Long before the word ‘sustainability’ was a ‘thing’, protecting the environment has always been part of my philosophy of living. Some call this practice resourceful, careful, cost-effective, or prudent. I consider the practice of sustainability to be 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 explained, and it is staggering.
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 Story of an Old Wool Sweater Reimagined into a Handbag
An old black and white sweater of 100% wool was languishing in my closet for years, and had not been worn for years. I subscribe to the concept of Swedish Death Cleaning…the idea of purging unwanted things regularly. The idea of Swedish Death Cleaning is to minimize the time, energy, and work required for your designated executor in the event of you passing away. Rather than recycling or donating to my local thrift or charity store, I decided to upcycle the sweater.
The first step in converting a 100% wool sweater to a handbag 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 and friction. You felt a 100% wool sweater simply by washing it in the washing machine and drying it in the dryer or air drying. I recommend one cycle of washing and drying; otherwise, the 100% wool sweater will shrink too much in size.
Decide on the dimensions of the handbag you want – length, height, and width. Make a paper template or simply cut the sweater according to the desired measurements. Using your sewing machine or hand sewing, sew the outer sweater shell, sew the lining with a zipper, and add interior pockets. The handles are vegan leather and attached to the bag by hand.
And there you have it! An old 100% wool sweater reimagined into a smart upcycled handbag, complete with vegan leather straps.
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, causing environmental pollution.
- 100% wool is a natural fiber, which is compostable. So, if a 100% wool item of clothing or home 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 discarded.
- You save money.
- You are practicing sustainability and building your own personal circular economy. The making of a 100% wool sweater starts with sheep’s or other animal wool → manufacturing process → retail market → you, the consumer → upcycling the sweater into sweater slippers or another higher-value item → 100% wool biodegrades into the soil.
- By upcycling, repurposing, recycling, reviving, and reimagining, you are practicing environmental stewardship.
- Your creativity will soar when upcycling, repurposing, reimagining, and recycling.
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