Bring New Life to Your Wardrobe Favorites With Upcycling
Upcycling old clothing doesn’t have to be an activity reserved only for the crafty, DIY types. You don’t have to be artistically gifted to transform old pieces into brand-new wardrobe additions. If you have a handful of old clothes you simply don’t wear anymore or seem too worn out to be used, think again. In this post, we will discuss just a few unique ways you can bring new life to your wardrobe favorites with upcycling.
Channel Your Inner Artist With a Beach Plan
If you have an old, worn-out pair of leggings you just can’t seem to part ways with, give them some new life with a bleach pen instead of discarding them (the leggings will have to be black or another dark color to achieve this). If you are artistically inclined, use your imagination and draw on any designs you please! You can also achieve a tie-dye effect, stripes, or other prints by simply using a bleach pen.
Turn Your Old Sweaters Into Dresses
If you have an oversized sweater hanging in your closet that you never wore because it was too big, just change its purpose! Instead of trying to wear the sweater traditionally, turn it into a sweater dress. If none of your sweaters are long enough to transform them into dresses, stitch two sweaters together to make a mini- or midi-length sweater dress. Having two women’s sweaters with different fabrics stitched together will give your new sweater dress lots of texture and dimension.
… Or Turn Men’s Shirts Into Girl’s Dresses
If you have a daughter and a husband who doesn’t wear some of his old men’s dress shirts anymore, this is the project for you. Take those old men’s dress shirts and sew them into adorable dresses for your little one. If you want to give the dress a fluffy, flowy look, stitch some tulle to the interior of the hem. If you aren’t able to bunch up the waistline by sewing the fabric, accessorize the outfit with a chic belt.
Transform a Casual Tee Into a Fashion Statement
All you need for this one is a casual T-shirt and anything you’d like to accessorize it with. For example, an old, lime-green tee can be turned into a trendy top by stitching on a bright pink ribbon or adding little details with other fabrics. This is also so much fun because it allows you to take a very basic piece and turn it into a unique item that no one else has.
Or Turn Casual Tees Into Graphic Tees
Have a thing for words? Then you might really enjoy what embroidery has to offer. If you are up for learning and acquiring a new skill, you could embroider cute, funny messages onto a simple, solid-color tee. This is also a great gift idea if you have old women’s T-shirts that you seemingly have no purpose for and a list of people to gift for birthdays or the holiday season. You can embroider custom messages onto all your old T-shirts and present them as gifts to friends and family.
Give Your Sweaters a Button Detail
Upcycling clothing doesn’t have to be an all-day project. You don’t have to spend hours creating an intricate new piece out of several different fabrics or old materials. Sometimes, subtle details are all you need to give an article of clothing a brand-new look. If you have an old sweater that just seems sort of drab and uninteresting, sew on a couple of buttons around the top of the sweater.
Give Your Black Sweatpants Some Color Detail
Have an old pair of sweatpants that look pretty drab but you can’t seem to get rid of them because they are ridiculously comfy? Give them new life with little pops of color. Maybe it’s a turquoise or floral drawstring, or tie-dye interior pockets or hems lined with colorful fabrics. Get creative and take note of different parts of your sweatpants that could beautifully display some color detail.
Details Galore
Since we are on the topic of details, pull out any old, plain sweaters you have and transform them into fashionable pieces with details like glitter buttons or sequin patches. You could keep the details all the same shade as your sweater or try different colors to add some texture.
Turn Tanks Into Galaxy Shirts
This will be a fun project for the whole family and something the kids will especially love. Plan a tie-dye day and dye old tank tops and T-shirts. After getting that galaxy look, add some sparkles to represent stars. These brand-new shirts will be perfect for summer activities, like an outdoor evening concert or a picnic.
Looking for new pieces to add to your wardrobe? Shop Lands’ End today!