Upcycling is a fantastic way to extend the life of your clothes by altering, repairing or refashioning them into something else.
We’re a huge fan of upcycling here at Caboodle Textiles HQ, we believe in slow fashion and that means making the things we have last and loved for longer.
This blog is a plethora of ideas to spark inspiration for your next upcycling project.
All too often shop bought items quickly wear out and are resigned to the recycling bank. But they don’t have to be, they can be brought back to life and loved again.
Due to the position of them on a garment, cuffs and waistbands are one of the first places wear and tear shows. You can easily replace these using ribbing. Simply cut off the old one and use ribbing to add new cuffs or a waistband. Follow this tutorial if you need help with how to do that.
Stocking up on ribbing with our ribbing bundles or multi buy offers means you will always have a stash of colours suitable for the next hoodie or jumper in need of love.
Another way to jazz up shop bought items (or any garment) is to add a trim. It can give the clothing personality and hide any burst hems or holes in the edge of the fabric. We love this ric rac trim for all manner of edging.
Making something wearable again is so satisfying and there are lots of ways you can do that.
If something has a hole in it, repair it easily by adding applique using bondaweb over the hole. This unicorn applique is a great example of what can be achieved. Learn how to applique in this Youtube video.
Children are notorious for wearing through the knees in trousers but that doesn’t mean they aren’t wearable! You can cut out the damaged section and colour block across the knee section. This can be used to add length as well as extend the life of the trousers.
Another great garment saver is a Fuzz and Lint Remover. All too often when our clothes have gotten bobbled beyond recognition we toss them aside. Using this handy tool they can be brought back to life again in no time!
Other ways to repair a much loved item of clothing include applying glue where needed, replacing hardware and accessories such as clip sets, eyelets and drawstring.
By being really inventive you can extend the life of your garments for so much longer.
As well as altering your clothes to make them wearable again, if they are too far gone to wear you can turn them into something completely different.
Old t-shirts can have a new life as a tote bag as in this tutorial. Stretchy shirts make excellent market bags and it’s a very quick and easy sew.
Pillowcases can be used as the base for a simple dress, one that you can jazz up with an array of embellishments.
Another favourite is turning men’s shirts into kids shirts and dresses. A lovely way of using a beloved family members clothes for a legacy garment.
Adult t-shirts can be turned into all sorts of baby clothes as there is lots of fabric, vests in particular don’t need that much and it’s a fantastic way of giving new life to hand-me-downs.
We hope you feel inspired by this collection of ways to extend the life of your garments.
We can’t wait to see what you make!
