Reduce your material waste and use the leftovers you already have. It can be fabric, yarn, wood, rope or other materials that you can use to give new life to tired furniture and home textiles or you can create completely new things from scratch for your retro interior.
Are you running out of ideas? Here are 3 quick ideas for upcycling your home interior:
- Use both fabric and yarn scraps to make fabric bags with drawstring closures. For example, you can use fabric bags to store yarn or napkins. You can also fill a bag with sand or rice and use it as a door stopper.
- Embroider a pattern on old pillowcases or tea towels to give them a new look. Or knit a brand new pillowcase from recycled yarn
- Decorate worn-out pot covers with a knitted cover. This might be a particularly fun idea for a summer house or allotment garden.
Use recycled yarn in your home decor
If you're looking for eco-friendly yarn, check out Tante Hanne, which sells several different types of recycled yarn. Try, for example, a tubular yarn made from recycled cotton, which is especially suitable for knitting and crocheting home interiors such as baskets, pots and lampshades.
The tubular yarn is also perfect for Macramé - a popular knotting technique and DIY trend where you tie knots and braids together into a pattern with cords and threads. It can be made into beautiful wall hangings, dream catchers or plant hangers.
If you have a pile of old yarn scraps in stock, you can also start crocheting granny squares and sewing them together to make a cozy pillowcase or a nice, warm blanket.
Granny squares are the perfect fall activity - you get to use up all your yarn scraps and you can just keep a few squares in your handbag when you're sitting on the train or visiting Aunt Oda and need something to occupy your hands with. Before you know it, you'll have so many squares that you can sew them together for a colorful and very personal result.
Sew your own patchwork blanket
If you have a lot of small fabric scraps lying around, you might consider sewing your own patchwork blanket. It's a lot of work, but we need something to get through the long winter evenings.
What you need:
- Fabric in different colors and patterns
- Sewing machine and sewing thread
- Scissors and ruler (or roll cutter)
- Interlining and edging fabric
- Optional quilting tools
How to do it:
- Choose a pattern
- Cut out the fabric pieces
- Sew the pieces together
- Quilt your blanket
- Hem your carpet
Here is a more detailed step-by-step guide:
Choose a pattern or design
If you are a beginner, you can start with a simple block pattern. That is, a pattern that is made up of repeating blocks. It can be squares or strips.
If you are more experienced, the only limit is your imagination. There are countless patterns and designs for patchwork rugs. Start by looking online or visit a fabric store.
Cut out the fabric pieces
Once you have found a pattern, use it to cut out the fabric pieces. Use a ruler and possibly a roller cutter to get exactly the same fabric pieces.
Sew the fabric pieces together
Now you need to sew your fabric pieces together. You can do it by hand or on a sewing machine. It's probably mostly a question of temperament. Some people enjoy sitting on the couch and sewing by hand, while others would rather have the experience of "getting something done" on the machine.
There are several different sewing techniques when it comes to sewing patchwork. A couple of the most popular ones are called “sting-in-the-ditch” and “quarter-inch seam.” You can probably find a tutorial on sewing techniques online.
Quilt your blanket
Quilting is the process of sewing a backing and a layer of fabric onto your patchwork. This helps to make the blanket stronger and softer.
There are also several different quilting techniques and you can quilt by hand or on a sewing machine. You can also get specific quilting tools, including needles and thread, that are designed for quilting.
Search the web for quilting techniques.
Hem your carpet
The edging helps protect the edges of the rug and gives a nice finish. You can use a regular edging tape or you can make your own tape from fabric, braid or other materials.
Mission Afrika Genbrug has home textiles that suit your interior design
In our webshop and in our physical second-hand stores we have lots of nice home textiles that will fit into your summer house interior. We are always looking for recycled textiles in retro style and upcycled home interiors for the shop. See our selection of home textiles here.
