Upcycling, Recycling, and Repurposing in the Studio!

Do you recycle or upcycle in your studio?

Aside from thrift shopping, where I can find so many goodies such as ribbons, beads, sometimes fabrics, and more, I also find studio uses for other household items.

Here are a few:  I use a plastic chopstick or toothbrush end for turning out corners. These won’t poke a hole in your fabric or corner like scissors will, and the plastic is more durable than “that purple thang” (although I did break my chopstick ). 

Pink toothbrush against blue fabric with arrow pointing to tip of handle and words "This end is great for turning out corners"

Bamboo kabob skewer (right) and bi-colored porcupine quill (left) with arrow pointing at one of two purple foam earplugs

A bamboo kabob skewer or porcupine quill works excellently as a stiletto. Since they have sharp ends, I put an ear plug on the tips as a safety measure. 

A wooden spatula. Well, I use this for all kinds of things: sometimes to flatten or hold down fabric, especially if I am using a fabric adhesive; sometimes to even out seams. It is a multipurpose tool actually! 

Brown wooden spatula holding down fabric being glued and placed with curved forceps against fabrics of yellows, browns, and golds. Other studio tools are partially pictured.

Glass jar filled with small binder clips against a purple and brown Japanese furoshiki fabric

Office binder clips have worked well for me to hold my binding in place. I understand why people prefer the plastic ones, but these have done a great job for me. I live in a dry environment, so I don’t have to worry about rust, and I keep these separate from household use (just like my scissors!).

I’d love to hear how you upcycle items from other parts of your home in your studio!