making my own clothes
upcycling & reworking garments
being the thrift queen i am
i love hunting for unique and quirky garments
things that no one else will have
stuff to cherish and treasure
however i still find the issue of things not fitting right
this took me to d.i.y.ing clothing to fit better or be unique
giving the clothing a more personal meaning to me
and the confidence to rock them
below i will go through my process to alter clothing to fit better
& ways in which you can embellish, rework or upcycled garments
to take it one step further
one of my favourite parts of charity shopping
is looking at the fabric, curtains, pillow cases, bedsheet
huge chunks of materials for usually only a pound
this gives you a great amount of fabric to make clothes from scratch
for such a reduced rate and saving waste from landfills
it also lets you make items that fit you perfectly
and no one in the world will have one
i love this as i can never find anything that fits right
its either perfect round my bum but sags at the waist
or fits everywhere but my hip
dresses that make me look like a balloon
jackets that drown me
the list goes on
explore further for my guides, tips & tricks
to reworking clothing
& looking bomb
content
sewing basics & gear
how to hem
resizing jeans
replacing buttons
patches
embroidery
denim patchwork
a three piece
hair scrunchies
scrap bags
tote bags
lino printing
check out my youtube channel for videos of each stage
and a more in depth tutorial on how i do it
how to thrift




shopping Secondhand is an art
it takes patience, time and a keen eye
over the years i have procured the art
and now have some top tips on how you can become and elite charity shopper
Tip one
go frequently
So many times do I hear 'oh i never find anything in charity shops', yet they proceed to say they hardly go, well that right there is your problem. secondhand items aren't preorderable, you can't find them online and pop in as you please to claim them. they take time and effort to search and uncover. people are constantly drop off item, so the shelves are always changing. going often is the best change you'll have at finding killer pieces.
Tip two
don't be picky
sometimes the best charity shops are the stingy looking ones. they have the real Gems and for a absolute bargain. by all means have your favourite stores to frequent, but even just on the occasion pop into those you don't and have a peek. you never know what you'll find.
Tip three
go with an open mind
never expect to find an item. have an idea in mind. a colour scheme, a fabric, a pattern maybe. But don't go in looking for something specific as chances are you won't find it. be open to the possibility of finding some new, something quirky, something you hadn't thought of. and try working that into your wardrobe.
Tip four
scour every inch
always look around the whole shop, you can find the most random of stuff. things you never knew you needed. from clothings, books, furniture, fabrics, shoes, accessories, jewellery, vinyls, art, etc.. have a good look around to see what jumps out at you.
Tip five
try everything on
i have jeans in a size 8 all the way to a 16. sizing isn't really a true thing. so i never bother to look. when secondhand shopping you'll find clothes made from all over the place and from all sorts of eras, so the sizings will never add up. plus the volunteers tend to not know a lot about fashion or sizings so sometimes mark it wrong. and who doesn't like a baggier fit or a cropped top.
i also find that sometime an item you fall in love with on a hanger look hideous on a body and you'll wonder who one earth made this monstrosity as it can't look flattering on anyone, and things you thought were ok look da bomb on you and really accentuate your assets. it's better to try on a see how it fits your shape as you never know what quirky item will make you feel like a queen! (or king)
Tip six
think outside the box
consider how you can rework items to suit you better. hemming trousers, painting vases, cropping sweaters, making jewellery, recovering chairs, sewing clothes out of curtains. theirs so much possibility in a thrift shop. try recreating your dream pinterest items for a fraction of the price from bits and bobs you find, it's better for your wallet and the planet, plus it'll be super personal and make you smile at your nifty hard work every-time you see it.
Tip seven
curating
having a colour scheme can help when trying to curate a cohesive wardrobe or home. Instead of going back everything with a bunch of random items that don't match and end up as junk in a room, think about the key colours you wear or are featured in a room and keep them in mind whilst shopping, even try pinteresting some ideas so you have a reference to fall back on. this way when you get home you can match them up with things you already own and everything will fall in place.
Tip eight
only buy it if you love it
this is the most important one. and my final tip. don't just buy thing for the sake of it, because their cheap or you might use them. leave them for someone who will treasure them and save your pennies for something extra special.



Sewing basics
gear
hand stitching techniques
how to hem
if you wanna resize a garment to fit you better length ways
then you'll be wanting to hem it
hemming is when you fold over the edge and sew across it
to make it look neat and tidy
first cut the item to the length required
remember to leave 2cm extra for seam allowance
this is so you have 2cm of fabric to fold over and sew closed
you can do this on a machine or by hand
what ever you have available or find easiest
if you're doing it by hand
you'll want to use a backstitch method
to create a secure and neat seam
you can also leave it as a raw hem
common in jeans or cropped sweaters
to give an edgier look
be careful of the material though
as if it's to light it will curve
if it does then hem it to secure it
and an iron to flatten
resizing jeans
elastic & darting
green jean & navy cord jeans
armani jeans
don't you have it when you find the perfect pair of jeans in a thrift shop
but they are just too big and you wanna scream
well i have the solution and it's actually not that hard
the first way is to add elastic
you'll want to place the elastic on your waist (or wherever the jeans rise to)
from hip to hip, but going behind you
pull the elastic taught to fit comfortably around the waist
mark and cut the end
then lie the jeans face down inside out
so the inside of the back is facing up at you
then place the elastic on top of the jeans
at the waist band
attach it at either ends to the side joins of the jeans
then pull the jeans out and hold down
sew along the top and bottom of the elastic
one done the jeans will have and elastic waistband
this is a great way to make comfy jeans that stretch as you stretch
making them comfy for sitting on the couch and eating lots of snacks
the second way is to trim the jeans using a darting method
this will make them fit you exactly
for this you'll want to put your jeans on
pull all the excess to the front and squish into a line
poking out from your belly button
then measure the excess from you to the tip
this shall be what you take off at the back
take the jeans off and lie them down inside out
with the back facing up at you
find the middle point of the pockets on the waistband
then measure out your distance across it
pull the edges together and pin
then pin down in a diagonal line from the waistband into the pocket
to create a clean and straight seam line
make sure to match up the waistband either side of the waistband
once your done try them on to make sure they fit right
the pockets will now sag slightly
in which case you can unstitch them
and reattach them flatter
replacing buttons
to fix & upcycle
grey sequin jacket
blue suede blazer
red suede jacket
patches
attaching patches
earth onto dungarees
embroidery
gear
techniques
eating meat is strange
not your milk
you do you
denim patchwork
making my own patchwork denim jacket
a three piece
thrift curtains
trace old clothes
zips, buttons, poppers
pockets
lining
scrunchies
eco-elastic
scrap material
match three piece
scrap bags
crap material
offcuts
coin purse, toiletries, make up, pencil case
tote bags
template
lino printing
lino printing
jellyfish totes