Some posts here on ARoseTintedWorld may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and buy a product or register, then I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. I may also use products from the companies mentioned in these posts. Thank you for supporting my blog!
There is a lot of talk at the moment of ‘Fast Fashion’. And how damaging our constant demand for new clothes is on the environment. I personally don’t buy a lot of new clothes for myself these days. But maybe it is time to look to new ways of up-cycling your existing wardrobe into new pieces. Today I am going to make a Denim Skirt from old jeans leggings. To make new clothes from old.
Denim Skirt From Old Jeans
In the USA alone, 13 million tonnes of clothing and textile waste go into landfill each year. Yes, people give some of their old clothes to charity shops and thrift stores. But a lot more goes into the bin.
The fashion industry is the second largest polluter of all the industries. Second only to the oil and energy industries themselves.
A thousand bathtubs of water per household are used to make the clothes that we wear. The industry uses 70 million barrels of oil each year to make polyester fibres. Polyester can take over 200 years to decompose in landfill. At the same time, microfibres from synthetic materials are part of the plastic that is entering our oceans and washing up on our shores.
Buying less clothes is definitely part of the answer. Or buying classic clothes that do not date. Staying ‘fashionable’ when the shops change their collections every season is definitely a problem.
How much better would it be to upcycle your garments into new garments that are truly your style and unique? No one else would have the pieces that you have created. I decided to try and do just that.
Denim Leggings Into A New Skirt
In my house, the only real items I do need to replace on a regular basis are my jeans. Or jeggings to be more precise. My everyday staple wear, I probably go through about 3-4 pairs a year. They wear on the knees and in-between the legs.
But last year I decided that I didn’t want to keep throwing the old pairs away. So in the spirit of new clothes from old I decided to make my jeggings into a new skirt.
I took my old worn out jeans.
Which were definitely in need of some up-cycling love.
I cut the legs off at knee level, and put the lower part of the legs to one side.
On the main part of the skirt, I trimmed the inside leg seam and worn section away.
I then opened out the lower leg portions that I had cut away earlier. You can either cut off the hem and cut the non topstitched seam, or use a seam ripper to unpick carefully.
I took one of the panels created from opening out the lower legs, and placed it in the V-shaped hole created when cutting the inner leg seams away. Pinning this into place, I then topstitched this into place with 2 lines of topstitch thread matched to the other topstitching on the denim.
I then repeated this with the back panel. On the inside I cut away the excess material with pinking shears to prevent fraying.
And lastly I hemmed the whole skirt. Very little of the original jeans material wasted, and a new item for the wardrobe. Saves me buying a new skirt!
Child Leggings from An Old T-shirt
Another great idea is if you have an old t-shirt that you are thinking of throwing away, why not make some new child leggings? My post on How to Make Childrens’ Leggings Without Needing A Pattern will help you. And for children up to about 3 years of age, you can get a pretty decent set of play leggings out of an old t-shirt.
In May last year, E’s nursery announced that they were having a “Star Wars” Day on May the 4th. My gorgeous OH had been given a star wars pair of pyjamas, and had practically worn them out, but they were still good enough for me to use for a new pair of leggings for E. She got some nursery wear out of these before she grew out of them. And of course it meant that the life of the pyjamas was extended by a good 6 months.
A Little Girl’s Dress From An Old Shirt
My other half regularly clears out his wardrobe, and gets rid of a load of old shirts with grubby collars. There is nothing I like more than making new things out of these.
See my post on making a little girl’s dress from an old shirt here.
And if we can’t make new clothes from old ones? Well, maybe we need to start designing clothes that are easier to recycle. Buying clothes that can be composted at the end of it’s life. Or that can be crafted into other things such as rag rugs.
In Finland, they have even developed a material made from the native birch trees! It is not just the spirit of Lagom, but it really will save the environment.
Find some other more sustainable fabrics in this post.
What do you think of making a denim skirt from jeans? Do you think that it is a project that you could try in your life? I would love to hear your thoughts. Do share what you think below, or find me on social media.
Enjoyed this? Why not read Lagom Your Life. Part 1 ; The Kitchen
or Lagom Your Life. Part 2; The Bedroom
And make this year A Year To Clear!
You have inspired me, I am going to try this with some of my clothes #bloggerclubuk@_karendennis
Thank you! If you were going to throw them out then what is there to lose?
What a great idea! So thrifty and very stylish too! x
Thank you! I just hate throwing things away LOL!
Hi Jo and others, if you have old clothes that you do not or cannot recycle. Oxfam have a service called waste saver, whereby, anything that is deemed unsaleable is sent elsewhere to be utilised (and kept out of landfill) to help others. Many what we consider worn out is considered nearly new in parts of the third world. Ask, but if willing your local Oxfam can put these things to waste saver, and keep it out of landfill.
This is a fabulous idea Kay. Looking online it does look as though Oxfam sorts all of its donations this way. So any worn clothes will be going in their clothing banks from me in the future!
Dear Jo,
I very much admire your sewing skills. I can only sew in a straight line so curtains are my limit. Not ideal unless you are a member of the Von Trapp family.
Love from Q x
The skirt is pretty much all straight line sewing. It could soon become one of your ‘Favourite Things’!
So clever, sewing has always been a real weakness for me but I’m in awe of anyone who can be creative with a sewing machine. #ABloggingGoodTime
Thank you. I just hate to waste things I suppose!
That is an interesting idea! I am not thrifty or crafty in this way so this wouldn’t work for me but I do love the idea of buying only environmentally friendly clothing. Which is hard to come by now that I know just how much the fashion industry is damaging our planet. I didn’t know that but now that I do, it is something to look further into. #AnythingGoes
So much of the clothes out there are synthetic or not environmentally friendly. And people just not value clothes now they can buy them for a few £$ at Target or Primark.
Jo, I love it! I just read that lots of charity shops in Australia are refusing to take donations of clothes because they have way too many. So people who shop too much and buy too much, thinking they’ll be doing a good deed down the road when they donate them, might have to reconsider. Upcycling! #triumphanttales
I just think it is a crime to throw good fabric away. Luckily i have a 3 year old to help use my cut up old clothes, but I do think that composting is going to be an important consideration moving forwards
I honestly would recommend sewing to everyone. You don’t have to be amazing at it, even for repairs it is worth it. Thank you so much for reading and such lovely comments.
What a cute little skirt! Like you, jeans are the very things which I go through too. And those jegging seams love to wear away at the best of times. This would be so fun to try! Thank you for bringing all the creativity to the #dreamteam xx
The skirts are great over thick tights or leggings, and perfect in summer obviously. Thank you for reading.
I love the jeans to skirt idea, I am going to try that!
#TriumphantTales
Great stuff. Do let me know how it works out!
I did not think about taking an old pair of jeans and turn them into a skirt. I have not sewn anything in a long time but here is my chance this year to do so. I like the idea.
Great. Good luck and happy sewing!
Very impressive! I wouldn’t know where to start! Well done you. Thanks for sharing with #TriumphantTales. PS. So sorry for not getting back to your email about the badge, it was a bit of a crazy week last week with one thing and another. I can see you’ve got it now, but I will look into the code when I get a chance.
Thank you Jaki. Just doing a little bit more to be frugal and ecologically sound too!
I love taking old clothes and making new. It forces you to be really creative. Your skirt is a good example where most of the fabric is still really good, but would be thrown away with the rest of the garment. Lovely skirt and leggings. #MMBC
Thanks Cheryl, I guess I just don’t like throwing things away.
I’m terrible for saving old clothes – always thinking I’ll do something else with them, and finally I’ve started to do that. MOH who wasn’t sure, is now on board which is good news! Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo
I wish I had the talent to make new clothes out of old – I’d be sorted. I’ve got so many old clothes that I just seem to be storing. Unfortunately I wouldn’t know where to start! Your new skirt looks great. 🙂
Thanks for linking to #pocolo
Thank you for reading. It is such a great hobby to pick up!