Arts & Crafts Archives

After some recycled craft ideas? Of course you are!

The good news is that today on Moral Fibres I’m featuring one of my very favourite internet ladies, Mel Wiggins. Mel will show you one of her fantastic recycled craft ideas – a DIY statement necklace made out of spare buttons and felt scraps.

Let’s Get Crafty With This Recycled Craft Idea!

Done in just fifteen minutes, this project is the perfect recycled craft idea for anyone lacking in patience for long-winded crafty projects. And the very best thing is that it’s so easy that even a crafting novice like me can easily complete it!

If you’re looking for some recycled craft ideas for kids then this would also be the perfect project. Now that summer holidays are in full swing then if you’ve got bored kids on your hand just hand them some buttons, felt, scissors, and glue (with supervision of course!).

You Will Need:

Various buttons

Scrap of felt

Length of ribbon

Glue Gun

Scissors

Directions:

Place your buttons on the felt and arrange them in the shape you like.

Glue the buttons on to the felt with the hot glue gun and then cut around the shape.

Cut two bits of ribbon to your desired length (the longer the better). Next hot glue them to either side of the back of the felt.

Now admire the finished product!

Leave the glue to dry, then ta da! A boutique looking piece made for just pennies from recycled materials!

If you enjoyed Mel’s tutorial then you can follow her fantastic blog here, and also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

I don’t know about you but I’m off to give this a go! And if you’ve got any favourite recycled craft ideas then do share in the comments below!

ps: some other craft ideas for kids – craft ideas from junk; craft ideas from cork, and my craft ideas Pinterest board, full of crafty ideas and projects that I’ve found!

Main photo by Patrizia Ferri

Looking for some ideas on upcycling clothes without needing to sew? Great news then, I’ve got five brilliant no-sew ideas for you!

I’m not as nimble as I’d like to be with a needle and thread. And I don’t know my way around a sewing machine that well. But what I’m really into is upcycling clothes, to give them a new life and keep them out of landfill.

The fast fashion industry is a massive environmental problem. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has calculated that the fashion industry produces 10% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year. They have also estimated that the fashion industry uses around a staggering 1.5 trillion litres of water annually. Meanwhile, concerns have been rising about pollution from chemical waste – originating from the dyes used in clothing manufacture – to microplastics.

One of the most radical and impactful environmental acts we can therefore do is extend the life of our existing clothes, through wearing them longer, and upcycling our clothes when we need to.

No-Sew Ideas For Upcycling Clothes

Last year I shared with you five no-sew clothing DIYs. That post went down so well, that as I was researching more ideas for myself on upcycling clothes with no-sew techniques, I thought why keep them all to me? So today I’m here to share with you five more upcycling ideas for clothes that I have found around the internet. Click on the links to be taken to the full tutorials.

Crafty With Lace

This no-sew lace dress from Pretty Life Anonymous is just beautiful. I’m looking forward to giving this a go! Got a stain that you can’t get out? Cover it with lace!

Upcycling Clothes With Potatoes!

Kate at See Kate Sew stamped this cute cat t-shirt using potatoes! Upcycling clothes with potato prints must surely be the ultimate easy way to update your wardrobe! This technique also works really well if you want to cover a stain that you can’t get out.

Jazz Up Basics

It turns out there are lots of crafty Kate’s out there. This no-sew DIY lace insert top is by Kate of Mr. Kate! This technique would work well if you had a hole that was difficult to mend – just make a feature of it!

Embellished Flowers

This embellished flower DIY from Jessie Daye is for kid’s clothing, but would look beautiful on an adult’s cardigan too. This clothes upcycling technique is a great way to disguise any holes in your knitwear.

Fabric Dye

This ombre t-shirt from I Spy DIY looks stunning. It’s a really great way to revitalise an old plain top that you no longer way. The link is no longer available, so try this tutorial instead.

The thing I love best about these upcycling techniques is that they are such effective and relatively simple ways to breathe new life into old clothes, without needing to have too much technical knowledge or professional skills. Don’t get me wrong, I love looking at crafty DIYs on Pinterest, but the no-sew ideas always seem the most relatable and achievable to me!

Will you be upcycling clothes using any of these techniques? Do share how you get on!

Main image from Bird In The Hand, all others from the aforementioned blogs.

Arts & Crafts

Recycled Craft Ideas: DIY Statement Necklace