A few weeks ago I came across a post on the Sculptress Studio blog (discovered through her inspiring Flickr feed) about attending a sheep shearing at a 1840′s festival. Making clothing at that time (which isn’t long ago, really) was a three-year process. Three years. What she wrote here really struck me:
“Clothes had value far beyond what they do today. How many shirts and socks have I thrown away because of a small hole worn in the fabric? How easily would I have abandoned it if I spent three years making it? How did waste apply in the three year cycle? I imagine by the time cloth reached the trash pit it had gone from adult clothing, to children’s clothing, to quilts, to patches, to rags, to wicks, to nothing but a few thread bits.”
Around the same time, I came across baby vests made from rescued cashmere, like the one pictured above, made by eecee bb. An excellent example of good quality adult clothing being saved from the trash and turned into something useful (and adorable). I really want to try to be more aware of the impact of my purchases, and re-use as much as possible.
Have any good upcycling tips?
Tumbling
fromscandinaviawithlove A home in Finland.
Cuoio Lounge Chair via SeeSaw
Photo Grid on SeeSaw
Adventurer Poster - Etsy
Bubble Chandelier - Matter
UO Corporate Campus
Pictorial Guide to Emotions // Fine Art Print by themooncraft
Mittens A3 Print by Juliapott on Etsy
You could take a look at http://www.wardroberefashion.net/
members pledge to only make their clothes or re-fashion thrifted items and then post their results on the blog. I’ve seen some great stuff on there
HI!
I’m not sure if this counts as upcycling, but I’m in the process of moving and I’m using clothes and towels to wrap around my dishes and breakables. This way I don’t have to unpack garbage and will save on fuel by reducing the overall shipping weight.
Lori.
Quite sobering and also inspiring!
I first began “rescuing” sweaters from thrift shops about four months ago when I set out to make a “church purse” for my 3 year old grand daughter that would hold all of her books, crayons, and favorite things to help keep her quiet during the service. That red cabled sweater purse was drop-dead gorgeous…and it inspired me to continue in my efforts until I opened my shop on ETSY.com. My favorite fibers to felt and work with are lambswool, cashmere, wool, and angora.