Recycle, eh!

Taking it all apart:

Whenever I'm finished with a piece of clothing, I regard it as potential material to recycle into something else. I’m a pretty hopeless sewer, so I've had to come up with ways that only require only simple, straight stitches on the machine, or just plain old hand sewing. As well, I've found that I can also just staple or glue some projects!

Taking clothing apart sounds pretty tedious and, yes, it can take up a lot of time. I take stuff apart while on the phone, watching TV or a movie., or sitting on a park bench while the family pooch gets exercised. When friends come over for coffee, I hand them a piece of clothing and scissors. I often bring smaller stuff to take apart on the bus or while waiting in line ups.

Of course, I've made a pile of mistakes, but now I have a strategy. So, for what it’s worth, here’s my advice before starting a project:

When choosing fabrics for a project:

• Take a look at the clothing labels and make a note of the washing instructions. Check that if you use different fabrics to make one item, they’ll require the same washing methods.
• Wash and press all fabrics before using them.
• Stick to the same weight of fabric when using a mixture of items for a project. 
•  Don’t worry if you don’t have enough matching clothing when making a set of items such as chair covers or place mats. You can create a coordinated look by combining fabrics of a similar colour, weight, and finish.

To create original finishing touches:

• Keep any zips, buttons, and trimmings you’re not using–they’ll come in handy for accessorizing other projects.
• Use the original features of the garment into your project–if you’re anything like me, why wrestle with creating new fastenings, when you can use the existing buttons or zippers?

What do you do with:

Lint and small bits of string. You can place both on top of bushes in the yard and birds will pick the lint and string to feather their nests. If you have enough of it, you can also use lint as a fire starter in the fireplace or BBQ; just light it with a match to get it started. 

If you have a lot of string on hand and want to use it up, consider turning that string into a rustic pillow or cushion cover. You can knit/crochet this cover using a simple garter stitch.

Old sweaters. Don't toss out your old sweaters--recycle these into a tea cosy, window or door draught dodges, funny head gear, hot water bottle or cushion cover. a stuffed toy, or knit/crochet a bunch a squares from different sweaters to make an original afghan. Keep the sleeves of your discarded sweaters–there’ll be enough material in them to use for making small accessories.

Some crafters use old sweaters to make felted purses and hats and here's a great idea that I got from a friend: she recycles her discarded sweaters as chair seat covers.

T-shirts. Favourite tees that you don't wear anymore can be turned into fashionable cushion covers or you can staple them to a frame and hang up on the wall as original decoration. To make a cover, cut off the arms and then sew the tee up (turn it inside out first) in a rectangle on three sides to fit your cushion. Hand or machine-stitch the open side.  Old tees also make great shopping bags. To make, just cut off the arms and sew the bottom together. Keep a few in the car or bike basket to take along when you go shopping.

Towels and old bed sheets. Old bed sheets make great picnic table cloths, drop cloths for paint jobs, and you can cut both towels and old sheets into rags and use them throughout the house. If you’re going away on holidays, place an old towel in the bath tub and then your potted plants on top of the towel. Fill the tub with enough water to cover the towel and you can leave on your trip knowing your plants will survive your absence.

If your mattress sags in the middle, place several folded sheets under the mattress center to even out the surface. Now you can sleep easier!