In my new adventure of recycling used clothing -in this case men's woven shirts and t-shirts-, I discovered quickly why recycled items tend to be more expensive. These are some of the facts I encountered:
1. It is time consuming to find the right garments. Since you are trying to be on target with your color story and consistent with the type of fibers and weave, be prepare to spend several days browsing thrift stores and, your husband closet (or family members. Make sure that these family members are not aware of your task; otherwise, it will take more time to convince them of your altruistic ideas!).
2. Often, it is more expensive to purchase used items than to buy them new at discount stores: yes, you can get better deals at Target, Walmart and even Macy's (I bought a pair of linen pants at Macy's for $3.00 once).
3. While producing the garments, it takes a very long time to de-construct them (separating seams, removing pockets and trims, etc.). My seam ripper became a good friend of mine during this task.
4. The used textiles do not have the same "strength" and hand as a new textile; therefore, I found it more difficult to cut, sew and put together a garment if you compared it against using a new textile.
5. And, if the garment is to be displayed on a hanger...it tends to "sag" and the look is not so fabulous...I used my dress form Maggie for this task.
In any event, you can see my attempts at recycling garments in the enclosed photos...it took me longer than expected and cost me more at the end...but the satisfaction of doing something positive for the planet, compensated for the ordeal!
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