Clothes Upcycling May 1st

 Here's my challenge: 

During May I will work my way through the pile of clothes that I have been saving to upcycle in some way, shape or fashion.  The pile has become too big, and something needs to be done!  So each day I will post on my progress!

I will also be featuring those who have linked up to my clothes upcycling page with their fantastic ideas and tutorials. The linky is open long term, so feel free to add all your clothes upcycling projects and build this great resource some more!

So here's what I'm starting with:


A ridiculous amount of old clothes to have saved, don't you think?
Some are kids clothes which my daughters (or I) loved and can't bear to give away. 
Like this Hello Kitty Dress...
 Some have marks or stains, some are ripped, and some are just too small, like this cute top that hasn't fit either of my daughters for about 4 years now!!





There are some adult clothes too - some that no longer fit, are a style I wouldn't wear now, some are marked, or made of fabric I can't bear to part with.  So many different reasons to hoard these clothes!!

I have ties,

shorts, dresses, trousers, t-shirts - you name it, I've got it!
I even have an old ripped sarong from a friend who handed it to me saying "the material is too nice to throw away, I thought you could make something with it instead"! 

Plus lots of kids jewellery that my daughters have discarded, that I've kept thinking I could use them somehow....do they count as clothes??

I know,I'm a hopeless case!
And so the pile grows!!


So, time to get started!

As with any large task or goal, planning is important.  I learnt some years ago about making SMART goals.  This means your goals should be:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time bound

So , for the purposes of this challenge to myself, this is how it will work:

Specific : I will completely work through my entire pile of clothes saved to upcycle
Measureable: The pile of clothes to recycle or upcycle at the end of the month will be non-existent!
Attainable:  I will start by sorting out a bag of clothes to donate to the charity shop, leaving a manageable pile to work through in May
Realistic:  I sew every day anyway, some projects will be very small, others big - I know when I manage my time, a lot is possible - I just need to focus!
Time Bound : All this by the end of May!

Phew!

The first thing I really need to do is sort them into a pile to donate to the charity shop - I can't possibly get through all these clothes - and some have been there so long that the emotional attachment has now faded!
I shall do that now, then continue with this post! There's no time like the present!

Just talk amongst yourselves while I do this....

....................

....................

Done!

Ok, I'm back!
Here's the box of clothes I've narrowed it down to:

It boils down to roughly one item of clothing per day throughout May! Quite a challenge! 

So, I'd better get started!
First day, first item! 
A t-shirt that fits neither daughter anymore (they are now aged 8 and 6!)



So, I turned it inside out, cut off the sleeves and a section at the bottom and stitched the side and bottom holes up:


Boxed the corners out of the central 'bag' piece to flatten the base of the bag:


Then using the strips I cut off the base of the t-shirt (I cut the side seams off) so now had 2 pieces - one from the front, one from the back.
Then turning the raw edge in, stitched them into 2 straps:



And attached them to the 'neck' which is now the top opening of..



A cute little bag:


To keep their little ponies in!



Not bad for project number 1, which took about 15mins all up!







And so ends day 1 of my great upcycling month!
Please come back tomorrow, and do feel free to join in!



And do leave me a comment -
What do you think of my challenge?
Do you have a stash of clothes to upcycle? 
Any suggestions? links?  enouragement?
I'll make sure and visit you back too! One good turn deserves another!
 

14 comments:

  1. Super cute and very creative! Great job!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the challenge - you can do it! SMART is super smart. You're MLP bag is so, so cute!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a challenge... I've had a bag like this for months and just dont ever seem to finish it...I keep adding stuff! Very annoying... LOL I just had a 'mending week', maybe you've seen it? So a few things are done... now for the rest :) Good luck with this challenge, I might join in if work doesnt get in the way!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very inventive!! Following you back from IDoTheeWedSara.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Love the pony bag! I wish I could sew.

    Thanks for linking up to Super Stalker & April's Tailspin. The new May Tailspin will be up around 10pm central tonight!

    I followed back on GFC & liked your FB page :)

    ~Darcy @ Tales From the Nursery
    www.darcyandbrian.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. So so clever. What a cute little bag for your girls to keep their ponies, you've done a great job. I love your challenge and how you've organised yourself. You're off to a good start enjoy your challenge month. xo

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great start Jill!!
    The little pony bag is gorgeous and very practical.

    Looking forward to seeing all your creations this month.

    Michelle :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the pony bag--AWESOME idea! Thanks for stopping by, I'm following you back now!

    www.cookinformycaptain.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. The bag is really cute and those leggings are adorable! Great ideas!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

    ReplyDelete
  10. so fun. I am going to love seeing all your ideas this month. I will add some more things to your up cycling page.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Excellent challenge - that is a great bag!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am now STALKING you everywhere that I see listed here!

    Thanks for linking up on my new Super STALKER Sunday! Sorry it has taken me so long to get to you. The response has been OVERWHELMING! I hope you won't be a stranger and come back next week, or even just mid week and say hello! : ) I post lots of other great things like recipes, tackles, and rambles (oh my!).

    I also should mention that I have a FANTASTIC Blog Hop Directory that has at least a dozen blogs listed for every day of the week. No kidding! Come and check it out! : )

    ReplyDelete
  13. So creative and amazing! I wish I was crafty like that!

    I'm "stalking" you from the Super Stalker Sunday hop! Hope you'll participate again this weekend!
    Mariah, Formula Mom

    ReplyDelete
  14. i what you did with the pink t-shirt, it's so creative and awesome!

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.