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3 Easy Refashioning & Upcycling Ideas

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Hi friends! Welcome back to the sewing room. Today, I’m sharing three of my favourite upcycling projects I’ve ever made, plus a few new ideas I’m toying with for #SewUpcycle25. If you’ve been thinking about giving upcycling a go but need a little creative spark, this one’s for you.

It’s also available in video format if you want something to watch!

What is SewUpcycle25?

If you’re new to the challenge, SewUpcycle25 is hosted by Becky from Notes from the Sewing Room and Karen from Sew Little Time — both brilliant YouTubers who’ve made this annual event such a fun and inspiring community moment.

The idea is simple: take something old and turn it into something new. You can use absolutely anything — an old me-made garment, a charity shop find, or even a tablecloth, blanket, or bedsheet that’s been hiding in a cupboard.

It doesn’t need to be complicated or fancy — the goal is just to get creative and celebrate the joy of transformation. If you want some extra inspo, scroll through the hashtag #SewUpcycle24 on social media or YouTube to see what sewists made last year. Lots of inspo there.

Project 1: From Embroidered Tablecloth to Dreamy Blouse

For SewUpcycle24, I took a beautifully embroidered tablecloth and turned it into a romantic, airy blouse using McCall’s 7899. The tablecloth had the sweetest daisy embroidery in a circular design — though I did have to dodge a few mysterious stains when cutting!

I carefully positioned the embroidery so the motifs sat perfectly on the front and sleeves, and made my own bias tape from the scraps to finish the neckline. I also had to shorten the sleeves a bit, since the fabric wasn’t quite large enough for the original length, but honestly? It worked out beautifully.

I’ve popped the Instagram video of how I made this below (may only play when this post is viewed on a browser).

It’s now one of my favourite spring-summer tops — light, colourful, and totally unique. I’ve got two more embroidered tablecloths waiting in my stash — one might become a little camisole, and the other could be a tie-front top like McCall’s 8557. If you fancy trying this, look for larger tablecloths or mix and match a few with similar embroidery styles so everything blends together nicely.

If you want to try this project idea, look out for larger tablecloths or buy a few with similar base fabrics and embroidery colours so that you could mix them together seamlessly into a single garment.

Project 2: Revamping a Vintage Dress

Back in 2017, I found a vintage cotton house dress at a fashion fair — bright floral print, shapeless silhouette, possibly handmade. It had that “grandma chic” vibe but the fabric was too pretty to leave behind.

After some strategic thinking (and a lot of unpicking), I managed to cut out a Sewaholic Cambie Dress from it — a lovely fitted bodice with a gathered skirt. I swapped the pattern’s gathered shoulders for a simpler piece, added a green invisible zip, and lined the bodice with anti-static fabric.

It turned out to be such a sweet dress — I wore it loads before eventually outgrowing it. I might even upcycle that dress again, because I still adore the print.

If you want to try something similar, go for a pattern with smaller bodice pieces or princess seams — it makes fitting the pieces onto an existing garment much easier. And gathered skirts offer a lot of fabric to play with!

Project 3: Turning a Blanket into a Cosy Coat

In 2023, I spotted a quilted, patterned blanket in Jysk and decided it was destined to become outerwear. Adding another Instagram video below to show you the before and after!

Using McCall’s 7913, I turned that blanket into a cosy coat — complete with a pale blue corduroy collar (which I whipped up from a fabric sample swatch bought from eBay in the perfect coordinating colour).

I kept the blanket’s original binding as the coat’s hem and edges, which meant a bit of clever pattern tissue placement and some careful unpicking to make everything line up neatly at the side seams. Inside, I finished all the seams with red bias binding for a Hong Kong finish — so neat and satisfying!

The best part? The enormous pockets. They were so big, I could sneak a little gin and tonic tin into one when I wore it to a local parade. Practical and stylish!

If you want to try this project idea and intend to also use the finished edge of your, blanket, I would suggest prepping your pattern pieces by folding back the edges where you don’t need the hem allowance, etc to avoid any mix ups in placement.

Upcycling is such a fun way to stretch your creativity, save fabric from landfill, and rediscover the joy of sewing something truly one-of-a-kind. I’d love to know if you’ve ever tried it — or if you’re tempted to join in #SewUpcycle25 this year.

Until next time — happy sewing, and happy upcycling!

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