Upcycling clothing is really popular at the moment. Don’t be fazed though - you don’t need to be a whiz on the sewing machine to start upcycling old clothing. All you need is some super glue and our no-sew guide!
Upcycling is having a moment right now and it’s easy to see why. As we’re waking up to the impact that the fashion industry has on our planet, many of us are upcycling clothing we already own.
Did you know that globally, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste are created each year? And that the equivalent to a rubbish truck full of clothes ends up on landfill sites every second? If this continues, by 2030 we’ll be discarding more than 134 million tonnes of textiles a year, which is just not sustainable.
Instead of contributing to this cycle, it’s time to start upcycling clothing and making the most of outfits you already own. All you need is super glue and some upcycling clothing ideas, and you’ll be upcycling vintage clothing in no time!
Instead of reaching for a needle and thread to start your upcycling clothing projects, you can actually do a lot of upcycling with super glue instead.
When it comes to choosing the right glue for your upcycling clothing ideas you need to think about how much fabric you need to glue and what other materials you’re using. If you’re customising clothing then you need a precise yet high strength super glue like the Loctite Super Glue Power Gel Control. This strong adhesive comes in an easy grip squeeze bottle for precise application. For bigger upcycling clothing projects, you will need a strong fabric glue.
One way to start upcycling old clothing is by making old t-shirts into face masks. This is also a great way to keep wearing your favourite t-shirts even when they’ve got holes in them.
- Lay your chosen t-shirt flat on the table.
- Cut the t-shirt in half horizontally.
- Cut 2.5cm strip of fabric from the bottom hem of your t-shirt.
- Cut both ends off the strip so that you have two long strips of fabric of equal length.
- Stretch the two pieces of fabric as far as they will go.
- Measure and mark out a square on the fabric that used to be the bottom half of your t-shirt. (We recommend making the square at least 25cmx25cm for men, 20x20 for women and 15x15 for children).
- Cut out the square so that you have two pieces of fabric that are the same size.
- Fold the two ends over and glue them down using Loctite Super Glue Power Gel Control.
- Glue the two strips of fabric onto each side and tie to make two loops for your ears. And there you have it - a double layer mask made from a t-shirt.