Upcycling: Give Your Clothes a Glow Up
We all eventually face the inevitable realization that it’s time to clean out our closet and get rid of the pieces we never wear, needed to return and didn’t, or the sad pieces we swore we’d eventually fit into and love. The pieces can get thrown out, donated, or you can upcycle.
Never heard of it? Upcycling is basically just recycling your clothes. In other words, taking old or unused clothes and giving them a “glow up.” I’m going to take you through a guide of a few ideas on how to upcycle some of your clothes that are doable even if you’re not an expert at sewing.
Statement Buttons
Photo: Pinterest
While looking through your closet, I’m sure you’ll find one if not multiple button down shirts. There is probably at least one you never wear and are considering giving up. But, there is an easy way you can spice up a plain white button down. This is doable by removing the boring buttons on the shirt with a seam ripper and buying some fun, adorable buttons in different colors, different shapes, or different patterns and sewing those onto the shirt. It’s such a simple idea, but it has a massive impact and actually gives the shirt a whole new life.
Sewing a button is very simple. All you need is thread the color of your shirt, fun buttons, a needle, and scissors.
Simply thread your needle with thread that is the same color as your shirt.
Place the button wherever you’d like it to be.
Put the needle through one hole of the button(from the inside of the shirt outwards) and through the shirt and pull the thread all the way through.
Take the needle through another hole of the button (if there are 4 holes on the button it doesn’t matter which one) taking the needle to the inside of the shirt again and pull the thread through. Basically looping the thread between 2 holes. Repeat this process between the 2 holes 3 times.
Repeat this process for all holes.
When you finish threading all holes of the button take the needle to the inside of the shirt. Tie a double knot with the thread so that the thread doesn’t unravel and cut the remaining thread with a scissor.
Embroidery on Denim
Photo: Pinterest
I don’t know about you, but the amount of denim I have accumulated over the last five years is kind of insane. So if you’re in my boat, then you’ve got quite a bit of denim around and I have an adorable idea for your denim upcycling dreams! Find a pair of denim that you kind of like but don’t really love that you can spice it up with a word or quote that you can embroider on with some colored embroidery thread. All you’re going to need is a pair of denim from your closet-be it shorts, pants, a skirt, etc., a word or quote, or a picture you love, embroidery thread, a needle, scissors, and a pencil or colored pencil.
So first what you’re going to have to do is pick out what you want to embroider and where you want to place it. Maybe vertically along the ankle, on a pocket, or even on the waistband-get creative!
Then you’re going to have to write it directly on the denim with your pencil or colored pencil.
Next, thread your needle with the embroidery thread. In order to embroider, you’re going to make tiny horizontal stitches and then backstitch over the initial stitch. Here’s a link to a great tutorial on how to embroider letters as well as a link on how to embroider images.
P.S. This can also be done to t-shirts, sweatshirts and sweatpants, basically any article of clothing and is not just limited to denim!
Dye and Iron On T-shirts
Photo: Pinterest
So this upcycling idea is for those plain boring t-shirts you decide that you’re ready to give up on. It’s a super easy and fun way to help give those boring t-shirts a glow up. So if you go on Etsy, or to your local Target or Walmart, you’ll find adorable and affordable iron-on patterns that you can put onto your t-shirts. Another add-on step or way you can dress up your boring t-shirts is to dye them. This can be tie dye which is very trendy right now or a simple solid color to turn your old tee into a completely new shirt that you’ll love and pretty much live in!
Shapeless Dress to Top
Photo: Pinterest
While going through your closet, if you find a shapeless dress that you don’t love anymore, think again before you give it away. That shapeless dress can also be a super cute shirt or crop top. This is an idea I’ve used for multiple dresses, especially if the print or color is really cute. This process is really easy and takes very little time.
So find a dress that has no shape, or just isn’t your favorite. Try it on, and make a small mark wherever you would like the hem to be.
Take off the dress and using a ruler measure down ¼ of an inch below the mark and on the inside of the dress draw a line around the shirt so that you can cut the length straight and neatly.
After you cut the hem, fold over the hem ¼ of an inch so that it folds towards the inside of the shirt. Iron that fold so that it’s flat. Using a thread that matches the base color of the fabric, sew the fold so that it stays and doesn’t unfold; this is your new crisp and clean hem.
These are just some of the many ways that you can upcycle your clothes. Upcycling is a really fun and creative way for you to recycle your clothing, give them new life, and prevent more clothes from ending up in a landfill. It’s also a way for you to end up with more super cute new clothes and let me tell you, clothes you fix up yourself end up being some of your favorite pieces in your closet!