What is upcycling?
The definitions and big ideas behind upcycled projects
I’ll start with Merriam Webster’s definition of the world upcycle: to recycle something in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item: to create an object of greater value from a discarded object of lesser value.
In the context of sewing, upcycling is the practice of taking an already-existing garment and reassembling it into a different thing entirely. This comes in many forms: from the ubiquitous t-shirt patchwork blankets found at graduation parties, to the cotton bed sheets turned summer dress seen all over upcycling TikToks, to my button-up shirt projects. It is a common hospice volunteer task to be given the departed’s softest flannels or t-shirts and be asked to turn them into heirloom pillows for the bereaved.
To me, upcycling is a meaningful creative practice of resuscitation, of taking items either rejected or left behind by a late loved one, and breathing life into them. Value be damned.
These upcycled projects often serve as nothing but a creative project used to stretch my mind and my sewing abilities; albeit, the goal is to hopefully wear or use them. To thoughtfully dismantle a garment and puzzle it back into something with new life can feel reflective of learning life lessons; the work is both technically difficult and emotionally inspiring. Half of the time, I get into projects that are way over my head and I would find them almost impossible to repeat. But I learn so much along the way.
Upcycling can be the creative pursuit of making heirlooms. The Merriam Webster’s definition of heirloom is: something of special value handed down from one generation to another. Again, value be damned! When a deceased loved one leaves behind their clothing (which is inevitable), the instinct is often to stash them in a closet corner or donate them. But I want to encourage you to give them new value by instilling more meaning. It’s free fabric, folks! Maybe it’s sacrilegious to cut up your great grandmother’s wedding dress, but is it so horrible to take her much-loved and worn out blouse and make it wearable again by cropping it or cutting the sleeves off? Nah! Go for it, before it ends up in a landfill. I can almost guarantee a massive level of glee from your auntie when she recognizes what you’ve done.
This work of taking a deceased one’s clothing and redesigning it into something you will wear is, to me, an act of absolute respect and desire to remember them.
More than anything, upcycling is a creative pursuit in sustainability. And it’s infectious. It’s found in the remodeled old industrial buildings as apartments, it is the mason jar as a flower vase, it is the conversion of an old van into a sleeping space. Upcycling is a psychedelic take on “what was” and alchemizes into “what could this possibly become?”
🫶🏻Thank you for sharing your creative abilities and words with us!