Do you ever find your home cluttered with a bunch of stuff that you simply don’t even use anymore? Most of the time, the majority of the clutter is piles and piles of out-of-date, out-of-fashion, ill-fitting clothing that no one in the family will ever wear again as-is.
It’s great to donate old clothes to those who might need it more. In the winter, donating coats, gloves, and other warm articles of clothing to the homeless can even help save lives out in the bitter cold.
However, another option is to recycle old clothing.
Whether that means making a blanket out of old T-shirts, cutting up sweaters to make stylish cable knit throw pillows or even turning old ratty workout clothes into cleaning rags, that’s up to you!
When you get down to the bottom of it, the way we go through clothing as a human population is incredibly wasteful. After one season of wear, many people will disregard almost an entire wardrobe just because it’s not what the celebrities are wearing anymore.
There’s a much more sustainable way to look at fashion: if you make it timeless and of high quality, carbon emissions from the fashion industry will go down, and less of last season’s clothing will end up in landfills.
Sarah Tyau, a stay-at-home mother of three and a self-taught amateur seamstress, has figured out how to get fashion that will last while recycling old clothing.
She hasn’t ever taken any sewing classes beyond the basic home economic courses back in her school days, but you’d never guess when you see her finished products.
Her trick is to keep all the original buttonholes, zippers, and all the other do-dads and bits and bobs intact that would require a higher level of expertise on her part.
The main part of recycling fashion, as far as Tyau is concerned, is coming up with the initial vision. For her, that happens in a matter of seconds. It’s all about finding inspiration or looking for something special about an existing garment that will make it extraordinary in its new life.
Maybe it’s the pattern like it was for this dress she made from an oversized T-shirt for her daughter:
Maybe it’s pulling some inspiration from traditional origami for this mumu to peplum transformation:
Sometimes it’s envisioning a baggy, faded garment as a fitted, vibrant ensemble.
Maybe all you need to do is add some pants for a very chic and dramatic effect.
Or, maybe it’s the other way around?
This old, lifeless skirt looks absolutely angelic as a delicate, flowing dress.
Tyau does a ton of these oversized shirt transformations for her daughters.
It’s such a clever way to create fashionable looks as children grow up so quickly, so that you don’t break the bank.
Can you believe that this is the same dress?
Tyau refashioned this in jsut one evening in order to meet a contest deadline. Now that is truly impressive.
Sarah says that she wants to take classes to improve her skills, but I personally don’t think that’s necessary! Her creations are beautiful as they are. She’s incredibly gifted as a designer, and she’s doing her part in decreasing clothing waste and informing others how to do the same.
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