Here at Wild Clouds we love slow and we’re not ashamed of it. Slow starts, long lunches, slow cooking- what’s not to love? That’s why we love the idea of slow fashion - support local, buy less, wear more, re-work, re-style, re-use and at the very end, recycle.
When we came up with the idea for Wild Clouds, we wanted our clothing to look good and do good, and last longer! There’s nothing worse than realising its time to give up on a favourite item of clothing because it’s faded and sad looking. That’s why Wild Clouds loungewear is made from an organic cotton and linen blend. Linen is a beautiful, ancient material and it has some amazing properties - we’re in awe of it!
It’s happy to grow in most places, it has temperature regulating properties (making it perfect for nightwear), linen fibres are much longer lasting, and the anti-bacterial nature of the fabric means you need to wash it less often - a win in the battle against tired and faded clothing.
The natural fabric we use is designed to last when you want it to and not when you don’t! When you finally part ways with your Wild Clouds loungewear (hopefully after many years of happy wear) the material, including the buttons are biodegradable. Who knew you could have such a win-win?
We love the idea of getting more out of our clothing, which is why we chose such versatile designs - pyjamas, loungewear, daywear, eveningwear - we’ve tried it all with our Wild Clouds and are pleased to report they pass the test.
This month I'm sharing one of my slow projects - reworking an old jumper into a vest, and a hat - a second new lease of life for this item as it was originally scooped up at a charity shop.
Upcycling a thick jumper
This is a great rework for big, bulky jumpers that end up being too hot to wear!
Cut below the seam on the sleeve – keep the sleeve.
Turn the sleeves up and pin to the desired length, use a running stitch to secure the hem, try looping through as many of the knitting row loops as you can.
And that’s it for the vest - it couldn’t be easier!
Next for the hat- this will only work for wider sleeves. Check the sleeve fits on your head, if too small for you, it could still be a perfect hat for a child, you could even donate it back to a charity shop.
On the cut-off sleeve, find the raw end with loops exposed (which will run if not caught). Using thread pass thread through every loop.
Now hem this end of the sleeve, just a few centre metres should work.
Now decide what length you would like the hat, use an elastic band and a mirror to have a play around. Once decided, cut the sleeve to the desired length.
Now whilst inside out, catch all the loops at the other end, the same way you did with the hem of the hat, but this time at the end pull the thread tight (you will most likely want to do this a little bit as you go). Once pulled tight and closed, pass the thread through a few times to secure.
We’d love to see your upcycling projects, so tag us @wildclouds.co on instagram!