September 2019 - You Make It Simple

It’s Poncho Time: Upcycled Sweater Project

It’s poncho time. Keep your little girls toasty warm this winter season with a poncho. Whether your little girl or toddler is at play, at school, or just hanging out in the house, a poncho is a great lightweight covering that is not too bulky or constricting.

These ponchos are super easy to make using upcycled sweaters and fleece of all kinds.

Dress it up with a soft flower made of fleece, decorative trims, or other fun embellishments.

I put a few of my felted wool sweater balls on this one.

Mix and match colors to create a one-of-kind, whimsy, fun, playful poncho she will love wearing.

The neck binding is easy to sew and made with cozy fleece that fits comfortably and easily over the head.

Just think of all the different color combinations and fun contrasting neck bindings you can create.

The patterns are available in here on my site or in my Etsy shop. Sizes 6 months to girls size 14 are available.

For those of you gals who would like to wear something a little whimsy and fun yourself, you can get the women’s poncho pattern HERE ON MY SITE SHOP or HERE in my Etsy shop.

These make fun Christmas gifts for your little girls or grand kids! This really is a quick easy project.

Get out your sweater stash and make ponchos.

For sweater upcycling tips and know-how, check out my FREE online course HERE.

Jan Howell

My intention for this website is to share tips and tutorials that I have found on my journey of life that has brought me joy, improved health, and peace, in hopes that it will do the same for you. I hope you'll join me on this journey!

Connect:

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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poncho Sewing upcycled clothing upcycled sweater projects upcycling

Upcycled T Shirts – Ideas and Tips

Do you have a t shirt that you love, but it doesn’t fit anymore or has gone out of style? Give it a second life by making something else out of it. Here are some great upcycled t shirts ideas and tips.

Knits are “sew” fun to work with and there are so many fun things you can make with them, especially children’s clothing.

Although, nowadays, little kids’ t-shirts are usually cheaper just to buy already made, than to purchase a pattern and fabric (not to mention the time involved).

However, if you already have an existing shirt to use for fabric, and an EASY pattern, then making something can be quite fun and save you a lot of money!

Have you priced good-quality interlock knits lately? They are not cheap and the selection is usually poor.

This piece of knit with 5 % spandex was $12.99 yard.

So if you have a shirt that has good quality fabric, good colors, and design, and you don’t wear it anymore, MAKE SOMETHING COOL WITH IT!

Here are a few ideas of what to do with upcycled t-shirts:

baby and children’s shirts
leggings
little girl skirts
cut strips for braided rugs
bracelets
whatever you can imagine………
baby beanies
T-Shirt Yarn

Here are a few before and after photos

I used this polka dot shirt to make a skirt……..

……….. and this shirt to make a comfy double fold yoga waistband for the skirt.

Ta-dah! I added a cute green pom pom trim on the bottom and look what a cute whimsy skirt these upcycled shirts made.

You can get the pattern for this skirt HERE.

Felted wool sweater strips make up this cute skirt. (pattern can be purchased in my Shop).

I used this shirt for the waistband.

This purple turtle neck wasn’t the most attractive shirt to wear, however, it was good fabric and worked really nicely for the yoga waistband on this simple fleece skirt.

So instead of going in the trash, or to the thrift store, this shirt came in real handy!

I love cutting strips of t-shirts and winding them up into a ball. Not only do they look cute sitting in a basket, but there are a lot of fun things to make with strips of knit shirts.

Here is a link to a video tutorial on how to cut up the shirt into t-shirt yarn.

Go to Pinterest and type in the search ” t-shirt strips” and you’ll find all kinds of fun things to make.

If you haven’t seen my post on how to make these adorable baby beanies from upcycled t-shirts, you can find it HERE.

In a previous post, I show and give some tips on how to cut out t-shirts to get them ready for projects and how to use the fabric for other things.

So, that was a mouth full. I hope you find it inspiring and gives you a few ideas.

Have fun sewing my friends!

Jan Howell

My intention for this website is to share tips and tutorials that I have found on my journey of life that has brought me joy, improved health, and peace, in hopes that it will do the same for you. I hope you'll join me on this journey!

Share:

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Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

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Upcycled Denim Jeans – Ideas and Tips

September 1, 2019 / SEWING, Sewing Tips, Upcycling / No Comments

knit skirts recycling repurposing t shirts sewing tips upcycled clothing upcycled t-shirts

Upcycled Denim Jeans – Ideas and Tips

Do you have a bin of denim jeans that you have been saving? It’s time to get them out and make something fun with them. There are so many simple things that you can make using Upcycled denim jeans. It is a durable fabric that can add a lot of classic style to quilts, bags and other fun projects.

Here are a few fun upcycled denim jeans projects I found on Pinterest.

This was one of my most favorite projects to make with upcycled jeans. I have made two of these. You can find the tutorial for the patchwork quilt in the link below.

Denim Jeans Patchwork Quilt

Bins

Skirt

Bag

Upcycled Sweater and Denim Christmas Stocking

The list of things you can do with a pair of denim jeans is ENDLESS.

Upcycled Denim : How to deconstruct a pair of jeans for recycling projects

To get the most yardage out of a pair of jeans, I came up with a system on how to cut them open so they are easier to work with.

Lay the pair of jeans out and cut along the inner leg seam, just on the outside of the seam allowance.

Keep cutting around the crotch and down the other side.

Now cut the front open, along the side of the zipper.

Cut the back open, cutting up along the side of the back center seam.

You will have two separate pieces that lay open and flat.

Now you have better access to cut out whatever it is you are making with your denim pieces.

I like saving the cute tags form jeans to embellish other sewing projects.

Simply unpick and top stitch on other projects.

Get yourself a bin and start saving the jeans that no longer fit or have a few stains or holes, and give them another life.

Keep Smiling,

Jan Howell

My intention for this website is to share tips and tutorials that I have found on my journey of life that has brought me joy, improved health, and peace, in hopes that it will do the same for you. I hope you'll join me on this journey!

Share:

Connect:

Jan Howell

Whether it’s a new recipe, a fun craft, or some handy tips for your garden and home, I hope to empower and inspire you with skills that you can use to create joy, improved health, and to do it in a simple way.

Jan Howell

Connect:

Jan Howell

Related Posts

Here are a few ideas of what to do with upcycled t-shirts:

Here are a few before and after photos

Jan Howell

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Jan Howell

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Here are a few fun upcycled denim jeans projects I found on Pinterest.

Skirt

The list of things you can do with a pair of denim jeans is ENDLESS.

Upcycled Denim : How to deconstruct a pair of jeans for recycling projects

Lay the pair of jeans out and cut along the inner leg seam, just on the outside of the seam allowance.

Keep cutting around the crotch and down the other side.

Now cut the front open, along the side of the zipper.

Cut the back open, cutting up along the side of the back center seam.

You will have two separate pieces that lay open and flat.

Now you have better access to cut out whatever it is you are making with your denim pieces.

I like saving the cute tags form jeans to embellish other sewing projects.

Get yourself a bin and start saving the jeans that no longer fit or have a few stains or holes, and give them another life.

Jan Howell

Share:

Connect:

Jan Howell

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