Recycle your clothes:what to do with your old stockings,tights,hold ups or knee highs

Recycle your clothes:

What to do with your old stockings, tights, knee highs or hold ups.

Whether they are laddered, sagging, too tight or just not worn, there are still ways to inject new life into an old pair of stockings or tights, even knee highs and hold ups.

No.1

Headband.

Simply use one leg or cut one leg off, put the right sides of each end together and sew together to create a seam, cut off the excess from the seam and you have yourself a new headband.

No. 2

Choker.

Simply wrap one leg of the tights around you neck (carefully) and secure with a pretty brooch.

No. 3

Arm warmers.

Using both legs, cut the feet off and simply wear one leg on each arm, you can have them showing or wear them under clothes in the winter, you would be amazed at how much difference it makes.

No. 4

Watch strap.

Simply cut the feet off one leg, measure the length that you will need to fit around your wrist, cut to this length, put the right sides together to create a seam, simply attach a watch face.

No.5

Bun doughnut.

For those of you that don’t know what a bun doughnut is, it is something that is used to make a bun (hair bun) appear larger and rounder. It is very popular amongst dancers, simply put your hair into a ponytail, wrap a leg or 2 around the bun and tuck it into the hair band, warp your hair around the tights and secure with another hair band.

No 6.

Bun net.

Another dancers favourite trick is to use old tights to keep all the flyaway hairs under control, simply cut a section off the tights (you only need to use one layer) and wrap it around the bun as many times as you need to/can and secure with a hair band, make sure the tights are not visible, tuck them into the band if necessary. e

, lPrmal>Scissors

Needle and thread or sewing machine (can be done by hand, but it is much quicker with the machine)

Tailors chalk or water-soluble pen

Pins

Step 1. Lay your jeans out on a flat surface and mark the top of where the flare or bootleg  will start. If you are making flares, they will need to start from the knee. Carefully cut the seam up to this point on both the inside and outside leg.

Step 2. Measure the fabric you will use to create the flares, cut into a triangle, be sure to leave an inch for the seam and hem allowance.

Step 3. Place the flare fabric onto the jeans where you will put them with the right sides together and pin. Sew about ½ an inch from the edge (you can always clip the seams when you are finished)

Step 4. Repeat this process for the other leg and the inside leg, sew the hem back up and voila! A brand new pair of flares or bootlegs.

You can use denim to make the flares or you can use another fabric (needs to be fairly heavy) you can even used patterned fabrics to create a unique stylish look.