Upcycle

verb reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.

At the end of this interesting year, I would like to share with you 3 upcycle projects. In Dallas/Ft. Worth we have many talented and creative folk. Some of them share and inspire on the Facebook page DFW Wearables

First up Aimee Wilson, who also just happens to have started and is an admin for the Facebook group DFW Sewing . This group has almost 3000 members! She describes her upcycle here: My mom was given a t-shirt and she doesn’t like to wear t-shirts. She brought it to me when she came to visit me around Valentine’s Day, and asked me if I would “fix” it for her for her birthday (which is in March). Of course I did as she requested. My mother loves tops that are longer and that swing out as she likes them to look nice over leggings or jeans. I used the Ellie and Mac Discoverer Tee as the base and added some godets on the sides to add more volume.  Read more about how she modified the pattern on the original blog post  https://www.ellieandmac.com/blogs/blog/flare-out-discovery-tee-hack?_pos=2&_sid=707a0d031&_ss=r

Leah Mask is another DFW talent. She describes her upcycle that includes the dyeing of fabric on her blog Lovely for Life. What a beautiful and dramatic change!

And finally, my own project. I found this Zara brand men’s slim cotton jacket at a thrift store. I wanted a fitted look, and was inspired by men’s tailcoat design. I took it apart from the inside and added multiple darts. I initially was going to remove the shoulder pads, but I decided I like the look of the trimmings with the masculine shoulders. It is cotton, so has that lived in look of natural fibers. And I am loving my new half leg mannequin, that is able to wear skinny pants as an example of how I would style the jacket. After I finished my look, I saw that Threads published similar article on upcycling suits. Read it here.