Ideas for Recycling Old Clothing into New Fashions

Recycle clothing that you find in your home, or purchase clothing from yard sales and flea markets, to use in making new fashion styles. Recycling clothing to make new clothing, otherwise called upcycling, is a great way to reuse old styles that no longer fit or that you feel bored of, rather than letting them go to the nearest dump. Instead of throwing away old clothing, use your creativity and make something new!

Recycle and cut apart old t-shirts to make new clothing styles. Look at printed t-shirt designs in a new way, and be creative in mixing and matching the designs. Sew a patchwork using t-shirt pieces, along with other cotton fabrics to make a summer dress, shorts or a short-sleeved shirt.

Rather than use the entire design on the t-shirt, look for interesting patterns in small sections of the design. Sew the pieces together to create stripes or odd-shaped patches into a length of fabric, and cut out using a sewing pattern.

Create a dramatic fashion statement by recycling old denim jeans and jackets to sew into new styles of clothing. Use buttons, flaps, pockets and waistbands from an old pair of jeans to sew cute purses and fashion accessories. Turn a denim jacket into a bolero jacket to wear with a dress by cutting and hemming the jacket right below the bustline. Piece together strips of cut denim to create a fitted, corset bodice. Turn a pair of jeans into a denim skirt by cutting the inside pant legs open and inserting a triangular piece of denim into the front center, attaching to the leg seams.

Men's ties come in a variety of stunning prints and patterns, which you can either recycle to embellish your existing clothes or make new clothing from scratch. Choose ties in the same color range, or mix and match colors and patterns. Pin the ties together at the sides and sew them into a large piece of yardage to make dresses, jackets or skirts. Hang men's ties from the hem of a dress for a unique fringe effect. Create a colorful patchwork of ties as embellishments to existing clothing, and make matching accessories.

Turn silk scarves into breezy blouses for a spring wardrobe. When coordinating a mix of scarf styles, group either similar colors or similar prints together. Cut the scarves into a variety of shapes and sew together as patchwork. Sew a fitted blouse, a blouse with flowing batwing sleeves or a simple tunic blouse with the patchwork fabric you created. Alternatively, sew a cotton dress or skirt and use the patchwork as an overdress or overskirt. If you have access to a lot of silk scarves, make a skirt or dress with several layers, and let the designs show through the transparent layers.