Hi everyone!
I've been having a bit of a thrifty week this week so I thought I'd share a couple of tips with y'all :) I really wish I'd taken some before & after pictures of the clothes that I've customised but I totally forgot until it was too late! I'll remember in future though! As someone who is always skint but always on the hunt for a bargain and always dreaming of an extensive wardrobe I thought I'd start doing more *thrifty* inspired posts.
I hope you enjoy...
Dying is such a satisfying way to change items in your wardrobe. In go boring, faded, ugly fabrics and out come vibrant clothes with a new lease of life! I have been experimenting with dye recently, there were a few things I'd picked up second hand and the fit was right but the colour wasn't my cup of tea. I had some cream , bootcut cord trousers (vom) that cost £2 in the charity shop, I bought them because they were a tall leg length and I really struggle to find trousers that are long enough for me. My grandma had altered them into skinnier style and then I dyed them black! Hey Presto-new trousers for next to nothing. Dylon have a large range of colours that you can pick up in a haberdashery or on eBay for roughly £3 and its fairly easy when you follow the instructions on the packet. Also another point is it is quite unpredictable. don't expect everything to come out the exact same shade as it varies greatly. I dyed a blue silk shirt with some 'burlesque red' dye and its turned out to be a purple tie-dye effect-which looks awesome in my opinion but it might not be the desired effect.
Tip: It's best to dye natural fabrics such as cotton, silk & wool as it doesn't work on polyester or acrylic.
I bought a lovely velvet blazer from the charity shop, admittedly it was only from New Look in the first place but the buttons on it looked really cheap and plasticy. I thought the cheapest way to jazz it up was to add some new buttons. It only has two buttons anyway so it was initially a cheap job! I went to Abakhan-my local haberdashery and picked up the only tube of buttons without a price and obviously I picked up the most expensive ones in the shop! I chose this design & they were £1.19 each (which is quite a bit more compared to the other designs they stocked) but they have definitely made the blazer look more chic with a vintage style! Buttons range from anything from 10p-£5 each depending on detail & what it's made of. Another fun idea is to mix & match buttons on a cardigan or blouse to make it a bit more interesting.
Tip: Snip off a button you're replacing and take it with you so you can choose one a similar size, otherwise you have to start changing the button holes and that's a bit more complicated!
Buy some fabric scissors (or even better borrow your gran's) and get snipping! Cut the sleeves off old tees and turn them into slouchy vests, cut an unflattering neckline into a cute and casual scoop neck. Take those bootcut jeans you haven't worn for ages and turn them into denim shorts or hotpants if you're daring enough!
If you prefer get the ruler & chalk out if you want to be precise. I like the freehand results but not everyone does.
Tip: There are loads of tutorials online demonstrating how to cut more complex patterns into clothing. My favourite was this skull cut-out tee!
There are loads of sites on the internet that have video tutorials on how to revamp old clothes into something new and shiny. There are a lot of 'no-sew' tutorials if you're not the best with a needle and thread otherwise blow the dust off the sewing machine and get stuck in! From simple things to hemming a dress or more difficult projects such as following a pattern to completely rework an item, the information is all there and its free!
Mum's/sister's/ friend's wardrobe
If you are bored of your wardrobe, go and raid someone elses! It helps if you ask the person beforehand!! You could do a swap of unwanted clothes or even organise a swapping party. I've never actually taken part in a 'swishing' party but I'd love to! Encourage friends and family to have a clear-out of their wardrobe, as they say 'ones person's 'trash' is another person's treasure!' Adopt a piece of clothing that they no longer wear and give it a new happy life!
Tip: Alternatively all have a big sort out, make an ebay/car boot pile and split the earnings between you so you can buy new clothes :)
Do you have any other great tips for revamping old clothes? Link me to your favourite youtubers or diy bloggers!
Thanks for reading :)
Rachelle xxx
