now have a really cute little jacket! 
I'll probably change the ribbon color but other than that, I'm thrilled with the idea!
Thanks, Cut Out and Keep for the great idea!
 

  

And a white blouse that I love but have
stopped wearing due to a tear
in the left shoulder
made a great pairing with an old t-shirt.
  

1) I turned the t-shirt into a strapless tube
style top by cutting off the t-shirt from
the armpits and above.
2)To prevent the tube from falling down,
I ran elastic through the seam
above the bust.
3) I then stitched the bottom
part of the white blouse
under the waist hem of the t-shirt.
 






4) I took the salvaged ties from
the white blouse and
strung old buttons that
were my grandmothers.
In this photo I have the belt
up under my
bust.
 

In this photo I'm wearing the
belt at my waist.
 

This garment is long enough I
could probably wear it as a summer
dress!
I had so much fun tapping into my creative side yesterday!  Now I have a whole stack of garments I'd like to put my own touch on!  If you've got basic sewing skills, you can have fun making your own clothing creations!  I'm not a great seamstress and I found this very easy and fun. 

28 comments:

  1. Poppy, a very productive day. The first item is an amazing improvement. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you George,

      I agree! From "Clown Suit" to summer blouse! It was a lot of fun!

      Warm wishes from Kansas!

      Delete
  2. Good looking outfits! Posh take on sustainability. Intriquing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Stay @ Home-Gardener! It was very enjoyable and I'm ready to get back to it!

      Have a great day!

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thanks Becky! I had so much fun and can't wait to make some more!

      Have a great night!

      Delete
  4. Bravo, you did a great job on your remakes! Cuteness!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Texan! I had a blast! I'm sure I'll get better as I make more!

      Have a great night!

      Delete
  5. You sure are one very creative lady! A super-good job. ('Course, just about anything would look good with your cute face and figure!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mama Pea, Thanks so much for the encouragement! I really think I found a new love! I can't wait to put some more together!

      Warm wishes from Kansas!

      Delete
  6. Love the way that first one turned out. While I don't think you look like a clown, I do like the sleeveless version much better. Great job. These are all so creative.
    Judy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Judy,

      Thanks for your kind words of encouragement! I enjoyed this so much I am really looking forward to making some more!

      Have a wonderful night!

      Delete
  7. Very creative and very clever! Well done.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leigh,

      I appreciate your visit and your encouragement!

      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  8. wow, that's really cool. I especially like what you did with that first black/white top :) :) I've lost quite a bit of weight in the last few months. Some of my clothes are like tents now...so maybe this will be just the inspiration that I need to upcycle my clothes ;) :) Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather,

      I am excited for you to have the excuse to upcycle your clothing! I'd love to see photos if you get the chance!

      Warm wishes from Kansas!

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Thank you Barb! I appreciate your positive feedback! Have a great day!

      Delete
  10. Great job-you have a creative flair. I especially like the first one-wow!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue,

      Thanks so much for your kind comments! I agree, the first one looks very different now. It was a lot of fun!

      Warm wishes from Kansas!

      Delete
  11. Wow you have really creative! Do I sense a homebased business idea? There is a demand for this type of fashion, my son is 18 and all his female friends want used recycled clothing exclusively . . . peace

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Ruth,

      I would love to turn this kind of fun into a business! But I'm sure I'll need a lot of practice before I take on something like that. Luckily I have a closet full of clothing that I'd like to transform!

      Have a wonderful day and thank you for the cheering on!

      Warm wishes from Kansas!

      Delete
  12. You are so clever! I love that you took pieces you already have and reinvented them! The first one is my very favorite!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elizabeth,

      I'm so happy you stopped by! I just can't say enough how much fun I had reinventing (it's a good description) some of my old clothing!

      Have a wonderful day!

      Delete
  13. Awesome!! I LOVE the t-shirt turned jacket. My daughter will be copying that right away, I'm sure. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wonderful Patty! Snap a photo of your daughter's creations! Thanks for visiting!

      Delete
  14. When I was in High school I used to take big skirts off of dresses to make "new" outfits. Now I make quilts with stuff like my hubby's old jeans, made a great "raggy" quilt with them. I also use tshirts to make summer dresses just add a skirt of material, last year I did a "quilted" version. Make one feel so good to have a "new" outfit. You did an oustanding job with what you had makes those thrift store finds look different. hugs buni

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Buni,

      Sounds like you are a kindred spirit! I'm guessing I could learn a lot from you too!

      Have a wonderful day!

      Delete

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us! Please remember to keep your comments clean and kind. Have a great day!