A History of My Upcycling (Mis)Adventures

This is an assignment for a class I’m taking and, quite frankly, I can’t think of another way to transfer mass amounts of photos. I think it’s also a good look back at where my sewing life sort of began. In an effort to make an 8 am class feel less… 8 am-y I fully intend to make this as embarrassing as possible.

Enjoy!

Let’s start smallish and go all the way back to 2008. I was seventeen, I had my Dad’s old tie that I made into a bracelet.

I will not be able to properly evaluate if this is actually a good idea- I wouldn’t do it again at this stage in my life- but man oh man, I thought it was simply the coolest. thing. ever.

It was my first foray into sewing silk… and doing buttonholes in silk. It made me learn I was definitely not ready to work in silk. We thank it for it’s service.

Also a high school special, this is at a disco themed dance. The year before my jazz class were fireworks in the year end show. This top was meticulously hand sewn between my mother and I because, well, what else were we going to do with that fabric?

I removed the orange bottom and sewed on the bottom of a tank top. This made it longer as well which is always a bonus for me.

This is the classic jean skirt DIY. I took a pair of jeans that the thigh had worn through, cut it through the crotch seam, laid it flat and laid in a triangle of fabric from the legs. I zig zag stitched around the hem to give it some staying power, but still kept some of that 2008 ~ edgy ~ fraying.

It’s worth noting I wore this a LOT. it came on trips with me, it went to clubs with me. This one was a trooper.

We loved her.

This one doesn’t have a lot to do with upcycling, more just the skills it gave me. Picture this: you’re 18, you’re on a big bus tour rolling into Venice where they announce they’re having a big toga party at the hostel that night. They will provide you with sheets. Whilst others fumbled, I relied on my built up garment-making skills and pulled out this stunner with the help of a few hair ties. It stayed on through a night of very thorough partying.

Looked a bit rough the next morning, but don’t we all.

This was my 19th birthday- aka the day I could legally drink in the province of British Columbia. This was a gift from my brother- my ticket to debauchery. I was off to a weekend bartending class, which to this day remains my most profitable schooling venture. Well worth four weekends. To be fair, this gift was partly selfish as he was always there to benefit from my practice cocktail making. Well played the brother formerly known as Chad. Well played.

But, my memories aren’t what you came here for, let’s talk about this top. I found it on sale at The Bay (RIP) on a sale rack for $10 because it had a lingerie backing on the straps and one was broken. I was deep in my labels are important phase and when I found DKNY for that cheap I jumped. I took apart the lingerie looks and simply sewed down the straps.

It seems like a really insignificant repair, but I think when we get to a point of our journey we forget the sheer magic and joy of a really good bargain.

To be fair, I wore this top a lot too. I brought it on my trip through the Maritimes.

It’s really exposed my current need for a going out top.

2009/2010 is where I really thought I had some skills so I tried my hand at this dress. It used to be my favourite dress of my Mom’s. I cut it up, attempted to make a sweetheart neckline, added a black knit waistband for length, and then popped the skirt on the bottom.

Looking back, I’m a bit sad I completely eviscerated a gorgeous dress.

At the same time… I really loved this dress. Whenever I wore it I felt beyond amazing.

I think what this, more than anything, is the preciousness of fabric. When you deep dive into historical sewing the phrase, “piecing is period” comes up again and again. Upcycling isn’t new- survivor bias is the reason we think people were smaller. You didn’t just get rid of clothes when you outgrew them, they went to someone smaller to hack away at. In this case I’ve always been taller and bigger than my Mom. That dress was never going to fit me, but I’m happy I got to live in it’s magic for a bit. I think it’s still in my old bedroom somewhere. Who knows, maybe I can hack it and make something for my niece so she can be a part of the red polka dot magic too.

This is the story of a plain white tank top. I went to a rugby camp where my club gave us a Top Gun theme. I had never, and still have never seen the movie but that’s never gotten in the way of a good costume. We got bonus points for being on theme constantly so I sewed a few of these little strap patch epaulet things on to a few tank tops. I ended up taking apart two but saving one for nostalgia and just in case I’d never need it. Lo and behold a few months later we had a sailor themed party at the rugby club and I wore it again.

And by that point I just liked it so I ended up wearing it a lot.

So, there’s a little zip through of all the upcycles and alterations I have photos of. It’s always good to look bad and be reminded that even the smallest things can bring a new garment to life.