Every year you splurge a lot on buying trendy clothes. But then these trendy clothes stay in trend only for a while and then all you are left with is a closet full of clothes which get branded old and out-of-use-clothes.
What if you could reuse them? What if you could create your own trend.
That would be exciting. It would have too many purposes - would be economical. After all, not everybody has the spending power like that of Kareena Kapoor or Alia Bhatt.
So, when it comes to budget living, which most of us do, recycling old clothes could be a massive step towards economical living. Also, restyling your clothes could be fun. If you are sentimentally attached to some of the clothes in your wardrobe, you probably could keep wearing them for years in different ways.
That way your favourite clothes will remain with you almost forever.
Here are some interesting ways of how you could reuse your old clothes:
Well, you have been wearing this pair of palazzos and you totally love them. But now, you are beginning to get bored after having worn them for some two years in a stretch! So, what do you do? Discard them? No, c’mon they are your favourite pairs. How about you cut them a bit from the bottom? Yes, half palazzos. You could team it up with a long kurta or a crop top, and your new avatar is ready.
You could follow this method for your pair of denim as well. The denim will turn into a pair of capris. Or even with your pyjamas to team them up with a long kurta.
After you chop a portion of the bottom, do remember to hem the edges.
There are hundreds of ways you could use your t-shirt. One of them is to collect a lot of tees, snip them into not-so-tiny pieces, and stitch them all together into a rug. Try using tees of various hues. That way your rug will gee a splash of colours.
You sure have a carton full of t-shirts that you have been wearing for years or have kept them stored in your cupboard but you find it hard to part ways with them. Why not keep them for some more years. Yeah, make a quilt out of all your t-shirts. A small quilt could do with some 15 to 20 t-shirts. However, a big quilt may need much more. Say around 30.
Collect all your favourite tees and start stitching them together for the big quilt. If you have no time to spare stitching or do not know how to, outsource the job to a tailor. A t-shirt quilt is the best way to preserve your favourite tees and imagine sleeping having them as your cover. Priceless!
There is another way you could use your old t-shirts. Make them into cushion covers. It will look unusual and one-of-a-kind cushion covers gracing your living room. Here as well, you could bring in your stitching skill to use or outsource the job to a local tailor.
If you have a T-shirt that still looks new and you want to wear it, try giving it a new look by altering the neck of it. If it is a collared-tee, cut the collar into a boat-shaped neck or if it’s a round neck tee, cut it into a V-shaped neck with cropped sleeves. You could then add some jewellery to the tee. Say, for instance, some junk necklaces around the neck of the tee. You will have a bejewelled tee that you could pair with a skirt or even denim.
There are several ways you could use the jewellery from your cupboard to brighten up your old clothes. Just mix and match, you will find the right design.
If you want to get more creative with using your old t-shirts, repurpose them into bags. These bags will be colourful and interesting to use, and will also be special for you since these are t-shirts you bought or got as gifts.
You could either cut the sleeves into handles or try other styles to convert the t-shirt into a bag. These bags could be used for different purposes based on the styling of it. If it’s just a plain bag with a handle, then you could use it to store anything. Or you could style it in a manner that there are several cuts like holes in the bag to store fruits in your kitchen.
There’s one more way you could reuse your t-shirts. Make them into a scarf. Cut the t-shirts open. And then stitch all of them together into a long scarf. You will make a scarf that probably is so unique that anybody who sees you wearing it will stop you to ask where did you buy it from. You could make a scarf out of a flannel pyjama as well. Flannels work best for a scarf. They are soft and easy to fold.
If you have a pair of denim skirt that is too worn out, you could make it into a small rug. Take two denim skirts and stitch them into one big rug. Add a lot of decoratives using the patches of other fabrics. So, you will have a colourful stylish personalized rug in our house.
How about getting yourself a pair of new shorts? How? Cut your denim jeans into shorts. Hang some beads at the edges to give it a funky beach look. Your zero-investment shorts are ready.
Denim has too many uses because it washes really easily. You could also use an old pair of denim into a napkin. Either stitch four pieces to form a symmetry or use a big piece if that serves your purpose.
If you have a pup at home, you could put the denim to really good use. Stitch the denim in the form of a bone for the dog and stuff it with snipped clothes. Trust us, your dog will love the new appearance of his food.
If you have a sweater that is new but yet unusable, you could make it into a pair of long socks best suited for chilly winters. Take the sleeves of the sweater and stitch one end of them each. That’s all and your sweater is ready.
You could create a new table cloth using the various patches of the clothes you don’t plan to wear anymore. Stitch them all together and your table cloth is ready. It’s unique and cost-effective, and of course special because it has a touch of a lot of experiences you have had.
You could also use your old clothes to make your footwear look new and unique as well. Say, if you have a pair of closed shoes, you could use some patch from your old skirt or tee and paste it on your shoes. Of course, create some sort of design so that the patch doesn’t look awkward. If there is a cute lace on your old clothes, chip it away and paste it on the straps. Your new flip flops will attract a lot of attention.
(If you are good at designing your clothes, then here are 10 Reasons You Should Choose Fashion Designing As A Career)
If you have a transparent piece of dress or an organza frock or a stole, you could reuse it as the lamp cloth. This will require a bit of patience and craftsmanship. Take help of online tutorials. Or the local tailor should also be able to help you.
If you have potted plants in your balcony or backyard, give them a new look. Take your old scarf with interesting print and wrap it around the pot. A simple step and your garden could look so unique and interesting.
Some other ways in which you could reuse your old clothes is using your jewellery box to redecorate the clothes. Take an old tee, attach strings of neck pieces at the neckline or the central area of the tee. You could use the thread to stitch the jewellery or even use glue.
As you work your way, you will know what works to keep the jewellery adhered. Or instead of using the jewellery on the neckline, adhere it to the bottom of the tee. The bejewelled tees will add a touch of regal dimension to your piece of cloth.
Well, these are some really simple and easy ways to reuse the clothes you have stocked in the closet. It’s cost-effective and also helps you turn on your creative side. It could be a good weekend plan. All you have to have is a pair of scissors, some thread rolls, a sewing machine, some accessories, and you are set to go.
If you are crafty enough and want to share more such hacks and useful tips to reuse and upcycle the unused stuff lying around in the house. Do check out the Art, Craft and Photography community on SHEROES.