Spring is the perfect time for a little closet refresh: the weather is slowly getting nicer, the daffodils are starting to peek out of the ground and everyone’s getting excited for the summer months. While shopping sprees from ultra fast-fashion companies like Shein and PrettyLittleThing can fuel the overproduction of cheap and disposable textiles, thrifting can be a sustainable alternative for the planet and your wallet. Thrifting may land you some sweet finds, too, but not everything will be perfect. You may love the fabric of a top that’s way too big or find a super comfy sweatshirt whose design is pretty bland. As a girl who grew up glued to the craft table and a lover of all things second-hand, spring is a great time for me to test my skills in the thrift flip department. By turning thrifted clothing into something new and unique, I’ve been able to create statement pieces for only a few dollars that stand out and really show my personal style. Here are four of my favorite ways to spice up common thrift store finds.
If you’ve got a sewing machine and an eye for detail
Men’s Dress Shirt → Button-down Dress
This was my first big thrift flip project, and honestly, I’m shocked by how well it turned out, given my almost nonexistent sewing experience. I give all my credit to JENerationDIY, whose beautiful walkthrough of this project is much better than anything I could ever give. Check out her channel for this and many more DIY tutorials!
This project took a lot of time and patience, but I did it with my best friend in just one afternoon, so it is definitely possible! It also looks suspiciously similar to the $49 American Eagle dress I really wanted a few years ago… so the $2.99 button-down from Goodwill was definitely worth it. Just make sure to try on the shirt before you buy it to make sure it is long enough for your liking!
If you cannot wait for summer
Oversized Polo → Two-piece Cover-up
I had found some inspiration for a set like this on Pinterest, but I never came across a pattern. I put my real DIY skills to the test, and with a bit of cutting and hemming, I pulled this fit together pretty quickly. While wearing your polo of choice (I tried to find the longest ones I could that weren’t too boxy), decide how you’d like to split it up between the top and bottom pieces. Keep in mind that the skirt will be a little bit shorter than the piece of fabric you allocate for it! With the fabric inside-out, fold down the top edge of the skirt piece about one and a half inches and sew along the bottom edge, creating a hollow tube. Before you make it all the way around, thread a piece of elastic through the tube and sew it so that it fits you comfortably. Sew up the last little gap, and the hardest part is done! There’s more flexibility with the top piece, so play around until you like how it falls. I like to tack up the sleeves a bit to my preferred length, and you could add another elastic to the bottom edge of the top if you’d like a more fitted set as well.
Personally, this set screams summer, and I love wearing it as a cover-up to the beach—
it’s just as comfy as your favorite oversized t-shirt, but I always feel a little bit more put together and fun. Since there is an endless supply of polos at thrift stores—usually from some pretty good brands— and this set is very customizable, it’s a great beginner project to try. Grab a group of friends and make a bunch together for your next beach trip!
If you’d rather be multitasking
Anything Boring → Anything Embroidered
Embroidery is one of the simplest ways to customize your clothing! Thrift shops are full of plain tee shirts, sweatshirts and denim jackets; with just a needle and a couple of bunches of embroidery floss, you can transform these pieces into something funky and personal. Embroidered pieces make great gifts: try adding a favorite quote or inside joke, a college logo or a favorite food to a tote bag or t-shirt for an affordable but thoughtful gift.
You can sketch out a design by hand, print out a picture to trace or find an iron-on tracing pattern (for reference, the snail was drawn by hand with chalk, while the alien came from an iron-on pattern). Chalk, disappearing fabric ink or pencils usually work well for drawing on fabric; choose whichever one shows up best on your piece!
There are so many cool embroidery stitches, but if you can master the backstitch and satin stitch, you’ll be good to go. Once you get a feel for them, you can embroider while watching your favorite show, listening to a good podcast or just hanging out on a futon with your roommates. Versatile and transportable, embroidery projects are fun, can be scaled to any level of experience and are sure to get plenty of compliments around campus.
If you’ve got an artistic touch
Plain Denim → Painted Denim
When COVID-19 first hit— and I’m talking about mid-March 2020, before anyone knew what Zoom was— my mom and I ran to Micheal’s to stock up on puzzles and craft supplies to keep us busy for what we hoped would only be a few weeks. I needed a project that would keep my attention, but I was also willing to spend as much time as it would require, seeing as for once in my life, time seemed infinite. I settled on painting a pair of hand-me-down jean shorts, perfect for their large pockets and stiff denim.
All you need for this project is a piece of denim, acrylic paint and brushes, and fabric paint medium. Vintage denim works the best because its 100% cotton composition keeps it from stretching and cracking the paint. When you’re ready to go, simply mix the paint and medium according to the fabric medium instructions and go for it! You can find endless design inspiration on Pinterest or TikTok…or try your hand at your favorite famous work of art!
With a little bit of elbow grease, a random assortment of craft supplies and quite a bit of patience, you can turn any old piece of fabric into something special and unique. This is one of the best ways to shape your personal style, because you can decide exactly what you want and don’t want in an article of clothing, and no one will have anything quite the same. Some of my favorite pieces are things that I’ve thrifted and flipped, and they have helped me express my creativity on a daily basis. Do be warned, though: once people find out that you are making your own clothes, you are certain to start getting some order requests!