A Beginner’s Guide To Upcycling

Over the last decade we've become increasingly aware of the impact our habits have on the environment and we've turned to ways to decrease it. The fast fashion industry in particular has seen a meteoric rise in popularity, but their financial windfall is hurting the planet we all live on. In an effort to combat some of those negative impacts, the slow fashion movement has started to take hold. If you're not familiar, slow fashion is a term that describes a number of more sustainable ways to approach what we wear. Things like thrifting, swapping and buying organic fabrics are all ways to lessen the amount of waste that we each create. It can also be as simple as wearing your clothes for longer or just not buying as many clothes in general.

My favorite way to embrace slow fashion is easily by means of upcycling. In case you're unsure about exactly what it means to upcycle, it's basically taking a clothing item you already have and transforming it or wearing it in a different way. Sometimes that looks like turning an old pair of jeans into a dress or maybe you take your pants and turn them into a skirt, you might even use t-shirt strips to make fringe for a blouse. I love the idea that I can take an old clothing item and turn it into something completely new just by getting a lil crafty! If you're an avid crafter and you're ready to cut ties with fast fashion and start working with what ya got, then this is the perfect starting point. I'll lay out some of the best tips and tricks for making sure that your upcycle journey goes as smooth as possible.

Get Your Kit Ready

A great place to start upcycling is by making sure that you have a few sharp pairs of scissors because they're an absolute essential. I think at least two pairs is ideal, but obviously one pair is better than none. I like to have a pair that I only use for fabric and then another pair for all the other crafty things that may need cutting. The next item in your upcycle tool kit should be a needle and thread. Having a set of needles in a variety of sizes will be the smartest move, but if you're short on resources then you can always use a pre-packaged sewing kit. They have multi packs of thread in varying colors, but most small sewing kits come with a variety of thread colors so you may not need to worry about having a separate set. I would also invest in a strong fabric glue if you don’t have a sewing machine, it can be helpful for projects that may be difficult to hand sew so it gives you more options. Even if you do have a sewing machine, it can be helpful to keep fabric glue on hand since there are certain situations that it may come in handy. One of the tools I use the most when upcycling is my seam ripper. If you’re not familiar, a seam ripper is a sewing tool that has a small razor to help tear through stitching. They can be pretty necessary when you’re taking clothes apart, and upcycling tends to require a lot of deconstructing clothes so I consider it a must. You can also opt to get a tiny pair of sewing scissors which work well for taking apart clothes, but they don't have the same ease as a seam ripper. You can also start collecting fabric scraps, ribbons and trims from old items that you can use on the new pieces you create. Before you get rid of a clothing item give it the once over to see if there's any fabric, elastic or trims that you could use for a project, this is a great habit to get into so that you can grow your collection of supplies.

Learn The Basics

Starting to learn how garments are made will help you be able to customize your creations better. As someone who is completely self taught when it comes to making clothes, I’ve found that taking them apart is one of the best ways to learn how they’re put together. Whether it’s pants, a skirt, a blouse or coat, once you learn about the basic components that go into an item you can start to use that knowledge to build things that you want in a way that works for you. Taking clothes apart also gives you a chance to create your own patterns based on things that you know fit you well or work with your style. Another basic that will help you on your upcycle journey is learning how to use sewing patterns. You can find patterns online or you can opt for store bought, but whatever you choose you'll be able to deep dive into the art of clothes making since patterns often have a wealth of information. There is terminology that may be unfamiliar but they usually have explanations that accompany each term to make it as approachable as possible. Whether you have a sewing machine or not, learning how to put clothes together will help you figure out all the ways you can upcycle.

One of the most valuable upcycling skills is sewing, either by hand or machine, both ways will be useful. Your sewing machine probably has an instruction manual, but you may want to check out YouTube for a more visually comprehensive education. If you’ve never learned how to use a needle and thread then you can head over to YouTube university for a crash course. It seems more intimidating than it actually is, and once you try it you’ll realize that hand sewing isn’t really all that difficult. There are a number of fancy stitches and techniques that you could learn once you master a basic stitch, but that’s up to you. Just being able to do quick stitches will definitely come in handy for anyone who wants to upcycle.

Get Crafty

Now comes the fun part, the creativity! Upcycling is all about expressing your own personal style through your fashion and doing it in an eco-conscious way. I love the challenge of designing something and figuring out how I can make it happen with the things I already have. If you’re just starting out on your journey you may not have as many resources to work with as a career crafter, but the more you craft and create the more you’ll find materials coming your way. Keeping ribbons from gifts or saving old bedsheets will become second nature because you’ll start to see them for their potential purpose in addition to whatever purpose they currently serve. You’ll likely start finding inspiration in unlikely places and using unconventional materials to make your designs come to life, which is all part of the fun of upcycling! And don't forget, upcycling doesn't always require that you make something, just wearing clothes in a new way can be all the change you need. Your favorite skirt can easily become your most worn shirt without any cutting or sewing necessary!

While this isn't a comprehensive guide, it's a great place to start your upcycle journey. You'll find that there's an endless list of things to learn and ways to upcycle, but once you have the general idea of how garments work and the tools you need, things will go much smoother no matter what kind of project you decide to tackle.

Happy Crafting!