Up-cycling, similar to recycling, is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or other products of better quality or for better environmental value. Simply put, turning old things into new things. Have a worn out shirt, the hem may be coming undone, have a hole in the air pit or stains? Don't throw it out just yet, the rest of it can be saved! Use the good parts as regular sewing material, sites like Pinterest and craft forums/blogs have plenty of uses for
sewing scraps. I have a bag full of old t-shirts these were shirts that got left behind and found in the laundry hamper. I've been looking for cotton fabric but it needed some stretch, not a lot, and it couldn't have elastic threads. I'm allergic to elastic which makes finding panties, that don't cause a reaction, pretty difficult. What could be a better idea than to make my own without elastic? I made the following simple tutorial for anyone that would like to try making a garment (doesn't have to be panties) themselves. This tutorial can work for any simple article of clothing.
Step 1: Choose the type of clothing you would like to create using a piece from your own wardrobe.
Step 2: Choose your fabric (for it to be up-cycled use an old shirt or a pair of jeans, keep in mind denim is not a good choice for underwear.) Here I chose a 60% cotton 40% polyester blend, men's XL, long sleeve shirt.
Step 3: Lay your fabric choice out smoothly on a flat surface, iron if there are wrinkles.
Step 4: Trace your original clothing article (be sure to have your fabric “wrong side” up, this means inside-out.) Cut your pattern out and pin your pieces together.
Step 5: Use a sewing machine if you have one to stitch together the sides you have pinned, I'm a novice with sewing and right now my machines are kaput so I used a simple whip stitch.
Step 6: Take a break from the sewing and try on your garment to make sure it fits.
Step 7: Iron again especially if you have any holes where your appendages will come through.
Step 8: Turn down the edges and stitch.
Step 9: Add any decorative pieces at this point and you're done! (I haven't made mine pretty yet, but this step is optional.)
sewing scraps. I have a bag full of old t-shirts these were shirts that got left behind and found in the laundry hamper. I've been looking for cotton fabric but it needed some stretch, not a lot, and it couldn't have elastic threads. I'm allergic to elastic which makes finding panties, that don't cause a reaction, pretty difficult. What could be a better idea than to make my own without elastic? I made the following simple tutorial for anyone that would like to try making a garment (doesn't have to be panties) themselves. This tutorial can work for any simple article of clothing.
Step 1: Choose the type of clothing you would like to create using a piece from your own wardrobe.
Step 2: Choose your fabric (for it to be up-cycled use an old shirt or a pair of jeans, keep in mind denim is not a good choice for underwear.) Here I chose a 60% cotton 40% polyester blend, men's XL, long sleeve shirt.
Step 3: Lay your fabric choice out smoothly on a flat surface, iron if there are wrinkles.
Step 4: Trace your original clothing article (be sure to have your fabric “wrong side” up, this means inside-out.) Cut your pattern out and pin your pieces together.
Step 5: Use a sewing machine if you have one to stitch together the sides you have pinned, I'm a novice with sewing and right now my machines are kaput so I used a simple whip stitch.
Step 6: Take a break from the sewing and try on your garment to make sure it fits.
Step 7: Iron again especially if you have any holes where your appendages will come through.
Step 8: Turn down the edges and stitch.
Step 9: Add any decorative pieces at this point and you're done! (I haven't made mine pretty yet, but this step is optional.)