In this practical sewing and clothes upcycling video, I’ll show you how I refashioned an old sweater, dye it and altering it to a more contemporary style.
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A friend gave me this sweater, challenging me to transform it into something more wearable.
The original sweater was white, had a large collar and zip down the front. It was stretched out of shape and had clearly been well worn but still had plenty of life left in it.
The first step was to tie dye it. There were a few stains on it and the off white colour was a little lack lustre.
I do a lot of clothes dying and, to save money, usually throw a few garments into the one dye bucket.
First, I threw it into a red dye batch. It came out Ok but was a little ordinary so I decided to add some purple. And this really made it pop.
I usually leave the clothes soaking in the dye for a few days so the fabric fibres absorb all the dye.
You can see here, when I’m taking the top out of the purple dye batch, the dripping off is nearly clear. This indicates that most of the dye has been taken up by the garment.
After rinsing out any excess dye, I hang it outside to dry for a few days.
Then it’s on to the alterations.
The first step was to get rid of the zip at the front. This was bulky and unnecessary. Like always, I cut out and saved the zip because I’ll try and repurpose it on another project.
After removing the zip, I sewed a new front seam all the way from the bottom hem, through to the top which enclosed and joined the oversized collar together creating a polar neck at the top.
Doing this made the original collar seam visible. I simply disguised this by sewing a new seam.
Next, I pinned a channel at the top of the new collar where I would thread my new collar ties. But before sewing this, I had to cut at the front of the channel where the collar tie would enter and exit. I finished this off using on the stitches on my machine. A button hole stitch would work just as effectively.
Next I thread the new collar tie through the channel.
Here is an important tip. When I was dying the top originally, I threw in an old tie that I salvaged from my bag of ribbons so the tie would match the top fabric.
Next, I found some wooden beads from my box of beads and added these to the bottom of the tie. Not only did this finish it off but it stops the tie from puling back into the channel when you wash it.
Next, I sewed a channel in the bottom hem and thread another tie through to form a tie at the bottom.
And finally, I rehemmed the sleeves and added some elastic for an elasticated hem.
And it’s finished. This was quite the transformation. This sweater is super comfortable. The bottom tie can be tucked under so it’s hidden or left out so it’s visible.
Thanks for watching. I’ve uploaded quite a few active wear upcycling tutorials so check out my channel for more tips and inspiration.
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Thanks for watching,
BEX.
My videos and tutorials include:
* clothes dying tips
* clothes tie dying
* dye clothes
* how to dye clothes
* how to upcycle clothes ideas
* upcycling clothes ideas
* upcycling clothes before and after videos
* sewing tutorials for beginners
* easy sewing tutorials
* upcycle leisurewear
* active wear upcycle
* sweater upcycle
* clothing refashion ideas
* sustainable fashion DIY
* revamp old clothes
* creative ways to upcycle clothes
* refashion thrifted clothes
* upcycling clothes without sewing
Second Life Upcycling is about altering and upcycling clothes to give them a second life, inspiring people to recycle, repurpose, refashion, reuse, and rethink. On this channel, you'll find easy, quick, and simple step-by-step clothes upcycling tips and easy sewing tutorials. I have been thrifting, second-hand shopping, and sewing for 30+ years. I started thrifting in the 1980s. My passion is following an ethical style when it comes to my clothing choices and living an environmentally friendly life. I rarely buy new clothes (or anything new for that matter), instead shopping second hand at shops, Goodwill, Vinnies, Salvos and flea markets.