How To: Turn a Vintage Earring into an Unique Hair Pin
Give your earrings, brooches, or buttons new life by transforming them into a unique hair pin!
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Clothing + Fashion
How-to: Upcycled Toy Charm Necklaces–They’re Toys You Can Wear!
These toy charms can be worn on a necklace or bracelet, one at a time or in a whole herd. They make fine jewelry on their own, but the secret trick to these little charms is the latch that allows you to release them from their jewelry status. In the blink of an eye, you’ve gone from having a necklace full of toy dinosaurs to a handful of toy dinosaurs, ready to make standing in line at the grocery store SO much more bearable.
Here’s how to make your own.
How-to: Upcycled Toy Charm Necklaces–They’re Toys You Can Wear! Read More 👉
How-to: Replace the Straps on a Tank Top
There’s not an easier clothing modification to make than swapping out the shoulder straps on a strappy tank top. It takes just a few minutes to do, and it completely changes both the look and the fit of the top.
How to Sew a Circle Skirt from a Kid’s Bed Sheet (or other Directional Fabric)
Directional fabrics, including children’s novelty sheets, require a slightly different, and only a little more complicated, method to sew a circle skirt with nothing upside-down.
Here’s how to make your kid a circle skirt where Charlie Brown ALWAYS faces the right way.
How to Sew a Circle Skirt from a Kid’s Bed Sheet (or other Directional Fabric) Read More 👉
A Child’s Formal Dress Sewn from an Upcycled Silk Sheet
Need something sustainably fashionable for that next big event, formal occasion, or fashion show fundraiser? Here’s how I sewed a formal dress for my daughter to model in our town’s Trashion/Refashion Show–from bloomers to bodice, it was created entirely from one silk sheet.
A Child’s Formal Dress Sewn from an Upcycled Silk Sheet Read More 👉
How-to: A Hoop Skirt Made from Wire Hangers
Using nothing but wire hangers, hot glue, and duct tape, I created a hoop skirt. Here’s how:
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How to Refresh Black Clothing with Fabric Dye
Black clothing is the hardest clothing to maintain, because it’s so vulnerable to fading. Even red clothes fade more gracefully than black! Here’s how to use black fabric dye to refresh your faded black clothing.
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How-to: Mend Ripped Jeans
Here’s the easy way to mend tears in your jeans.
How-to: Mend Ripped Jeans Read More 👉
How-to: Kid-Made Recycled Cardboard Pendants
Kids love to make their own jewelry, and these pendants, crafted from upcycled cardboard, are especially fun to create and wear. The pendants cost no money, slip easily inside a letter to a pen pal, and, if the kid gets tired of wearing them, can be tossed right back into the recycling bin.
How-to: Kid-Made Recycled Cardboard Pendants Read More 👉
Reader Question: How to Reuse Old Jeans
Need some ideas for how to reuse old jeans in your closet? We have you covered!
Tutorial Mashup: Turn a pair of shorts into a maternity skirt
Somewhere in the last few weeks, my baby bump popped right out, and suddenly none of my bottoms fit anymore! Getting dressed was starting to be a challenge, so I whipped up a maternity skirt to flesh out my wardrobe a little bit. That project went swimmingly, but one skirt does not a new wardrobe make. Instead of making another skirt from scratch, I decided to turn a pair of old denim shorts into a maternity skirt.
Tutorial Mashup: Turn a pair of shorts into a maternity skirt Read More 👉
10 Upcycled Plastic Grocery Bag Crafts
Got a stash of plastic bags that you can’t bear to toss? Try some of these plastic grocery bag crafts to give them a new life instead!
5 DIY Scarves for Fall
Fall is here and the cooler weather has arrived! My favorite accessory for cool weather is a scarf. After finding tons of tutorials for scarves, I decided to put together 5 of my favorite DIY scarves!
5 DIY Scarves for Fall Read More 👉
Project Show and Tell: A DIY Child’s Witch Hat Made from Recycled Newspaper and Cardboard
See how proud that kiddo looks? She and I made that witch’s hat, the exactly perfect Halloween costume accessory, out of recycled newspaper and cardboard (and a lot of tape!). Considering that everything except for the tape and paint came from our recycling bin, and that this is EXACTLY the tall, polka-dotted hat that she had wanted, I’m declaring it a Halloween win.
10 Upcycled T-Shirt Crafts
Now that the weather’s cooling off, you’re probably sorting through your dresser and closet, pulling out your cold-weather clothes, and stashing your lighter stuff away until spring. As you sort through, you’re bound to find a couple of old t-shirts that are past their prime. Maybe the pits are stained beyond saving or you’re just tired of wearing that particular tee. Those well-loved t-shirts are perfect for all kinds of fun t-shirt crafts!
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How-to: Add a bow collar to a plain t-shirt
Fancy up a thrift store t-shirt with an oversized bow!
One of the things I love about thrifting is not just finding that cool vintage dress but when I run across something that’s screaming to be something else. It only took about an hour and change to add this bow detail to my thrifted tee, and I love how it turned out! Here’s how you can make your own.
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How-to: Make a Reusable (Not Disposable!) Kid’s Name Tag for School Field Trips
Kid going on a field trip? Generally gotta have a name tag.
Instead of buying disposable name tags, my kiddos and I make reusable name tags. These name tags can be made almost entirely by a kid with just a little adult help, and can be used until any of the information changes–if a kid made one of these in kindergarten, and used it until she headed off for middle school, that’s probably worth an entire package of disposable name tag stickers right there, and if the whole class did it, that’s a good effort towards helping a school go green.
How-to: Make a Reusable (Not Disposable!) Kid’s Name Tag for School Field Trips Read More 👉
How-to: No-Sew Upcycled T-Shirt Grocery Bag (with Beads and Bells and Fringe!)
Want a re-usable cloth bag that’s branded with what YOU like, sized and shaped like a conventional plastic bag but stretchy, so that you can fill it even fuller?
Okay, and do you want to make it WITHOUT sewing?
You won’t have to sew a stitch to make these grocery bags out of your favorite old T-shirts.
How-to: No-Sew Upcycled T-Shirt Grocery Bag (with Beads and Bells and Fringe!) Read More 👉
Project Show-and-Tell: Upcycled Star Wars T-shirt Quilt Top
For my partner’s 35th birthday, I made him a Star Wars T-shirt quilt in a log cabin style, pieced together with complementary fabrics from my fabric stash.
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Craft Project Show-and-Tell: Matching Dresses from One Vintage Snow White Flat Bed Sheet
For our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World, I sewed my two daughters matching dresses from one vintage Snow White-themed flat bed sheet.
Craft Project Show-and-Tell: Matching Dresses from One Vintage Snow White Flat Bed Sheet Read More 👉
5 Easy Upcycled Accessories
Luckily, you don’t have to go shopping to beef up your accessories collection! Here are a few DIY accessories that you can make from reclaimed materials instead.
5 Easy Upcycled Accessories Read More 👉
Announcing the Winner of Three Waldorf Doll Clothing Patterns from Dalai Mama Patterns
Did you read our review of Dalai Mama Waldorf doll clothing patterns?
Did you enter the giveaway for three free clothing patterns from the Dalai Mama etsy shop?
If you did, read on to see if you’re our lucky winner!
Announcing the Winner of Three Waldorf Doll Clothing Patterns from Dalai Mama Patterns Read More 👉
Giveaway: Win Three Waldorf Doll Clothing Patterns from Dalai Mama Patterns
Dalai Mama Patterns is offering one lucky winner their choice of three Waldorf doll clothing patterns from the Dalai Mama Patterns etsy shop. Check out my review of the Zoe Dress and the Hunter and Cameron Pants, and then read on to see how you can enter the giveaway.
Giveaway: Win Three Waldorf Doll Clothing Patterns from Dalai Mama Patterns Read More 👉
Review of Dalai Mama Patterns Waldorf Doll Clothing Patterns–and a Giveaway!
Making clothes for your Waldorf dolls is a cinch with the right patterns. Doll clothing is small, so it’s a great way to use up your scrap bin or remake a kid’s favorite outgrown clothing into something cute. Check out my review of Dalai Mama Patterns, and stay tuned for a Waldorf doll clothing pattern giveaway!
Review of Dalai Mama Patterns Waldorf Doll Clothing Patterns–and a Giveaway! Read More 👉
Handmade Gifts for the New Baby Made from Upcycled and Recycled Materials
If you have a baby gift of your own that needs to be crafted, whether it’s Doctor Who themed or not, check out the ideas below. They’re all made using recycled and upcycled materials, so not only are they crafty, but they’re also eco-friendly (and way cheaper than a store-bought gift!).
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Pirates, Princesses, and Mouse Ears: Upcycled Disney Crafts
Before our trip to Disney World this fall, my kiddos and I have been spending the summer crafting our own Disney souvenirs, primarily from upcycled and recycled materials. The stuff that we’re making is cute, it’s Disney-themed, and it will hopefully at least cool down the consumerist frenzy for Disney stuff that we can’t help but be bombarded with in Orlando this fall.
Pirates, Princesses, and Mouse Ears: Upcycled Disney Crafts Read More 👉
Six Crafty Green Ways to Upcycle Flat Bed Sheets
Read on for six projects designed to make perfect use of a single upcycled flat sheet.
Six Crafty Green Ways to Upcycle Flat Bed Sheets Read More 👉
Review: The Lil Blue Boo Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress Pattern
The Lil Blue Boo Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress is written to be used with upcycled T-shirts, and because of this, it has some real advantages over conventional sewing patterns.
Review: The Lil Blue Boo Recycled T-Shirt Sienna Dress Pattern Read More 👉
Sew Two Pairs of Shorts from One Upcycled T-Shirt, Tute #2: Capri Shorts from the T-Shirt’s Body
In my first tutorial, I showed you how to sew a quick-and-dirty pair of kid shorts from the sleeves and shoulders of an upcycled T-shirt. This tutorial requires a little more sewing, but the shorts are also a lot cuter and, depending on your kiddo’s height, they could be made to be as long as capri length.
Sew Two Pairs of Shorts from One T-Shirt, Tute #1: Comfy Shorts from Upcycled T-Shirt Sleeves
Using one XL T-shirt, you can sew two pairs of shorts for any size up to your average early-elementary kid. Your kiddo will be so comfy in her soft jersey-knit shorts, she’ll love the awesome appliques taken from the T-shirt’s front, and you will have clothed her quickly and cheaply for the win.
Read on for the first tutorial in this two-part series: how to sew your first pair of shorts using the sleeves from your upcycled T-shirt.
How-to: Upcycled Circle Skirt from a Vintage Bed Sheet
Here’s how I’ve managed to combine my love of vintage clothes, vintage fabrics, and thrift stores: A circle skirt created from a thrifted vintage sheet.
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How-to: An Upcycled T-Shirt Tank Top Tutorial
An upcycled tank top is a quick and easy sewing project to make from any old T-shirt.
How-to: An Upcycled T-Shirt Tank Top Tutorial Read More 👉
How-to: Sew an Upcycled Petticoat from a Recycled Prom Dress
Even if you regularly sew lovely dresses, it can be easy to forget that you must also often sew the correct foundation garments for those dresses. Here’s how to sew a full petticoat using parts from an upcycled formal gown.
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How-to: Make an Obi Belt from an Old Pillowcase
Spring is heeeerrreeee! That means flirty spring dresses, and for me nothing spices up a cute dress like a sassy belt. This belt is my solution to a thrift store dress that had a lot of potential but needed a lot of love to go from frumpy to cute. I tried taking it in, raising the waist, and even changing up the neckline, but what this dress really needed was a big, wide belt to fix the silhouette. A pillowcase to the rescue!
How-to: Make an Obi Belt from an Old Pillowcase Read More 👉
From Cloth Pads to Crocheted Tampons: DIY Menstrual Supplies
Even though there are a lot of great manufacturers of reusable menstrual supplies out there, if you’re feeling crafty, there’s no reason why you couldn’t make nearly everything that you need all by yourself. When you DIY, you can make your stuff extra comfy, extra cute, of just the right absorbency, and even completely from stash, if you’re super-resourceful.
From Cloth Pads to Crocheted Tampons: DIY Menstrual Supplies Read More 👉
Project Show-and-Tell: A Child’s Rainbow Dress (with Detachable Wings) Sewn from Prom Dresses
I’d do anything for that kid of mine, and armed with six rainbow-hued thrifted Prom and bridesmaid dresses, a ruffler foot for my sewing machine, and not a little hot glue, I made her Rainbow Fairy Dress a reality.