EcoZeal

No matter how much you love your favorite piece of clothing and no matter how well it was made, the day will come when… well, it’s not quite the fashion statement it was when it was new. What then?

Here are a few ideas that might help you squeeze a little more life out of your old friends (and keep them out of the landfill just a little longer.)

• Pass them on – this is the tried and true method for still-wearable, gently-used attire. Garage sales, thrift stores and consignment shops are standard fare, but there are other options for getting rid of your unwanteds you might not have thought of.

Organizing a clothes swap – a kind of party where everyone brings something they’re happy to part with – is one. (Check out ClothingSwap.org to see how one California group does this in a big way.) Another is to post them on Freecycle or Freesharing.org, where you can post unwanted items to others in your local area who could use them. You can send your interview-appropriate women’s business clothing to the nonprofit group Dress for Success to help disadvantaged women gain employment. And don’t forget your local women’s shelters and teen pregnancy counciling centers. They’re often happy to receive donations of clothing and baby items.

If you’d like to see a little return for your belongings, consider selling on Ebay or other online auction, or posting on Craigslist.

• Transform them – Sometimes a garment just needs a makeover. The classic –and easiest – example is turning old jeans into cutoffs. But many kinds of clothes can be changed to suit your needs. Does the seam keep tearing out under the arm of your favorite dress? Cut off the top and turn it into a skirt – or have a seamstress do it. Outdated jackets and other items can often be made trendy again with a little creative re-design.

• Create with them – Fabric from old clothes can be used in a million and one ways to make new objects. Try your hand at quilting, or make a braided rug from old sheets. Or try this gardening idea: save the legs from your cut-off jeans, sew up the bottoms, line with a plastic shopping bag and fill with dirt. Cut slits in the sides and plant strawberries, then hang from your porch for a cascading strawberry fountain. You can gather more recycling ideas from the craft section of your lirary or from websites like ThriftyFun and CraftZine.com.

• Change your habits - Many of our foremothers had just two or three everyday dresses and one for Sunday. When the Sunday one showed signs of wear, it would become a weekday dress. We can do the same. Instead of tossing clothes with a little wear, save them for occasions when it doesn’t matter. Do what your mom always told you to do and change into your “grubbies” when you get home from school or work. Your good clothes will last longer and you’ll get more use out of your old ones. You’ll spend less, too!

Next time you’re about to toss your old duds, put on your thinking cap first and try to find some way you can put them to use. If nothing else you can cut them up and use them as rags. But chances are you’ll find other things to do with them first!

Old clothing is good for more than rags. This quilt piece by fiber artist Denise Carbonell was stitched together from pieces of various wool garments she has worn over the years.