This week's clothes upcycle is a start on some early Christmas sewing!
I've seen some great upcycled Jeans Christmas Stockings around so thought I'd try some out with the pile of jeans I still have to upcycle for the school carnival stall.
I decided to make some mini treat stockings that could be used for filling with small gifts at Christmas parties, at the end of Christmas term at school or even perhaps for pet stockings! The finished stockings using my template are about 22 cm (8.5") tall.
They are super simple to make, here's how.
You will need a pair of old jeans - or denim offcuts, some white fabric for the top of the stockings - I used an old sports shirt; and finally some fabric scraps and fusible webbing for the applique pictures.
First cut 2 stocking pieces from the denim - one facing each way. You can either draw your own or you can download the template I drew here. Also cut 2 rectangles to top the stockings (again on the free template download) and iron some fusible webbing onto the back of the fabric scraps you want to use for your applique. Finally, cut a small piece of the jeans seam to use as a hook to hang the socking up with.
First you need to draw, cut and attach your appliqué to one side of your main stocking piece. I chose a nice simple Santa hat for my first stocking. I also made a Christmas tree, a bell, a star, a snowman and a candy cane. I've also included these on a downloadable template here - but you can always draw your own, or use outlines from old Christmas cards or there are plenty of downloadable outlines available on-line that you can find with a simple Google search.
I always applique (tight zig-zag) stitch around the pieces after ironing them on as I find that after time the glue tends to come unstuck!
Now you can put your stocking together.
Pin then stitch the two main stocking pieces right sides facing together and stitch around all but the top opening.
Next, the white top. Pin the two white rectangles right sides facing together and stitch along both short sides.
You now have your two stocking pieces ready to put together.
Turn your main stocking right sides out and slip the white pieces over the top. You should have right sides of the white and denim facing and the raw edges lined up around the opening.
Pin then stitch around the top opening.
For the loop to hang the stocking, cut a small section of the jeans seam - about 8 cm (3.25"). Fold this in half and stitch to the back side seam of your stocking.
Finally, turn the top of the stocking in about 1cm (0.5") and stitch all the way around to neaten.
Now you're done! One mini Christmas treat stocking finished!
I made a few of them all with different appliqué designs.
The snowman is my favourite!
For the downloadable PDF version of this tutorial, click here.
To see what else I upcycled from clothes for the school carnival stall go here.
And if you liked this tutorial - there are 100+ sewing tutorials for all kinds of projects and all levels of sewing ability on
I love to upcycle. Anything goes - but I especially love working with jeans...
Here's why..
Isn't upcycling perfectly good clothes wasteful?
I've been asked before why I would cut up perfectly good clothes to make other things. Is it not wasteful to destroy something that can still be used in its current form?
To an extent I would agree it could be considered wasteful if those clothes were actually being used, but I only upcycle clothes that I, or others have discarded. They are worn and unwanted clothes and I upcycle them into something that is useful and of (hopefully) more value than the original unwanted item of clothing.
How many of us have clothes sitting in our wardrobes that never get worn. Upcycling could give them a new lease of life in a different form.
I also try to use every part of the clothing I upcycle - even the fabric scraps are kept as stuffing and fill for cushions, soft keychains or other such items that need 'stuffing'. Nothing is wasted!
are each made from a single pair of jeans (plus some other fabrics), all the jeans I have used come from charity shops and jumble sales and all the extra fabric is recycled or remnants.
These bags are designed to be practical and useful. I use my own bag every week when I do my grocery shopping which up here in the tropics is certainly a lot more often than a pair of jeans would be worn
(the bag contains a set of reusable shopping bags, also upcycled - from an old bed sheet),
The upcycling concept
It is the concept and idea of upcycling that really fascinates and inspires me. The way of seeing an object for more than it was made or intended for, in the way that young children see cardboard boxes - that become trains, shops, or all manner of play things.
This is also a popular exercise in creativity - to think of as many different uses for an object as possible.
For example, a fork could be used not just for eating dinner,
but also as a hook, a planter label, a bracelet or a pom pom maker!
I also challenged myself to make as many things as possible from upcycling cloth rice bags.
This leads nicely onto my next reason for clothes upcycling, and my motto for all things in life.
"Use what you've got"
Crafting can be an expensive hobby as you buy the tools and materials you need. Making things yourself is no longer necessarily the cheap option as it may have been for previous generations. I find that buying crafting supplies is often expensive.
Upcycling provides free crafting materials
Sewing with unwanted and discarded clothes provides a cheap or free fabric source, not only of basic fabric pieces but also of interesting ready-made parts like pockets, waistbands which can be used for bag straps, seams that can be used for bracelets and keychain tags, not to mention various notions like zips and buttons.
The environmental benefits and costs of crafting materials are certainly something to be considered too. What else would happen to old and discarded/unwanted clothing? Some do get reused and resold as clothes - in charity shops in first world countries or shipped to poorer countries and sold on markets.
Some are broken down into fibres and then used as fill or made into car upholstery or blankets, as can be seen in
But there are also many clothes which end up in landfill - a total waste! A much better option is upcycling.
As you can see, the issue of what happens to old clothing isn't simple or straightforward. However, from my own personal point of view, upcycling clothes is the obvious option for what I do. It provides me with a cheap or cost free fabric source for my crafting, which also allows for more experimentation and practice in sewing since I'm not worried about ruining any expensive fabric!
But using old clothing and other materials is also an eco-friendly craft source. It provides an exercise in creativity and also hopefully inspires others to be creative and use what they've got too
The answer is not always to spend money!
Too often nowadays, when someone wants to do something, their automatic reaction is to spend money. By this I mean, buy equipment or materials, pay for lessons or pay someone else to do something for them. This applies equally to crafting. Many people go and buy new supplies to craft and create with instead of looking at things they already have, or others have discarded for example in charity shops.
We have a culture of spending that I don't believe is healthy or necessary.
Crafting can and I believe should be both budget and eco-friendly.
I may not be changing the world all by myself in saving a few clothes from landfill or upcycling things to solve a need/problem rather than buying, but what I am doing is providing an example which may in turn inspire others to upcycle and recycle things they already have rather than buying new.
Small deeds can have big effects.
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Mahatma Ghandi
If I can inspire others to give things a go for themselves or choose a more eco-friendly crafting option, then that makes me feel good and that I am helping to make a difference, no matter how small.
The sentimental side of upcycling
One final aspect to clothes upcycling that deserves a mention is the sentimental value of sewing with pre-loved items of clothing - particularly kids clothes that may have been favourites - made into teddies, bags or t-shirt quilts for example.
I used one of my daughter's old school dresses to make a dress for teddy as a keepsake of her time in junior school.
Another sentimental upcycle of mine were the slippers I made for my daughter from their old hobby horses that they no longer played with.
In short, clothes upcycling is an eco and budget friendly crafting option that can provide excellent practice material for beginners worried about making mistakes and can also provide unique finished pieces with practical use and both sentimental and monetary value.
Finally I would like to finish this post by sharing this Parody Video of Pharell Williams "Happy" song -
"Used Clothes are not Trashy"
Enjoy and I hope you find something here on my blog to inspire you to try some of your own upcycling!
We're all aware of the problems of plastic waste and pollution - particularly in the oceans and endangering wildlife.
This is one of many videos around that remind us of this:
One small step that we can all take is to use reusable bags for our shopping, and say no to plastic bags.
To keep a cloth bag in your handbag, or car means you're prepared for those odd unexpected times you need a bag.
I've also designed a stylish handbag that has a hidden compartment in the base, where a set of cloth shopping bags can be stored so you never forget your reusable shopping bags when you do your grocery shopping!
The handbag itself is upcycled from an old pair of jeans with some co-ordinating fabric. The bags are made from an old bedsheet.
I share the tutorial of how to make these bags, plus a few more useful upcycled bags in my ebook:
You can buy this ebook and get all of the tutorials and patterns, plus detailed instructions and pictures showing how to deconstruct a pair of old jeans to reuse the fabric for this bag.
Reusing our own cloth bags and refusing plastic bags is a small step to take, but if enough people do this, we can make a huge impact!
I've been trying to make things for my daughter's school carnival stall that kids will appreciate, so I figured plenty of kids have iPads, surely they'd like pretty covers for them!
So I made some iPad sleeves from old jeans, shorts and shirts!
I used the denim for the outer fabric, the shorts for the inner, and the old sports shirts for an extra layer of padding in the middle. I also used some left over scraps from previous clothes upcycles for the appliqué on the front.
So here's how to make a simple pretty iPad sleeve.
Some fusible webbing and scraps of fabric for the appliqué on the front.
First decide on your appliqué design. I chose hearts and printed outlines from my computer. Iron on some fusible webbing to the back of your pretty scrap fabric, then draw your design on and cut out the pieces.
Following the instructions for your fusible webbing, iron your cut out pieces onto one of the outer pieces of fabric. For mine, you peel off the backing paper, place on your fabric then cover with a damp cloth before ironing for few seconds.
Then either appliqué stitch or use a tight zig zag stitch around the edges to hold more securely in place. (I find the glue weakens after a while and the appliqué pieces tend to peel if I don't stitch.)
Next you need to add the button fastening to the same front fabric piece. Place it centrally and 4 cm (1.5") down from the top edge and stitch into place.
Then pin and stitch your elastic on the top of the other outer piece centrally and with around 2.5 cm (1") of a loop sticking out over the top edge.
Now to stitch your pieces together.
First your outer and inside padding pieces.
Lay the outer pieces right sides together and then put a piece of the inner padding on either outside of these like so.
Pin then stitch around the side and bottom edges, leaving the top where you stitched your button and elastic, open.
Trim the seams close to your stitching.
Now take your inner (lining) fabric pieces and pin those right sides together along the side and bottom edges. This time leave a gap about 10 cm (4") wide in one of the sides. You will need this at the end to turn your sleeve right sides out.
Stitch remembering to leave the gap open.
Now turn your outer fabric and padded piece right sides out and slip inside your inner (lining) piece.
Push all the way in and line up the open raw edges at the top. Pin these together all the way around.
Stitch all the way around the top, then turn the sleeve right sides out through the gap you left in the side of the lining.
Make sure the raw edges are folded into the gap in the lining, then hand-stitch the opening closed.
Finally, push the lining inside the outer sleeve and make sure the opening is neat and in line.
Top-stitch around the opening to hold both fabrics in place.
All done!
Slip in your iPad
and fasten the button with the elastic loop!
I made a couple of different coloured appliqué heart sleeves.
They are nice and simple to make, so I will be making more of these for the stall.
Any suggestions for appliqué designs for the front are welcomed!!
Note: my daughters have Samsung Galaxy Tablets rather than iPads and they fit into these sleeves too!
I also made another design with a pocket from a pair of shorts on the front.
Which design is your favourite?
For the free downloadable PDF version of this tutorial, click here.
To see what else I upcycled this year from old clothes for the school carnival stall,
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