How To Have More Fun With Your Clothes

patti 10 Comments
How To Have More Fun With Your Clothes. Yes, clothes can be even more fun than they already are! Like when you personalize, bedazzle, or colorize them. Most of my clothes are worn as I find them, as I’m not a terrifically creative/artsy person.

But even I can learn a new trick, and it’s fun to wear clothing that’s more personal to you. In NYC this past weekend (already inspired to dress cool) I attended a fashion workshop, ReFashion Week Do + Brew: A Conscious Fashion Event. It’s sponsored by esa, a “grassroots organization mending the disconnect with our relationship to clothing and the fashion industry.” The event was promoted this way:

The average U.S. citizen throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year. Do + brew is an upcycling and mending party that inspires us to give new life to old or unwanted items.

Join us and learn how to transform your old clothing into something new and unique. D.I.Y. activities include t-shirt transformations, mending, jean distressing, tie-dying and more!

The meeting was low key for NYC, a lovely surprise. But lots of fun, as people gathered around sewing machines, vats of dye, piles of fabric scraps, and of course the ubiquitous fabric glue. I saw women ripping up jeans and creating skirts and scarves. Turning a long dress into a two piece outfit, fringing like crazy, and making silky skirts into trousers.

 

This is as far as I got 😊. I am not even an intermediate upcycler.

I was in the extreme beginner category, but even I managed to embellish a cute men’s cotton shirt with a fabric heart. I also went to town with fabric paints, making a hot pink peace sign on a black tee. Sadly, I dropped it, paint-side down, while walking down 6th Avenue. Now I had a messy abstract, but a worthy attempt.

OK, Martha Stewart isn’t worried about the competition. But I enjoyed sewing a simple fabric heart on my chest.

The clothing swap portion of the event was disappointing, unless you’re a master re-stylist like Melanie of Bag And A Beret. There were lots of fast-fashion pieces, with a couple of vintage treasures hidden in the racks. Nothing goes to the landfill: whatever’s left over moves on to the next show or is donated.

The clothing swap was entertaining, but the clothes were not too special.

So I had my first taste of making more fun, personal clothes. I have a few ideas for future projects:

  1. Bedazzled shirt collar. I like this look, especially with an otherwise casual shirt like this one. Find some sequined fabric, maybe from an old sweater, and stitch or glue it on the existing collar. Bam! You’re glam.

Or I could just buy this one, via The Cure thrift shop.

2. Patching a pair of distressed jeans, with fabric chosen by me, not the manufacturer. Here’s a cute way to patch a small hole:

This looks fresh. Directions are here.

3. And more attempts at painting my tees with a signature design.

Here’s a good tutorial. I didn’t use the hair-dryer step; that would’ve been a shirt-saver.

 

I had to visit with my thrift store boyfriend, who looks out of sorts today. Smile, big guy, you don’t need two hands to guard the shop. At The Cure.

How do you make your clothes more fun?

Keep joy in your heart, and stay fabulous, xo,

Here’s some cool pieces to browse, and have fun with if you like:

Please be aware that links to vendors may be affiliate links. I may benefit from your purchases through the links on the blog. Header image via this site.

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patti

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  3. What cute ideas!! I don’t consider myself very crafty either but I love that idea of sewing an embelishment on a shirt pocket or tee! Thanks for the ideas and it looks like you had a good time which is all that counts! Love your humor about your “thrift store boyfriend!”

  4. Changing buttons on an outfit is about as “creative” as I get, given my lack of sewing or crafting skills. I used to love the long skirts made from old jeans with vibrant fabric filling in the leg gap (80s or 90s?) but executing that sort of thing was beyond me. I have fabric marking pens drying up in a drawer because the spirit is willing but the hands are clumsy. That said, brava to upcycling and the folks with the skills to do it.

    • We are sisters in lack of sewing skills, Cee! I loved those long skirts too – now I have to go look for one on Etsy : > xox.

  5. These things do look deceptively simple until you’re trying to have a go. I would be in the extreme beginner category too, and I doubt I would have made as good a job as you of sewing a fabric heart to a shirt đŸ˜‰ xxx

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