Today we’re talking about recycling; namely, upcycling garments into patterns. Clothes definitely have a lifespan and replacing pieces that have lost their luster can be expensive. Enter the seam ripper!
Clothes that have worn out can be taken apart and the pieces used as a pattern. I’d suggest trying this with a simple garment, illustrated here with an A-line skirt.
Materials needed:
seam ripper and manicure scissors for taking out seams,
a pen and paper for notes
digital camera. (You’ll want to take pictures as you take each piece off- it’ll help you put everything back together later.)
fabric for your new skirt
Step by step: (take pictures before and after each step!)
1. Start taking apart your skirt. You want to take your it apart in the reverse order of the way it was put together, so take off any buttons or hook-and-eye closures.
2. Next take off the waistband and zipper, followed by the skirt panels. Most importantly, don’t cut the fabric unless you absolutely have to. Most seams are can be taken out if you open them up and cut the threads. If you find interfacing, a lining or similar details, make a note of it so you can incorporate them into the final piece. You should have a waistband, at least two panels, a zipper and potentially buttons in addition to any trim or embellishment.
3. Once your garment is in pieces, you have your pattern! Lay the pieces out on a table and play with the layout until it looks like the diagram from a pattern packet- utilizing the fold of the fabric and the double thickness for multiples of the same piece. This really goes a long way in figuring out just how much fabric you’ll need. When you have everything laid out, use a tape measure to figure out the amount of fabric you’ll need, and off to the fabric store we go!
Once you have all your materials, cut out pieces using the old skirt as a pattern. Put your new skirt together, reversing the order in which you took it apart. Use the pictures and notes to put it back together- don’t trust your memory! When you’re finished you’ll have a carbon copy of the skirt you began with, which hopefully will become another wardrobe favorite for years to come.
