Can You Make Clothes from Curtains?
Turning Charity Shop Curtains into Wide-Leg Pants and two more tops
Some of you probably know the concept, but for those who don’t, I’ll explain quickly how FrenzyLoop works – and how, this time, it led to making clothes from curtains.
The intention is to use clothing from my family (and friends), as well as my own preloved garments, to create something meaningful and wearable – with the possibility of more upcycling rounds in mind. That’s why FrenzyLoop offers free repairs and is happy to take back FrenzyLoop pieces for re-upcycling (more details in our Customer Care).
This doesn’t exclude occasional visits to local charity shops, or – for special hardware – regular shops, online or otherwise. But only what’s absolutely necessary.
Unplanned thrifts bring the twists
This doesn’t exclude occasional visits to local charity shops, or – for special hardware – regular shops, online or otherwise. But only what’s absolutely necessary.
And this is how, from time to time, totally unplanned, I catch some interesting fabrics or garments. One of these times I almost missed (but didn’t) two pieces of fabulous 100% cotton curtains made in India, and just couldn’t resist them – even though I didn’t have a specific plan for them yet.
Recreating a Pattern I Almost Lost
The first idea was to make a child’s sari for a friend’s daughter, but they had a big life change and moved back to the US. Almost a year went by before it became crystal clear what these curtains were going to become.
This is the story of that.
One of the most important people in my sewing, crocheting, and knitting journey was my aunt, and I inherited a lot of garments she made and wore as a young woman. Over time I got blouses, dresses, blazers, coats, trousers, even some boots from the 70s and 80s – and my personal favorite were 3/4-length, extra-wide skirt-pants, black with red roses (apparently an old MaxMara pattern, as my aunt says – though I can’t verify that).
After altering them twice, the fabric slowly started getting more holes, and the only way to keep them from being forgotten was to recreate the same cut. The first fabric that came to mind was the thrifted 100% cotton curtains made in India.
Discovering the tearing
Let’s just say I was lucky with which piece I chose to cut the trousers from – the second curtain had small tears, sunburns I suspect, and the fabric was quite fragile… I was lucky to missed these spots before cutting out the last top from the bigger leftover pieces.
But I didn’t want to give up, and the top changed shape a few times before landing on the final design. So let’s say that design was fully led by the state of the fabric, and even after finishing it, one more small tear turned up, meaning I had to add extra fabric to mend it.
The second piece became a kimono-like top. I haven’t made kimonos in a while, and this one is a simplified version – but the fabric was simply right for it.
Made to Order, soon
And there it goes… two pieces of used, half-destroyed curtains became three pieces of clothing that can be worn together or separately. They can look like two different outfits for a more elegant fit, or be combined with different tops or bottoms for more everyday occasions.
These trousers will soon be available as a Made-to-Order piece in the Shop – depending on available fabric, the end result can vary in style. That said, I’m leaning more toward Ready-to-Wear drops (what you see is what you get), but for that I need your input.
Send me your wishes (size, length, style, fabric, colour) directly to frenzy@frenzyloop.com, or subscribe to our newsletter below to get the first news and special offers:
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