Upcycled Lounge Pants

Since getting my sewing machine for Christmas, I've been beating around the bush when it comes to tackling actual wearable projects. After managing to make a small stuffed elephant that involved a great deal of precise work (done imprecisely) I decided I was ready.

I'd heard pyjama pants are the easiest clothing item to make and my copy of Sewing Green suggested they could be made with a reclaimed bed sheet.

I used to have some adorable purple chrysanthemum sheets that I haven't been using since the cat, in his kittenhood, clawed a few holes in the fitted sheet. However, I've saved them and thought they would make the perfect lounge pants.

I trimmed them with fabric from a quilter's quarter yard. Most of the sewing went smoothly, although some of the cuffs are not 100% straight and some of the hems are a bit bunchy. However, the pants are super-comfy, soft, and purple - my favorite color.

Precious Pachyderm

Recently I learned to sew. Correction: I re-learned how to sew. In middle school I took the required home ec classes, where I sewed a pillow that looked like a giant pencil. That was the extent of my sewing, however.

I love knitting, though, and thought that sewing would be a great next step. My mom bought me a sewing machine for Christmas, and it's taken me awhile to feel ready to tackle a project other than sewing scraps together or creating a pencil case.

I chose to create a small toy elephant from the book, Sew Everything Workshop. Because I wanted to be green, I decided to upcycle some fabric from thrift store clothing. I purchased this stunning outfit at my local Goodwill:

Wily is hoping his mama isn't going to wear this outfit. It would be so embarrassing.

And then, using techniques I learned from the book, Sewing Green, I "deconstructed" the Tommy Hilfiger men's shirt (I so wish I could have seen it on someone) and magenta shorts. In other words, I cut them up and ripped the seams.

I chose the project because it was small and looked like it wouldn't take long, and because I thought I could give the finished product to one of my nieces. What I didn't realize was that sewing around small, curvy fabric pieces is not easy.

One big mistake later (head inset sewed on backward) and a lot of trial and error, I had the following:

Boneless elephant.

All he needed was a little stuffing.

While he's not perfect, and he's not sturdy enough to go live with any of my baby nieces, I learned a lot from the project. All that sewing around corners was annoying, but I feel like a much more able seamstress now, and I'm ready to tackle some bigger projects. Project Runway, here I come!

Green Eyes

When I was a teacher and taught the poetry unit, we helped the kids learn to see with poets' eyes. To see with poets' eyes meant that:

• if you looked at a spiral seashell, you might see a princess's tower
• if you looked at a ladybug, you might see her entire life cycle
• if you looked at a swordfish, you might see a gallant knight
• if you looked at a flower laden with dew, you might see a tear

Similarly, if you see with green eyes, you might see how trash can be renewed with a little ingenuity.

Because I am klutzy, I recently dropped and broke one of my favorite Ironic Deer Family Salt 'n' Pepa Shakers:

Weep for Bambi's Mom!

However, looking at the piece of junk with green eyes, I saw the possibilities!

While I would never want a real hunting trophy on my wall, a ceramic trophy is just my style:

DIY Sunday - Upcycled Fabric Flowers

Rain ... rain ...

... inspires the domestic diva in me!

So, among other domestic doings, I decided to embellish my cardigan with a fabric flower.

My inspiration was Jayma Mays's character, Emma, on my newest obsession, Glee. As a former high school member of the vocal jazz ensemble, The Teepee Lighters (our mascot was "The Indians" -- maybe someday I'll write about the Native American carpet scandal of '93), I'm Glee's target audience - choir dorks from schools in bad-to-medium neighborhoods. All season I've been admiring Emma's retro-inspired outfits, but since it's No-Buy Month, I couldn't emulate her style without some DIY action.

Photo courtesy Fox TV

Emma wears sweater sets, chunky necklaces, and flower-bedecked cardis, for a 1960's-style, unbeknownst-to-her awesomeness. Hopefully, she'll be able to get the guy!

As usual, I searched the interwebs for directions on how to make my own retro flower cardigan, and when I didn't find exactly what I wanted, I made something up. Here's how:

You will need:
Paper (for the pattern)
2 types of fabric - stiff cotton or felt will work best (I upcycled a retired Western shirt and used some other fabric I had lying around)
Needle
Thread
Scissors
Some kind of button (cover it with fabric if you want)

Step 1: Make a pattern for the petals.
You can decide what type of petals you want - rounded, pointy, heart shaped, etc. But they should be narrower on one end than the other. Make one pattern that's large (about an inch long) and one that's smaller. (Scroll down to look at a picture of some petals below)

Step 2: Cut the petals.
Take Fabric #1 and cut 4 petals using your larger petal pattern as a guide. Then cut 4 of your smaller petals from Fabric #2.

Step 3: Sew the petals.
Thread you needle and loosely sew your petals onto a thread, stitching at the narrower end of each petal. Alternate larger and smaller. You want to sew very loosely (for you sewing types - basting), so all of your petals lie flat on the table, like so:

Step 4: Pull tight.
When all of the petals are on the thread, gently pull your stitches tight. Your petals should all snug together, and then you can smooth them out the way you like. The center will probably look messy:

Step 5: Create the center of your flower.
Sew the button into the center of the flower. I used the snap from my Western shirt, and simply cut a bit of the fabric around it to sew it on. Once you've sewn on the button, you can tie off your thread.

Step 6: Put your flower to work.

I sewed mine onto an old cardigan so I could be cool like Emma Pillsbury, but you can use it for a brooch, a handbag decoration, a barrette, or whatever your heart desires.

Heck! You can create a whole fabric bouquet!

DIY Sunday - Green Your Craft Closet

Note: DIY Sunday is a semi-regular feature about the craftiness that lies within us. If you want to read more about the relationship between craft and the environment -- and really, who doesn't? -- click here.

If you're new to Light Green, you might be thinking DIY Sunday? What is that?

That's because I haven't DIMed (Do-It-Myself-ed) in months, due in large part to the fact that I sprained my hand and the doctor told me explicitly that I was not allowed to knit. And since I haven't Done Anything Myself (DAM?) I haven't had anything to write about. If you're new, however, and you'd like to read more about DIY Sunday, just click the link in the sidebar.

Now that my hand is feeling about 80% of normal (if you haven't had a sprain, you're a lucky person. They take a LOOONG time to heal -- although constant blogging probably doesn't help the situation. The doctor didn't say anything about blogging, however!) I decided this weekend to cautiously pick up the knitting project that had been lying dormant for lo, these many weeks. A quick trip to the craft store for some needed needles showed that even commercial craft stores are getting green.

Crafting and DIY are, without a doubt, the cat's meow to the hipster community. The number of amazing projects floating throughout the interwebs is truly inspiring. However, a lot of traditional craft materials don't make Mama Earth too happy, although she is generally down with the whole idea of DIY. Adhesives, paints, acrylic yarns -- all of these things are produced from a chemical stew. I admit, I rarely thought about my craft materials until recently. I'm trying to be more thoughtful about the materials I choose.

Luckily, greening one's craft supplies is getting easier these days.

For example, even the big chain stores now offer organic cotton yarns:

This is Nature's Choice Organic Cotton, which I wrote about here, in the bins at craft-world behemoth Michael's. While I love the Local Yarn Shops (LYSes) I can't afford to buy yarn for big projects there. That's why it's great that some chain stores are offering more green art supplies. I love it when consumerism and conservation collide. (If you're interested in reading more about the dangers of conventional cotton production, click here)

Organic cotton is definitely, as the godmother of all crafters, Martha Stewart, would say, "a good thing." And as demand grows, those prices should go down, according to my high school econ teacher. While organic yarns are becoming easier and cheaper finds, organic cotton fabrics may be a bit more rare, especially if you live outside the big urban centers.

That's why upcycling is so great. You can take the old and make it new again.


These T-shirts are waiting to go into my box of materials that are going to get re-purposed. While these were conventionally-produced, at least they aren't going to be trashed. And if you don't want to destroy your own clothes for fabric, or simply don't have the right color T-shirt to turn into the lining for the handbag you've been making, consider thrift stores rather than fabric stores. Not only will you be re-using, but many thrift stores support charitable organizations.

Finally, there is a lot of guidance out there to support you in re-using, re-purposing, upcycling -- whatever you wish to call it. Check out the links in the sidebar. Traditional books are also going greener.

A friend gave me this book, Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed and Organic Materials, by Betz White, as a belated birthday gift. It was perfectly timed, because I want to learn more about sewing, and I've got some ideas bubbling in my head. The shelves at your local bookstore are rapidly filling with such tomes. Even greenier, check out the local library. And while many libraries may not have the most up-to-date books, they often take requests from users. If more people request green resources, more libraries will stock them.

So get out there, get some green materials, a project from a book or the interwebs (The Craftzine website is a wonderful place to look for projects to do ... or just to browse for way too long when you should be cleaning your house ...) and starting DIYing!

What the Little Plastic Bag Said to the Mama Plastic Bag

"When I grow up, I want to be upcycled into something both useful and attractive."

Mama said, "Don't get uppity. You're going to end up in the ocean like the rest of your family, and then you're going to choke a turtle to death."

But the Little Plastic Bag hoped and hoped with all his might. And one day ... he was turned into miraculous products like these ...

Sara sent me this picture of a bag crocheted from plastic bag "yarn", seen at the San Leandro Farmer's Market.

I love this idea! Handcrafted, upcycled, and sold at an alternative to the traditional marketplace. I have also seen rugs knitted from "yarn" that was made from old T-shirts.

But there are always larger market forces at work than the micro-versions at your local Farmer's Market, and one company that seems to be all over the place these days is Terracycle. They take waste and turn it into other stuff, like this pencil case made out of pretzel bags:

As fall approaches, and school supplies start popping up on the shelves of big box retailers, Terracycle's fun, upcycled binders, pens, pencils, and backpacks can be seen on the shelves next to High School Musical notebooks. To add to their charm, schools and individuals can make money collecting the waste that gets turned into their products.

And if you like your capitalism with a touch of old school revolution mixed in, check out their Eco-Capitalist Guidebook.

Greening My Closet

Recently, I received my weekly Gorgeously Green newsletter to find an article on how being green demands a certain level of forethought and organization. This resonated with me, as I've noticed that eating fewer processed foods, saving energy, and consuming less all involve planning. For example, those savvy Light Green readers who have followed me from the beginning (you know who you are!), may have noticed that July should have been another No-Buy Month for me. Unfortunately, my lack of planning has tripped me up.

At the beginning of this year, I resolved that every third month, I would not buy any non-consumables for thirty days. January and April were successful, and some friends even joined me in April. However, because I didn't even realize that July was here until the third (which, I think, speaks volumes about the degree to which I am wrapped up in So You Think You Can Dance, to the exclusion of, you know, actual reality) I was not able to prepare for No-Buy Month. I realized that I needed some additions to my professional wardrobe for an upcoming conference. What's a girl to do?

I decided that although I was going to have to make a couple of purchases, I should not go about it willy-nilly, but attempt to be a better planner and truly evaluate what I actually needed and what I did not. To do that, I had to get a sense of what I owned that was appropriate for five days of professional dress. That would involve ... CLEANING MY CLOSET (cue opening strains of Thriller).

This has become the Holy Grail of Household Chores around here, because my clever cat, Wily, has discovered that it is fun to pull things off the shelves in the closet. I shove the clothes back onto the shelves without folding them, resolving to clean it up on the weekend. This has been going on since January. You can probably visualize the mess that's been created, but if not, here's a look-see:

Wily surveys the destruction he hath wrought.

Throughout the process of cleaning my closet, I came up with a few organizational tips that you might be able to use if you want to green your closet, garage, etc., all going back to the three R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

1) Reduce. Or ... Lay your embarrassing level of consumption out on the table (or bedroom floor as the case may be):

In contrast to many Americans, I think I have a low-level of consumption. My apartment and car are both small, and what I can buy is limited by the amount of room I have (or don't) to stash stuff. Nevertheless, I find that twice a year I'm a little sickened by how much I've accumulated. The key is to really get a good look at the stuff, and evaluate what can go on to another, happier life. I happened to throw my stuff all over the bedroom, then asked myself the following questions:

2) Reuse: Can your stuff help someone else?

When I evaluated my things, I found there were lots of things I didn't need, but that others could use. That big pile in the middle of the floor? That all went to Goodwill. I choose to give to Goodwill, because I like the focus of their work, but there are many charities that also need your donations. You can find one that suits your sensibilities.

3) Repurpose and Reuse: Can you use your stuff in a new way?

These T-shirts were too grungy to go to Goodwill, so I was going to throw them away. But then I realized that they could make lovely cleaning rags, thus reducing my dependence on paper towels.

4) Re (or Up)-Cycle: Can your stuff be transformed?

Due to my long-running fascination with boho chic, which has once again become de mode, I had a lot of clothes made out of cool vintagey fabrics, with beautiful screen prints, or that were too sentimental to give up. I did not want them cluttering my closet however. These, I boxed up for upcycling. They can become the linings of knitted handbags, embellishments on clothes, or the raw material for handmade greeting cards.

Here's the finished closet:

I was happy to discover that, after all of that, I needed to buy only a cardigan and a blouse to create the five days of professional outfits that I needed. And I'm much happier every time I look in the closet.

Just a note: This week we passed 1000 hits! Huzzah! Thanks for reading, and keep coming back for more.

Coming up: As promised before I sprained my hand, recipes for homemade hummus, and an Auntie Chronicles. Also, a few thoughts on greenwashing.

Treasures Transformed from Trash

Today I went to the doctor and received a new splint, which allows me to move my fingers a bit more than the old one did. Now I can type ... sorta. I don't know when I'll get to be completely free, but at least I can blog. I've been anxious to get back to business, because I wanted to share news of my friend Emilie's new Etsy store: Handmade Hila: Refashion At Its Best

Emilie named her store after her gorgeous little girl Hila. All of the items at Handmade Hila are upcycled - which is the practice of transforming used materials into new items -- art, fashion, toys, etc. I wasn't familiar with upcycling until recently, but green crafters are taking to the practice in droves.

Emilie takes clothes, fabric scraps, and other bric-a-brac and turns them into beautiful clothing and housewares. Here's an example:

(Photo courtesy of Handmade Hila)

This is the Jaime Strappy Sundress, a toddler dress which was once a ladies' blouse. The bird embellishment is tres chic.

And I was super-psyched (and honored) to see these:

(Photo courtesy of Handmade Hila)

These are Catlin Coasters -- named after ... guess who!

Not only are the items at Handmade Hila beautiful and reasonably-priced, but Emilie describes them in a wonderful way. Her store is worth visiting not only to get the goods, but to read her refreshing prose stylings. It's great when green, craft, and commerce come together.

Another high school friend who has been on the upcycling bandwagon for awhile now is Heather, whose store is called Evesapples. Heather upcycles vintage fabrics that she finds while being a citizen of the world, and creates fashionable handbags that any stylish lady would want to have over her arm. Check it out:

(Photo courtesy of Evesapples)

It's amazing the creativity of these lasses, but best of all, they're producing goods that are hand-crafted and good for the planet. And while these two are my friends, the interwebs are blooming with green options when you get the urge to spend a little green.