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| My fave upcycled or repurposed projects... |
I did a count of the number of posts that are so categorized and was amazed to
come up with over seventy-five of them. There are degrees of relevance, of
course; but as early as December 2013 – i.e., just a month into my blogging –
I was already writing about making use of what we have to make something else.
It's not surprising, because when I returned to sewing after decades away, I
had little else apart from my sewing machine and some basic notions. There was
no fabric stash and I had almost no knowledge of where to get fabric.
Without access to "real" fabric, it quickly occurred to me to use other
textiles in lieu of... bedsheets and pillowcases, drapery panels, and tea
towels were among my earliest sources of material for sewing projects.
Today's post is a return to the archives to highlight projects that were made either by repurposing unwanted things or using their raw materials as fabric. There have been many, but these are my faves.
Today's post is a return to the archives to highlight projects that were made either by repurposing unwanted things or using their raw materials as fabric. There have been many, but these are my faves.
Denim Wreath
Hubby gave me a whole bunch of damaged jeans to make a
boat tote, but what I found most gratifying about that project is what I ended up
making out of the denim remnants.
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| Notice the new additions to the wreath? |
This hangs inside our house and hardly a week goes by without me looking at
it and thinking, "I love this wreath!" I particularly love that in no way
does it remind me of old jeans.
If you remember this project from 2023, you may notice in the above pic that
I eventually added a few more pipe cleaners to create some spiral centers for the bows.
Shupatto Bag
It seemed that my readers were no more aware of the shupatto bag than
I was when I made this back in 2022. It's a Japanese origami inspired design
that creates a self-folding shopping bag that – depending on material used –
can fit into small spaces for emergencies.
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| A once beloved skirt becomes a trendy shopping bag... |
My version was made out of a 1990s midi skirt that I had been holding onto
because of its sentimental value. I know that it's a bit scary to cut into
clothes to remake into something else, but if you consider that you're no
longer wearing that item of clothing, it's really no big deal to give
yourself permission to snip away!
In this case, instead of a skirt hanging at the back of a closet, I now have
a stylish bag that is both useful and meaningful.
Sock Hand Warmers
Everyone has socks with holes. If you're not the sort to take up
darning, or crafting little sock animals, what do you do?
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| Part of my indoor "winter wardrobe"... |
Well, I turned these two pairs into hand warmers. During the colder months,
one pair sits at my computer station and the other is downstairs with my
tablet. (I've been wearing these since early October.) They are quite simply one of the handiest things that I've
ever made!
Jackets to Duffle
Prior to making the shupatto bag out of an old skirt, I took two jackets and
turned them into a duffle. By far the most complex of my repurposing
projects, this one is a favourite for good reason. It was a sewing
accomplishment and the result is very usable and useful.
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| My most complex upcycling effort... |
I wish I'd had the inspiration to do this earlier, because – and I may have
expressed this before – the timing of the project closely coincided with the
sale of our vacation property. I only really use a duffle like this for
short trips, with the unfortunate result that I've had very little opportunity to use it since it was made.
The Art of Refashioning
To paraphrase the advice that I gave above, if you're not wearing an item of
clothing because it's not to your taste, it makes sense to be brave and take
your scissors to it, to change it, and make it to your taste. This is what
happened to a long duster style vest that I had never worn.
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| This still hangs on the back of my chair... |
Pieces of it were transformed into a
neck cowl
and
lining for mittens, but the main body of it became this super sporty vest. In short,
something that was not wanted became a favourite. How can you not like that?
Modified Taylor Unisex Bag
Does the pandemic seem like a long time ago to you? To me, it's a weird
combination of "it's just like yesterday" and "it was eons ago" at the same
time. (Or perhaps more accurately, it's today because both Mom and I have been masking up when grocery
shopping since early November. Trying to protect against the rise of everything during these cold months.)
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| Mom's pandemic purse... |
During the actual height of it, however, she and I pared down our needs and
decided to use smaller purses. After I made myself the
Crossbody Sling Bag, Mom handed over a bag that hubby and I had brought back from Puerto
Vallarta for her years ago and asked if I could turn it into something more
usable. This slightly modified Taylor Unisex Bag was the
result, and it served her well for a couple of years.
About six months ago, I swapped my
Crossbody Sling Bag 2.0 for my Eggsy backpack, but Mom retired her Taylor two years ago. It remains, however, an excellent
example of remaking something to suit one's needs.
CD Coasters
A blast from the 2017 past, these CD mug rugs are still on my dining table;
I use them twice a day. (And yes, for all those who have asked, they have
been washed. I do them with the dishes and just let them air dry.)
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| A great way to recycle unwanted CDs... |
With a bunch of CDs that couldn't be recycled via our city's waste
management system, I looked high and low for a way to reuse them. This was
my first project; I subsequently made baskets out of others.
Note that this project is also an ideal opportunity to recycle kitchen textiles like tea towels or table cloths that are no longer in favour.
Tote Bags to Seat Cushions
This project became an even bigger favourite with me this year. At the start of spring, I took a Christmas themed cushion and shoved it inside
one of these remade tote bags.
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| These have yet another use! |
I figured it would be a perfect way to have a weather proof pillow for the love
seat on our back deck. There it stayed all summer, with the poly vinyl
material providing excellent coverage against the outdoor elements. (And it was also a handy way to use an otherwise out of season item at a different time of year.)
MyTie
Last but definitely not least, a list like this has to include my
little "turn a tie into a purse" project. In terms of repurposing something, how much more transformational does it get?
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| My most memorable upcycling achievement... |
This year marks the eleventh anniversary of this project/pattern release. It
remains my best selling PDF, and the design I'm most proud of having created.
As the years go by, I've become more committed to using what I (already) have to make
what I want. It feels good not only to reduce waste, but to turn unwanted
things into unique and beautiful items. I hope this post – as much as it's
been a clip show post 😜 – gives you inspiration to attempt the same.
On another note, as I don't anticipate making another "appearance" here until January, all the best of the season to whoever's still reading!
'Til 2026... 🇨🇦🍁
'Til 2026... 🇨🇦🍁
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