NB: The header photo is ai generated. My command to ChatPGT was: ‘Transform-a-100-percent-wool-sweater-into-a-useable-or-wearable-item.’ Pretty cool image and very interesting.
Long before the word ‘sustainability’ was a ‘thing’, protecting the environment has always been part of who I am. Some call this practice frugal, economizing, saving, or prudence. I call the practice of sustainability smart, creative, practical, resourceful, grateful, and environmentally conscious. Why discard an unwanted item into the landfills, when it contributes to environmental pollution and degradation of our planet?
In a previous post, the amount of textile waste the world produces is staggering at…
92 million tons of textile waste per year. Old clothes make up most of this trash, but it also includes other textiles such as towels, curtains, tablecloths, and carpets. Billions of new clothing items are designed, created, and sold annually.
Businesswaste.com
Much of the textile waste is from consumers and households getting rid of old clothes. Businesses also throw away all sorts of textiles – from stores with clothes they can’t sell to hotels getting rid of old towels and bedding. Some of this is recycled, but only 12% of textiles are recycled globally. That means 88% or 81 million tons of used clothing and other textiles are thrown into landfills, releasing greenhouse gases that contribute to climate warming.
The Back Story of Warm & Cosy Sweater Slippers:
Years ago, I purchased a men’s 100% wool sweater and a Tatago mat at a thrift store with no idea what I was going to do with either of them. A few winters later, I needed slippers to keep my feet warm, and that is when the idea of upcycling the 100% wool sweater into slippers occurred.
The first step in converting a 100% wool sweater into slippers is to felt the sweater. P.S. The sweater must be 100% wool or another type of 100% animal fur (cashmere, alpaca, merino, mohair, etc.) for felting. Felting wool creates a denser fabric through agitation. You can felt a 100% wool sweater simply by washing it in the washing machine and drying it in the dryer. I recommend 1 cycle of washing and drying; otherwise, the 100% wool sweater will shrink too much in size.
To make sweater slippers non-slip, a non-slip fabric needs to be attached to the soles. Here’s where the Tatago mat comes in. Tatago is a company that produces a towel with silicon dots to place underneath yoga mats to prevent them from sliding. This thrift store find is perfect to use for making sweater slippers non-slip!
After measuring my feet, a template was sketched and used to cut out the various pieces from the felted sweater and Tatago mat.
And Violá…Upcycled Sweater Slippers
Here are two sets of slippers made from one 100% wool men’s sweater. And they are much warmer than the retail knitted slippers I had at the time, at a significantly lower cost.
When you upcycle…you reap unexpected benefits:
- ️By upcycling an item, it is one less item thrown into the landfills, which is how most textiles and clothing are discarded.
- 100% wool is a natural fiber, which is compostable. So, if a 100% wool item of clothing or furnishing were discarded into the landfill, it would biodegrade…a good thing for the planet.
- You will get a euphoric high from creating a practical, warm and useful item from a piece of clothing you would have thrown away.
- You will save money. My retail knitted slippers cost approximately $45…my sweater slippers? A couple of US dollars for the 100% wool men’s sweater + the non-slip fabric and creative time.
- You are practicing sustainability and building your own personal circular economy 🙂 The making of a 100% wool sweater starts with sheep’s (or other animals’) wool → manufacturing process → retail market → you, the consumer → upcycling the sweater into sweater slippers or another higher-value item OR textile landfill → 100% wool biodegrades into the soil.
- By upcycling, repurposing, and recycling, you are taking care of the earth.
- Your creativity will soar when upcycling, repurposing, and recycling.
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