Luna & Venus: The Beginners Guide to Upcycling

So, you’re disillusioned with the fashion industry, or maybe you’re extremely concerned by the textile waste stacking up in the global south. With the fashion industry accounting for 10% of global emissions and approximately one large truck of textile waste going into landfill EVERY SECOND, I’m not surprised.

The good news is there’s a solution for making new clothing in a sustainable way:

Welcome to ‘The Beginner’s Guide to Upcycling’. My name is Chloe, and I run the small, sustainable fashion brand ‘Luna & Venus’. We make clothing and accessories from textile “waste” to keep it out of landfill. Whether it be your grandma’s stained tablecloth, or a fashion house’s end rolls, we make quality garments slowly and ethically in Nelson, BC.

Here are my tips when embarking on your upcycling journey:

1. Perspective

That towel isn’t a towel, that’s your new, post-swim poncho. Forget what you think about traditional sewing shops and let loose in a thrift store. What you’re looking at could be something completely different.

Suggestion: Easiest fabrics to start are cotton, non-stretch fabrics i.e. bed sheets, pillowcases.

2. Start easy

I am the queen of thinking too big, but when starting out, keep it simple and achievable. You’re more likely to succeed and feel empowered.

Suggestion: start with a project like a tote bag. Trace an existing one or make it a funky shape. You’ll practice basic construction, straight sewing, anchoring the stitch and get familiar with your machine. If you buy a pattern, make sure it’s the correct difficulty for you.

3. Learn the basics

It’s not as hard as you may think to teach yourself, however, it’s much quicker to learn from someone else. Look up basic lessons in your area and follow sewing accounts that share skills.

Suggestion: Living in Nelson? I do 1:1 and small group sessions where I teach, or work through a pattern of your choosing. See resources for helpful Instagram accounts.

4. Fabric sources

Thrift, thrift, thrift. In the US 11.3 million tonnes of thrift is wasted annually. In the UK only 10-30% donations are even sold! Save yourself some dollar and save the Earth by hitting a thrift store.

Suggestion: Shop the bed linen section of thrift stores for large pieces of fabric. Clothes swaps, consignment stores and apps such as Poshmark are great if you want to try altering garments (it’s easier to start with something too big).

5. Basic tools

Starting out, keep it cheap and simple. You’ll need:

- pins

- sharp fabric scissors (NOT paper scissors, they won’t cut a clean line)

- tape measure

- something to mark the fabric i.e. tailors chalk, wash out pens

- weights to keep a pattern in place on the fabric (aka anything heavy like coasters or jars)

- thread

- a machine; or for smaller projects, needle and thread

Suggestion: sometimes good machines come up at thrift stores or marketplace and are great for starting out. Some sewing shops have technicians who can service them for you.

6. You don’t need to know your measurements

Want to hem some pants or give a garment a new shape? When starting out, don’t get too technical. Drape the garment on yourself and use pins to create the length or shape you want. Use chalk to mark important measurements directly on the piece.

Suggestion: when draping on yourself, make the changes to one side of the garment. Afterwards, lie it out and transfer the changes to the other side to help symmetry. Don’t want symmetry? Go crazy.

7. Use your clothes as patterns

If there’s a piece you really want to recreate you can! Either take the garment apart and use as pattern pieces, or trace around sections. This is hard to explain on a blog, but YouTube doth provide.

Suggestion: try this tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeJjB-bdzuI

8. Stains don’t mean end game

Did the ketchup get you again? It’s time to get imaginative. Store bought dyes are easy to use and going darker covers most things. Get a needle and embroidery floss to embroider over it. Got a hole? There are some amazing books on Sashiko, the Japanese art of visible mending that is both practical and beautiful.

Suggestion: Dylon is easy to use at home and revamps colour. Want to learn more about embroidery and Sashiko? Watch out for my upcoming workshops…

9. Use the amazing resources out there

I taught myself most of what I know from books and YouTube. Head to the library or a local sewing store for recommendations. But what helped me most was in person learning.

Suggestion: Follow local makers and art spaces and attend their workshops! Nothing beats learning in person, finding community and asking the instructor questions face to face.

10. HAVE FUN

A cliché I know, but sewing can get super frustrating. Crafting is a source of relaxation, meditation and great for helping mental health.

Suggestion: If you’re making mistakes and want to cry, take a step away! Believe me, that’s some of the soundest advice I’ve received!

Thank you for reading and I hope these tips help. Want to know more about sustainable fashion and sewing tips? Follow me on Instagram at @luna_and_venus_

Have a question? Contact me on my website lunaandvenus.ca

Happy upcycling!

– Chloe

Resources

- Helpful sewing accounts:

o @luna_and_venus_

o @joannesunnyk

o @lovetosew.podcast

- ‘10 Concerning Fast Fashion Waste Statistics’ by Martina Igini

o https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/