Next time those jeans get pesky holes in them, think twice before throwing them away. Producing clothes has a huge carbon and water footprint, and so it is important that we make the clothes we own last as long as possible.
The good news is, there are lots of ways we can mend or upcycle clothes when they get worn or torn, which can sometimes give them a new lease of life too! Those of us in the Another Way team love to get creative with how we can make use of what we have, and so we would like to share some of our ideas with you.
At our team retreat, Abi showed us a gorgeous crop top and skirt that she made out of an old Zara dress she found in a charity shop! By cutting up the dress and adding in some new seams, she made a completely new outfit out of something that could have been thrown to landfill.
Another example of making unexpected items of clothing out of another is by using old leggings to make a gym top. Amy had a pair of bamboo leggings that had an unfortunate encounter with a spiky rock and ended up full of holes. By cutting off the legs to make arm holes and cutting out the crotch to make a neck hole, she was able to make a new gym top, and used the remaining fabric as hair scrunchies and arm warmers.
Our favourite way of making jeans last longer is visible mending. There is loads of inspiration on Pinterest and tutorials on YouTube to get crafty using old scraps of fabric to patch up holes, or by embroidering patterns over them. Our favourite ideas include pockets and knee holes full of flowers, colourful cross stitches over holes or bees, trees and mushrooms as little touches! By learning stitches like French knots, leaf and stem stitch, and petal stitch, you can easily have the basics to create some beautiful artwork on your clothes.
If you like to sew your own clothes, a sustainable way of doing that is by using old bedsheets or fabric in thrift stores or charity shops. You can even block print plain fabric with wooden or potato blocks to make a cool print, like we have done with duvet covers. Leftover scraps of fabric could be used for hair ties, hairbands, tote bags or even dusters.
If you decide to have a go at any of our tips, we would love to see your creations! Please get in touch with us at hello@another-way.org.uk
