It certainly pays to give outfits a new lease of life. Oxfam's Second Hand September is here to encourage reusing, rewearing, and recycling clothes. Join in, or refresh your current wardrobe with these tips.
MAKE THE CUT
During the heatwave, why not turn an old pair of jeans into denim shorts? YouTube blogger @emptyhanger recommends using men's jeans for this. You will need a sharp pair of scissors to cut them off at the required length. Then use wonderweb and an iron to hem the shorts if you do not want the raw edge showing.
TOTE-ALLY BRILLIANT
Turn an old vest into a tote bag. Simply hem a cotton vest top and use the straps as handles. If you can find an old string vest in a charity shop, even better, ASOS sells a similar style bag for £8.
DYEING TO TRY IT
Fabric dye can give a preloved garment a new lease of life — or transform something you already own. Instead of buying a new coat this season, upcycle a beige trench coat to one in this season’s trending cocoa shade with Dylon all-in-one washing machine fabric dye in Espresso Brown. It costs £7 at Dunelm.
PATCH WORKS
Kids’ clothes are easily stained. But you can cover up marks with sew-on patches. Get a selection of 32 colourful rainbows, fruit, and food patches at Amazon, reduced to £5.98, and get your sewing needle out. These are also great for customizing gifts.
SEW COOL
Want to improve your upcycling ability? Skillshare.com has lots of tutorials and online classes to improve skills such as sewing. Or join courses covering "how to make a smock dress". Join and get a month’s free trial, or check out the free classes available to all.
MAKE IT AN EVENT
Check out eventbrite.com for free sewing workshops in your area. Upcoming events include repairs and alterations sessions, embroidery workshops, and how to hem a garment — perfect for upcycling your own wardrobe or upgrading a pre-loved item.
All prices on page correct at the time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
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