Sew Reusable: Tips and Tricks for Upcycling and Recycling by Beth Darrah
How many of us sew and have waste, either in scraps, UFOs (unfinished projects), or garments that just didn’t turn out the way we had hoped? Everyone. We all do! Wouldn’t it be great if we could do more recycling and less land-filling with all that fabric?
You’re in luck! Here are two ways you can do something more productive with all of that left over fabric:
- Upcycle garments into new ones
- Donate scraps to be recycled
Let’s talk about those makes that you had such high hopes for, but didn’t pan out. Maybe you serged a band on inside out, or perhaps your toddler found the permanent marker you thought you hid and took a long swipe down your sleeve. Whatever the case may be, you now have this fabric that is going to be trashed.
But wait! Perhaps you can use some of that fabric for sleeves or bands. Or maybe you can squeeze just enough fabric from those garments to make your child an outfit like I did. I took this top and sleeveless cardigan and upcycled them into a Nina top and Bonny Legs for my daughter. Fortunately, she still adores everything I make for her, so I get a happy kid and I feel so much better now that I’ve breathed new life into this fabric!
There is still some waste after upcycling that we can take care of though. Did you know that your neighborhood Goodwill accepts fabric scraps? They’ll also take your makes that didn’t turn out quite right, your muslins and your UFOs that just aren’t going to make it to see daylight. Many stores even have a back door you can pull up to and an assistant will help you unload your vehicle.
You might be wondering what places like Goodwill do with all those scraps, clothing they can’t resell, etc. They actually turn it around and sell it to textile recyclers. So your old clothes and fabric scraps end up in new clothes and other textiles instead of in a landfill. And that’s a great deal if you ask me!
What do YOU do with all your fabric waste? SHARE your ideas and help us keep more usable fabric out of landfills!