Recycle-A-Bicycle
Looking for a bicycle this summer? Even if you need parts, safety gear or accessories I always recommend supporting your local bike shop. I was so excited to come across these bike shops in NYC. These retails stores take in bicycle and gear donations, refurbish them and sell them to the public. Best yet, profits from the retail sales go to support youth programs around New York City.
Recycle-a-Bicycle is an innovative, fun youth training and environmental education initiative that has taken root in New York City public schools and respected after-school youth programs.
These youth programs are actually based in the public schools where kids can sign up to learn bicycle mechanics as an elective. Body do I wish I could’ve taken that in school! What a great way to get kids interested in biking early, who may not have had the opportunity. Bicycling is great for health and the environment and and caring for your own bike, which can otherwise be an expensive endeavor, is a great life skill to learn. For kids who don’t have the resources to buy a bike from the retail shops, they allow students to drop in after school and work in the shop to earn a bike. Additionally they sponsor summer programs focused on arts and the environment. All of these programs help teach these kids responsiblity, ingenuity and proof that good things can be achieved through hard work and volunteerism. So, if you are in the NYC area, you can donate a bike, volunteer your time and spread the word. For the rest of us, check out more about the program here and donate what you can. Help support a great program that supports the recycling and kids. Hey, maybe you could even start a movement like this in your own city…
I look like a doily (and I love it)!
As many of you who have read my previous articles no doubt know, I gave up purchasing new clothes and have committed to doing so for one year with my new friends at TGAAD. While I do still enjoy swapping clothes that no longer fit properly or are generally unflattering, I do try to hold on to my modest selection of clothes that I really love. This could be because they are extremely comfortable, make me look hot or have some sentimental value. I haven’t purchased any truly expensive clothes in years, so in the old days it is very likely that if I ruined a shirt with bleach or benzoyl peroxide (both of which happen with alarming regularity) I would have either relegated them to cleaning or workout clothes, donated them to Goodwill, or used them for trash. I certainly could refashion them into something else where the stains aren’t visible, but for this shirt, it was so comfortable, and the fit flattering, and worse… I had just bought it! In fact, it was one of my very last purchases of new clothes before I started TGAAD, so I was determined to keep it as is. I began thinking of ways to cover the stains that appeared on the neckline and on the front of my shirt. Apparently I was washing my face with my benzoyl peroxide cleaner again, even though I know I am not supposed to, and dripped some down the front of my shirt. grumble. I was not giving this shirt up to cleaning or working out, how could I fix it? I could make a patch, but it’s so light weight that it would likely ruin the drape. I could do applique, but the stain was in some pretty strange spots for attaching individual designs. Then, I go the idea… what if I just bleach it some more so that it looks like I totally did it on purpose? Eureka! So, I looked up online how to do this, and then after reading a few other blogs cobbled together a few ideas and came up with the shirt you see above. I found a cool doily that my mom had just given me (well, I rummaged from her pile of donations destined for the Salvation Army actually) and I cut out some cardboard heart shapes to cover the stain on the neckline to match the doily. I then mixed a 50/50 solution of bleach and water, put it in an old spray bottle, and went to town. I think it turned out really cool, and you can really see the detail of the lace. It looks a little hippie and a little handmade, but you know what; I love it! So file this in your bag of tricks for the next time you accidentally destroy a perfectly good garment and lace it up!
Repair Work: Covering holes with patches taken to a whole new level
My best friend gave me the brown pants shown on the left. They had been previously loved and luckily for me she was ready to give them up. I wore those pants once and they were awesome. I began wearing those pants weekly and soon after holes began to appear in the areas that the designer created permanent (and fashionable) wrinkles on. I tried darning, but it looked odd. I wanted to patch, but the holes were in strange spots for patching (several very near to the crotch and no one really wants to draw attention to that). I set them aside until I could develop a plan and then, inspiration hit… I was reading 99 Ways to Cut, Sew & Deck Out Your Denim
You’ll need:
pinking shears or scissors (pinking shears help stop the fabric from unraveling, but if you don’t have any, just use scissors)
fabric for applique/cuffs
pins, needle, thread
DIY:
- Cut the fabric a little larger than the area you want to cover with the pinking shears. Pin the fabric on and stitch around the outside of your design. *design note: you can use plain fabric and embroider a design onto your applique/patch instead of patterned material. You can also reverse applique a design instead.
- Cut off the bottom hem of your pants. Measure the width of the new hem and multiply x2. Determine how wide you would like your cuff to be and multiply x2 (I wanted 2″ cuffs, so I needed fabric 4″ wide). Add .5 to each measurement for seam allowance. Use these measurements to cut your new cuff fabric.
- Fold your fabric in half lengthwise and join the ends to form a tube. Sew along the overlap to create a fabric cuff that you can slip onto your new hem.
- Pull the pant leg through the fabric tube (cuff) with the raw edge of the cuff meeting the raw edge of the hem. Pin and sew into place.
- Pull the cuff down to cover the raw edge and then fold up to form a cuff. My fabric is very lightweight so I needed to put a little stay stitch in the center of each cuff to prevent them from flopping over when I walk. If you use a stiff fabric you can skip this step, if not, just put a discreet, little stitch into each cuff to help them keep their shape.
- Love your funky new pants!
I’ve just finished up this project, but haven’t finished the photos yet; I’ll have them uploaded soon. Enjoy!
