DIY wardrobe: a way to revolutionize your closet

Creative modifications bring new life to old pieces of clothing

IF YOU’RE ANYTHING like me, your closet is full of clothes you only half like, things you never wear, pants that are too big, shirts that are too small, shoes you’ve had since junior high (platforms, anyone?) and other random apparel you haven’t worn in years.

If you’re any more like me, you can’t bear to throw any of it out, or donate it to Goodwill, as you never know when you might need a men’s white dress shirt that’s three sizes too big or a D.A.R.E. T-shirt with a hole in the armpit.

Pack rats of the world, listen up. I have a solution for you. You have nothing to lose but your collection of triple extra large concert T-shirts.

It all started a month ago, when I received the best Christmas present ever: a sewing machine. My little Singer has made possible a solution to my clutter problem that doesn’t involve a trip to the dump.

I’ve always been a crafty girl. My grandmother taught me how to knit and cross-stitch while I was in elementary school, and from there, I branched out.

My DIY resume includes the following skills: tie-dye, embroidery, crochet, stencil and decoupage. I’m also pretty handy with a hammer, but that’s a whole different article.

All of those things are wonderful skills, but you can’t enter the crafting big leagues without a sewing machine, or enough patience to hand stitch for hours.

For a long time, I had neither, and so my projects were mostly small-scale, accessories and knick-knacks, like scarves and pillowcases.

This is no longer the case.

My sewing machine has allowed me to do something I never thought possible: salvage my collection of useless clothing.

My first project was a standard jeans-to-skirt conversion, which sounds much more complicated that it actually is.

I added a splash of character via frayed denim stars randomly placed, and what had once been a pair of fraying, too-big jeans was a wearable, actually semi-cute skirt.

The next day, I made a stack of soon-to-be reconstructed clothing in my bedroom. I am up to my ears in craft possibilities, which is my favorite way to be.

But the best part is, my wardrobe has been rejuvenated, virtually for free, and without adding any more clothing to my already cluttered closet.

If you don’t have a sewing machine, don’t worry. You can still do a lot by hand, although I wouldn’t recommend denim. A lot of clothing can be made new by adding embellishment, like stenciling, embroidery or appliqué patches.

And if you don’t have the confidence or know-how to go it alone, there a ton of great crafting Web sites out there that will give you all sorts of inspiration and tutorials, like craftster.org. There are also a few books on the subject, like “Tease” and “Generation T.”

Don’t be afraid to experiment; if you really mess up that ugly sweater your Aunt Mary gave you in high school, you can throw it away guilt-free at last.

Oh, and just get rid your platforms. No way are those things ever coming back.

Megan Baptista is junior at Fresno State majoring in English.

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