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7 Fun Ways To Save Money On Clothes (That You've Never Tried)

Author:

Emma Loewe

September 30, 2015

By Emma Loewe

mbg Contributor

Emma Loewe is the former Sustainability and Health Director at mindbodygreen. She is the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us" and the co-author of "The Spirit Almanac: A Modern Guide To Ancient Self Care." Emma received her B.A. in Environmental Science & Policy with a specialty in environmental communications from Duke University. In addition to penning over 1,500 mbg articles on topics from the water crisis in California to the rise of urban beekeeping, her work has appeared on Grist, Bloomberg News, Bustle, and Forbes.

September 30, 2015

We all know the benefits of recycling, but upcycling takes the concept one step further by turning used materials into higher-value objects.

Think: reworking a soda bottle into a simple planter or a colander into a practical light fixture.

Upcycling old clothes and household fabrics is a fun, low-impact way to turn yesterday's fashions into tomorrow's trends. The textile industry is the second largest polluter of clean water, so repurposing your cloth is also a hearty nod to the environment (and your wallet!).

We asked some of the web's most creative fashion bloggers for DIY projects that anyone can do to upcycle their own closet in a pinch. Here are a few of our favorites.

1. Button-down dress

Geneva Vanderzeil of A Pair & A Spare has a simple DIY that will change the way you look at button-downs: "This is one of our favorite projects — simply take a men's shirt and cut off the top, and add some elastic so it transforms into an insanely wearable dress. You boyfriend/brother/father will need to keep an eye on his shirts now."

2. Wearable throw blanket

Emma Chapman fashioned a no-sew sweater wrap from a dirty throw blanket. After cutting a space for her neck and making two small holes to loop a belt through, her DIY pseudo-poncho was complete. "I'd like to think this is a more fashionable version of a Snuggie," she writes on her A Beautiful Mess blog.

3. Tank remodel

The crafters behind P.S I Made This got creative and turned safety pins into bold clusters to adorn a plain black tank.

4. T-shirt rework

Laura Pifer shows that five minutes and a few snips is all it takes to upcycle an old T-shirt into a wearable dress.

5. Repurposed flannels

Finally — an excuse to wear PJs in public. BrittanyMakes proves that, with a little sewing prowess, you can turn dingy flannels into a comfy repurposed scarf.

6. Fabric earrings

Janelle Montilone of TrashN2Tees gave us a tutorial on how to turn scrapshirt material into a funky accessory.

"You'll need 25mm earring hoop wires available in the jewelry section at any craft store. Lay flat your section of T-shirt 4 inches by 2 inches. Use a rotary cutter or scissors to square off edges. Make ⅜-inch cuts vertically across the fabric. When you're finished make ⅜-inch cuts horizontally — you'll end up with small square shards. Holding the earring hoop in one hand, place your square T-shirt bits onto the wire in a desired pattern until you are satisfied," she explains.

7. Drawstring T-shirt

Cut the sleeves off a shirt and save a strip of leftover scrap to weave through the bottom hem to make a drawstring bag out of any outdated tee or tank. "It’s my favorite kind of project: 100 percent recycled materials (in this case, just the tee and nothing else!), minimal tools, quick and easy, and a super useful finished product," Lee Meredith writes on her Leethal blog.

Preview image courtesy of A Pair & A Spare.