How to Make New Styles Out of Old Clothes
Avoid buying an entire new wardrobe each season by updating old clothes. You can alter and adjust shirts, pants, boots and accessories to convert the clothes in your closet to fit the latest trends. You can also make children's clothes from men's and women's shirts, providing a creative and useful way to make use of old clothes.
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Make girls' summer dresses from old men's dress shirts. Raid the closet or visit local thrift stores to find a button-up men's shirt, preferably with a print or stripe. You can make several different styles of dresses from men's dress shirts. Tutorials and patterns are available at sites such as dana-made-it.com and craftster.org.
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Convert old jeans into skinny jeans. Turn the jeans inside out, put them on and decide how tight you want them to be on your leg. Pin both pant legs and then remove them. Draw a line with fabric marker and measure the lines to make sure they are even on both legs. Replace pins and sew with a sewing machine. Use a thread that matches the original thread of the jeans. Remove pins and cut off excess fabric.
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Sew flowers, rosettes, ruffles or other embellishments onto old shirts. If purchasing a simple tee, buy two and use the second as fabric. If using an old shirt, choose a coordinating fabric and cut out circles to sew rosettes or flowers. Turn old T-shirts into summer cardigans or use a glue gun and rhinestones to bedazzle simple shirts.
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Turn an old men's T-shirt into a women's skirt. Choose a solid color shirt or one with a stripe. You can make small skirts out of a men's large shirt, but medium and large women's skirts require a 2XL or 3XL shirt. Lay the shirt flat and cut off the entire top of the shirt, right under the sleeves. Stretching the shirt flat as you sew, stitch 1/8 inch from the cut edge all the way around, backstitching to start and end the row. Sew 12-15 rows 1/4 inch apart.
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Turn a men's sweater into a sweater dress. Put it on and mark the length you want, anywhere from mid-thigh to just above the knee. Remove the sweater and cut it to the desired length. Wear it with a wide belt cinched at your waist. You can also update old boots with a cheap fur coat or stole from the thrift store or closet. Cut two large squares from the material and put it into the boots, ensuring there is enough to fold over the top of the boots as a trim.
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