UPCYCLE YOUR OLD SHOELACES!

Who says you can't wear shoelaces around your neck?

I have this peculiar habit of collecting certain things I love.  Don't you agree that there are some things we love too much to part with, even when they've become worn out? I'm not a hoarder but sometimes I come across something that is too nice to throw away. It might be things that doesn't really have a purpose anymore but is still beautiful, interesting or too good to end up in the bin. I use to keep it, thinking that some day I'll find a way to use it again.   Some thing are simply too good to have only one life. Forturnately it is also a fact that if you double the lifespans of textiles we can cut their climate impact in half. It may seem that something as small as a shoelace couldn't possibly make a difference but even the smallest things add up.

Several years ago my niece gave me a pair of rainbow-patterned shoes. She had fallen head over heels for them and bought them for herself in a chic shop in London. Unfortunately they where far too big for her and when even wearing two pairs of socks and insoles didn't make them wearable she asked me if I wanted them. I said yes without hesitation. I absolutely loved those shoes and wore them until they were completely worn out. I absolutely loved those shoes and used them until they were completely worn out. In the end I had to throw the shoes away but I kept the shoelaces even though they were discolored and damaged in some areas.

The shoelaces stayed in a drawer for several years until recently when I realized I could upcycle them into a necklace.

This is how I made this very affordable necklace:

I cut the two shoelaces to the perfect leght suiting my neck and then I sewed the two edges together using blanket stitch.

Then I took a piece of the lefover shoelaces and sewed it into a loop. The loop should be approximately three times wider than its height.

Sew a gethering stitch around one of the edges then pull the thread to gather the fabric into a flower shape. Secure the thread firmly.

Sew the little flower onto the shoelace with small stitches. And just like that - you've got a new necklace!

Of course, the rainbow shoelaces made the necklace extra special, but it would look just as nice in black and white or whatever colour you happen to have in your stash of old shoelaces.

There's something special about turning even the simplest textile scraps into something beautiful, so grab a needle and thread and give those old ribbons and worn-out shoelaces a new life.