The Adoration for Upcycle & Handmade Fashion

Upcycling is more than just a trend, it's become essential in my handmade journey. The purpose behind upcycling is to reuse materials that would otherwise be discarded, & to make them into something of better quality. So, for example, if I have excess fabric after making a top, I might use the scraps leftover of that fabric to make a skirt or another garment. Upcycling opens my mind to new possibilities.

This is what sustainable fashion is, & being less wasteful is better for the environment. Instead of increasing waste, people who upcycle are reducing it by being more aware of how they're using their materials. More companies are getting on this bandwagon & truly I hope that as time goes by, sustainable fashion becomes more common in the fashion industry.

Upcycling helps you look at things differently because scraps of material no longer become thought of as trash, they become another potential idea. The fun part is getting to use my mind differently. Rather than seeing excess material as a throw away item, I like to think about all of the other ways they can be utilized. Since there are fewer of them, I think smaller & see what I can come up with that's not as complicated & it also leads to innovative ideas.

This process can often mean combining two crafts to create one design. With less material, I have to use what I have & that sometimes means combining fabric and yarn. I might have to stitch the two together for an accessory or create whole garments as I have for my Dream Duos. Once you realize that there are no limits, so many new ideas start coming.

Re-envisioning older projects is an art unto itself. Instead of just tossing them in the trash, I think about how I can update them to make them feel new. It becomes a matter of deconstructing the design in a brand new way that's truly inspiring & refreshing. I might add a different color, use fabric in a crochet piece, or turn it into a completely different garment by using other materials. Whatever is most necessary to make the item come to life in a whole new way is made possible with upcycling.