Etsy for Homemade Upcycled American Products

[otohara]

Still have shopping to do? There are some talented folks on Etsy - I'm really into the "upcycled" stuff -

I purchased a beautiful sweater skirt to keep my legs warm over jeans, and a cowl sweater for my friend - all made from recycled clothing.

http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_query=upcycled+clothing&search_type=handmade&shopname=ZiasCottageIndustry

[AngryAmish]

1. We are buying a table from reclaimed wood.

[blondeatlast]

2. I love Etsy! Wonderful stuff. nt

[polichick]

3. Etsy is a great site - lots of fun stuff! k&r

[Raksha]

4. I love to recycle yarn from thrift shop sweaters. I've been doing it for years.

Don't have any listed on Etsy yet, but I will in the near future.

[blondeatlast]

5. I think I'm going to start doing it myself.

New yarn is so expensive and with recycled I can mix and match to get just the look I want.

[Raksha]

6. The first thing you need to know: NEVER buy a cut-and-sew sweater to unravel!

Check the inside seams to make sure they are clean-finished and not finished with a serger. That means the edges have been cut and you'll get lots of short pieces of yarn instead of one long continuous piece.

I know...you can get so excited when you find a cashmere or silk-blend sweater for a buck that you forget to check the seams. But I promise you...you'll only do that ONCE! Don't even ask me how I know. ;)

[blondeatlast]

7. Thanks--I hadn't thought of that but I can see the problem! nt

[mdmc]

8. ..

[burrowowl]

9. K&R

[KittyWampus]

10. LOL! At this point almost everything on Etsy uses the word "upcycled" as a listing tag.

There's also Artfire for hand crafted items.

[jillan]

11. Also check out World of Good on Ebay. They sell products that are made from

tribes and poor people all over the world. My nieces are getting earrings from that site. One pair was from some tribe in Peru - the other was from Matta traders from India, a group of women that cannot compete with the corporate world - the funds go towards healthcare and schools.
And the pair of earrings I asked Santa for come from a school of disabled children in Kenya. All use recycled materials.
Besides jewelry there are things for the home, clothing, purses made from recycled paper - things like that.

As I post this, I'm wishing that there was a site that the funds go towards the poor and hungry in the US :( . ... how did we get here? :(

[calimary]

12. VERY cool!