UPCYCLING: AC/DC T-SHIRT GUITAR CUSHION

Today I'm sharing my most recent creation with you, an upcycled guitar cushion made from an AC/DC t-shirt. It's been a little while since I've upcycled something and I forgot just how much I love it. My brother had previously mentioned the possibility of me turning one of his t-shirts into a cushion, so I finally got round to crafting this one-of-a-kind guitar for his birthday last week.

It was a really satisfying piece to create and photograph, as I love how the main logo stretches across the whole of the body and the smaller logo fits perfectly on to the head stock. I am also really happy with the bright red corduroy I used for the back, as it compliments the red logo and adds an awesome pop of colour. I also chose to use brass buttons, rather than the folky wooden toggles I use on ukulele cushions, as I thought the metal would be better suited to a hard rock influenced guitar.

You may also remember some of my previous upcycled items, such as the college t-shirt monster, vintage shirt ukuleles and the star print jeans which I used for a handful of products.

Upcycling is definitely something I want to make more time for, as I really enjoy the process of turning an unwanted item into something new and totally unique. Feel free to get in touch if you have something of your own that you would like me to transform or if you have any other ideas for a custom product.

Amy x

UPCYCLING: COLLEGE T-SHIRT

I've been waiting for weeks to post about this little upcycled creation, but now that Christmas has passed and presents have been received, I can finally share him with you! I was asked by a friend if I could turn an old college t-shirt into a unique monster and was super excited to do so. As I've mentioned before, I love upcycling and really enjoy the process of crafting something new and unique out of old or unwanted materials. It was a joy to create such a thoughtful and personal gift and I hope this Gordon monster enjoys his new home over in Wisconsin!

George and I would like to make upcycling and custom orders a much larger part of Midgins' on Etsy, so if you have any items of clothing that you can't bear to part with but would like to see turned into an adorable keepsake, or if you have any other ideas that you would like us to bring to life, then please get in touch by clicking 'Request Custom Order' on Etsy!

Amy x

UPCYCLING: VINTAGE SHIRT

This is exactly the kind of thing I look for in a charity shop. During a recent rummage, George spotted this funky, retro print shirt with a mishmash of wild animal prints. We thought this would make some pretty groovy, one of a kind ukuleles to add to our growing collection of upcycled products on Etsy. Below you can see the shirt before and after it's transformation into two fabulous ukuleles. There's enough fabric remaining to create more products, so leave a comment if you'd like to see more ukuleles or maybe even a monster.
Visit Midgins' on Etsy to view our current range of products.
Don't forget you can follow Midgins' on Facebook and instagram for more updates!

Amy x

UPCYCLING: STAR PRINT JEANS

This will be the first instalment of many upcycling posts on my blog. As part of my new venture into Etsy, I am selling one of a kind items that have been crafted from second hand clothing.

"We love upcycling, so some of our products will be crafted from unwanted or second hand clothing. These items will often be one of a kind, depending on how much fabric is available and will not be made to order. This is your chance to purchase a totally unique character or cushion that no one else will own..." read more.

I absolutely love rummaging through the rails in charity shops and picking up anything that catches my eye, whether it's a cute print or vibrant pattern, a beautiful colour or just a really lovely quality fabric. I enjoy the process of turning something old into something new and I hope this section of my shop is appealing to others as well. As a customer, I think there's something so satisfying about purchasing an item that no one else will own.

Custom orders are also a huge part of the shop, whether it's simply choosing from a range of colours, such as the bow tie options that come with my owl and monster listings, or whether a customer has something else in mind and decides to click 'Request Custom Order'. Combined with upcycling, I can create completely personal items made from your own clothing or fabrics. I would really like to encourage this in my Etsy shop as it gives you the opportunity to have something made that is completely unique to you, as well as keeping me inspired as I get to work on different projects all the time!

So for my first step into upcycling, I used these adorable star printed jeans that I found in a charity shop. Below are the images of the products I made, which can be found in my 'Upcycled/ One of a kind' section on Etsy. (The monster at the end has now been sold!)

As you can see, I still have a little bit of fabric leftover, so you might notice a couple more items pop up soon. I hope you like what you see. What are your thoughts on upcycling? 

Amy x