There is already so much wonderful fabric in the world. Instead of buying new materials, I search charity shops and Vinted for treasures to give a second life to and turn into handmade upcycled toddler clothing.
Sometimes I simply buy second hand men's shirts and reuse the fabric for toddler trousers - the quality of fabric used for men is always much better than most women's clothes. https://sleepyrabbit.co.uk/products/red-blue-checkered-trousers-with-animal-print-pocket-aged-1-2
Occasionally, I buy a bunch of toddler clothes from charity shops that have seen better days and are unlikely to sell. I then fix any holes, worn fabric and adorn them with funky applique designs to make them stand out one-of-a-kind pieces.
This time though, I found something that felt quite magical! Scrolling through Vinted I found a listing "Six large 1960s Patchwork Grandmother's Flowers Garden Hexagon blocks". I simply couldn't resist!
When they arrived they were still in their original paper pieces - a technique used for hexagon patchwork. The paper that the maker had used was old Christmas cards, cereal boxes and a leaflet for an annual meeting that occurred in 1979-1980. Before even thinking about how to use the fabric I was more interested in reading snippets from the paper.
I carefully picked out the paper pieces and pressed the fabric flat, imagining the hands that had stitched each tiny hexagon decades earlier.
From Vintage Patchwork to Upcycled Toddler Trousers
The hexagons sat on my shelf for months while I figured out how to transform them into something special. Then the day came that I found a shirt in a charity shop - purple and blue plaid checkered. The colours were perfect and I set off making a pair of age 2-3 trousers with 2 of the hexagons stitched carefully onto the legs.
The result? Completely one-of-a-kind, never to exist again, toddler trousers with a vintage twist that will certainly stand out in a crowd. A pair of trousers that will grow with your toddler and where the quality and style could never be matched by fast fashion available on the high street.
You can see the finished trousers in my next drop of unique toddler trousers - made completely from second-hand, recycled or upcycled fabric.