In the age of TikTok Shop and Amazon storefronts, it’s easier than ever to buy something new that you might not really need. If you’re looking for a creative and sustainable way to add new home decor to your bedroom or a new shirt to your closet, upcycling might be your new hobby. By replacing new purchases with upcycling projects, you can reduce waste while giving new life to old items. 

That old wooden desk sitting on the side of the road could be transformed into your new makeup vanity with a little sanding, varnish and a repurposed mirror. A pair of stained white jeans in the back of your closet can be turned into something that feels brand new with some natural dyes.

Upcycling helps promote the circular economy by sharing, refurbishing, recycling, renting, reusing and repairing instead of buying something brand new. If you’re already handy or are looking for more ways to express your creativity, you can gain new skills—or find a new way to spend your free time—by upcycling and recycling. 

Even if you aren’t a pro at sewing or painting, you can tackle these beginner-friendly upcycling projects without a ton of tools and materials right from the comfort of your home. 

1. Using Natural Dyes to Add Color to Old Garments

Two arms are visible clipping a pair of dark purple jeans to a clothesline. In the background, a red metal barn-like structure and some trees are visible.
With a little bit of madder root dye, these old, white jeans are as good as new.

Project: Slow Fashion Design for Everyone: Natural Dyeing, Upcycling Clothing, & Hand Sewing by Hannah Ross

About This Project:

Natural dye artist and fashion designer Hannah Ross teaches you how to prep and dye a cotton button-up shirt and pair of jeans using natural dyes. You’ll start by sourcing your piece and preparing the fabric, and finish by dyeing your garment and stitching it to fit your size and style. 

You’ll leave the class with a new piece of naturally-dyed upcycled clothing to add to your closet. 

Why We Love It:

The skills you learn in Hannah’s class can be applied to hundreds of other garments using dozens of different natural dye materials, which means you can use what you learned to create a whole new upcycled wardrobe. 

Learn an eco-friendly way to add fun new pieces to your closet. 

Materials & Tools:

  • Natural Fiber Garment (a light-colored garment will work best)
  • Stove or Hot Plate 
  • Tongs
  • Pot
  • Unscented Soap
  • Madder Root (or your choice of natural dye plant)
  • Alum Mordant
  • Tannin (6 Avocado pits or tannin powder)

Optional: Citric Acid or lemons, washing soda, needle and thread OR sewing machine, scissors, tape measure and pencil 

Techniques You’ll Learn:

  • Creating your own natural dye
  • Sourcing materials suitable for natural dyes
  • Prepping and washing your garments for increased durability
  • Basic alteration 
  • Basic sewing and stitching

2. Turn a Men’s Suit Jacket into a Dress

A dress lying on a wooden floor. The dress has six silver buttons near the waist in two vertical lines of three. The dress is sleeveless and short and made out of a dark gray striped suit jacket. Two hands are touching the dress ,palms down near the bottom hem. 
With a little bit of imagination and some beginner sewing skills, you can turn a suit jacket into a dress.

Project: Upcycling for Beginners: Men's Jacket to Jumper Dress by Olesia Les

About This Project:
Designer and fashion engineer Olesia Les will teach you how to upcycle a suit jacket into a jumper-style dress. You’ll learn how to choose a jacket that’s perfect for the project, deconstruct and prep your jacket of choice and then sew and finish your new dress. You’ll need to know some basic sewing principles like how to sew a straight seam on a sewing machine but besides that you’ll be ready to go. 

Once you finish, you’ll have a stylish dress you can wear to any fun upcoming event. 

Why We Love It:

Olesia shares lots of helpful sewing tips to help you speed up the creation process and end with a high-quality final piece. Olesia also offers other upcycling projects, such as one where you can upcycle a suit jacket into a mini skirt suit. 

Add a new dress to your closet that you’ll be proud to say you made yourself. 

Materials & Tools:

  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pins
  • Tailor’s chalk
  • A needle
  • Bias tape ~2m
  • Thread
  • Small scissors
  • Buttons x6
  • Metal snap 
  • Fabric fusing material
  • Suit jacket

Techniques You’ll Learn:

  • Make and attach dress straps
  • Attach buttons
  • Finishing fabric edges

3. Sew an Upcycled Pouch Using Boro Stitching 

A multi-colored pouch sits on a gray background. The pouch is made up of different colored and sized rectangles of fabric and covered in a variety of thick, colorful stitches. A tassel hangs off the top flap. 
With boro stitching, the stitch itself becomes its own art form.

Project/Class Title: Boro Stitching Basics: Sewing an Upcycled Pouch by Casey Gallagher Newman

About This Project:
Learn the art of boro stitching, all while creating a beautiful upcycled pouch. With the help of textile artist Casey Newman, you’ll find and choose scraps of fabric, create your desired patchwork design and then put your pouch together using a running stitch, boro stitching and other sewing techniques. You’ll leave the last lesson with a hand-stitched pouch and sewing and boro stitching skills that you can incorporate into dozens of other projects. 

Why We Love It:
Boro stitching can be used to repair old clothing, make pillowcases or create eye-catching wall hangings. Upcycling beginners can turn their newfound boro stitching skills into gifts for their family and friends or just to add hand-stitched creations to their own home and closet. 

Design your own upcycled pouch using the power of boro stitching!

Materials & Tools:

  • A variety of small scraps of fabric
  • 2 pieces of plain cotton fabric 5 x 10 inches OR 8 x 10 inches
  • Embroidery floss
  • Sewing thread
  • Sewing needle
  • Length of ribbon or strip of fabric

Optional: Ruler, fabric marking pen, lace, something for the end of the closure (beads, button, charm, etc.)

Techniques You’ll Learn:

  • Boro stitch
  • Running stitch
  • Blanket stitch
  • Star stitch

4. Make a Gift Box Using Bark

Why buy a gift box when you can make something even more unique with items from your backyard or a walk through the woods? 

Project: Crafting With Nature: Frames, Boxes, and Floral Sculptures by Betty-Baines Saum

About This Project:

Betty-Baines Saum is an artist who makes functional and seasonal artwork using objects found in nature. As a part of this project, you’ll discover how Betty uses her nature-based approach to make a gift box made entirely of bark, moss, dried grass and a mushroom. Whether you want to use the bark box for a loved one’s upcoming birthday or as decor in your own home, you’ll leave this class your handcrafted box and a new way to connect creatively with nature. 

Why We Love It:
You won’t just learn how to make a one-of-a-kind bark box but also how to sustainably source objects from nature and apply your newfound skills to other nature-based art projects. 

Any upcycling beginner, nature lover or artist can make their own unique bark box. 

Materials & Tools:

  • Dead bark
  • Moss
  • Dried grass or Leaves
  • Knife
  • Glue gun

Techniques You’ll Learn:

  • Foraging
  • Sustainably source natural objects
  • Box construction 

5. Upcycling Furniture for Beginners

The image is split into two sections. The left section shows a wooden cabinet with two doors. It is sitting up against a white shelf and has a variety of items sitting on it including a mug, tray and a glass vase. The right section shows the wooden cabinet after being upcycled. Gold and wood handles have been added to the doors and top drawer. A coat of sage green paint has been added as well as four green and gold legs. 
With a coat of paint and a few accessories, this wooden cabinet was transformed into a completely new piece of furniture. 

Project: Upcycled Home Decor: Furniture Makeover for Beginners by Bronwyn Tarboton

About This Project:

Whether you have an old piece of furniture you don’t like anymore, or you’re looking to add a new piece of furniture to your home without breaking the bank, upcycling home decor might be your next DIY hobby. In this class, home decor DIYer Bronwyn Tarboton will show you how she transformed an old cabinet into a treasured work of art. You’ll learn how to source high-quality, pre-loved furniture, install new hardware and add a few coats of paint to create a piece of furniture unique to your style and taste.  

Why We Love It:
Bronwyn walks through every step of the creative process, from finding inspiration for the furniture you want in your home to choosing your piece and bringing it to life with multiple different upcycling techniques. Whether you’re a more experienced DIYer or have never flipped furniture before, you’ll leave this class with everything you need to create your dream piece of furniture.  

Flip a piece of furniture with these transformational upcycling techniques!

Materials & Tools:

  • Drill
  • Screwdriver
  • Tape measure
  • Paintbrush
  • Paint roller
  • Paint 
  • Pre-loved piece of furniture

Optional: Hardware and handles

Techniques You’ll Learn:

  • Sourcing secondhand home decor
  • Painting furniture
  • Adding hardware and handles
  • Applying contact paper

6. Using Sewing Basics to Upcycle a New Garment

A mannequin wears a blue and white striped shirt with big appliqué cherries on the front and jeans. The mannequin sits in a room in front of two windows. 
A few scraps of fabric and a little bit of sewing can turn a shirt you never wear into one you really love. 

Project: Sewing Basics: Upcycle A New Garment by Vida Vazquez

About This Project:
Upcycling clothing is better for the earth, your bank account and your personal style. In this class, you’ll learn how to use the well-known sewing technique appliqué to breathe life back into a piece of clothing you already own. After designing and creating your own piece of clothing, you’ll know how to upcycle clothes in a way that matches your personal style and allows you to be more mindful of any clothing overconsumption. 

Why We Love It:
You’ll leave this class with a new shirt and sewing skills as well as a deeper connection with the clothes you wear.

Upcycle a new garment using materials you likely already have at home!

Materials & Tools:

  • Sewing machine and thread (or needle and thread)
  • Fabric scissors
  • Sewing pins
  • Pencil and paper
  • A plain shirt from your wardrobe
  • Fabric scraps (leftovers from an old project, cut-up or damaged clothes, towels, curtains, etc.)

Optional: An iron and seam ripper

Techniques You’ll Learn:

  • Appliqué
  • Defining and refining your personal aesthetic
  • Designing and translating a graphic into simple shapes
  • Design placement
  • Sewing rounded edges

7. Design Your Own DIY Sewing Project

A worksheet titled “Second-Hand Project Plan” sits on a wooden table next to a few colored pencils and some floral fabric. The worksheet contains prompts like an item sketch and questions like “Who is it for?” and “When do I want to finish this project by?”
If you love a project with a ton of creative freedom, this second-hand project plan can help keep you on track. 

Project: Creative Sewing on a Dime: Find Inspiration in Second Hand Fabrics and Materials by Maura Marcks

About This Project:

When clothing designer Maura Marcks first became curious about sewing, she wanted to get started right away but didn’t have a dedicated workspace. She also found the big-box fabric stores to be both overwhelming and expensive. 

Now, she wants to share how you can get started with your dream sewing projects while using second-hand patterns and fabric and an at-home sewing studio that won’t break the bank. By the end of this class, you’ll know how to plan and execute an exciting and low-cost sewing project. 

Why We Love It:
You’ll learn foundational, inexpensive sewing tips that you can apply to any project. Whether you make handmade ornaments like Maura or something completely different, you’ll know how to design and manage a low-cost sewing project that is completely unique to you. 

Direct and design an inexpensive and one-of-a-kind sewing project!

Materials & Tools:

  • Fabric
  • Thread
  • Sewing needles
  • Pen 

Techniques You’ll Learn:

  • Acquire sewing materials inexpensively
  • Setup a simplified sewing space
  • Plan a low-cost sewing project

Start Your Upcycling Journey with Skillshare

If your hands have been itching to get creative but you don’t have a big budget or a craft room full of brand-new materials, upcycling might just be your new hobby of choice. By using pre-loved materials like secondhand furniture and fabric, you’ll be making a positive environmental impact while filling your home with handmade decor pieces and garments that match your unique style. 

Now that you have an idea of what’s possible with upcycling, make a list of the projects that interest you most. If you want to stay motivated to start upcycling, you might even make a calendar of all the projects you want to accomplish over the next few months. 

Starting with a simple project that uses items you already have can also give you the confidence boost you need to move on to more complicated projects later on. For more in-depth guidance, you can check out a variety of upcycling classes with expert instructors on Skillshare. You’ll be able to learn upcycling tools and techniques at your own pace while exploring classes in other creative fields. 

Remember to have fun, stay inspired by connecting with other creatives and to not be too hard on yourself as you dive into any new skills. 

Related Reading

Written By
Calli Zarpas

Calli Zarpas

Producer & Writer by occupation. Ceramicist & Newsletter Editor by avocation.

  • Click here to share on Twitter
  • Click here to share on Facebook
  • Click here to share on LinkedIn
  • Click here to share on Pinterest