Goodwill Alterations with Chanté Gibbs
Chanté is a local thrift blogger and sustainable designer. She is our inspiration and guide to exploring what can be done with some creative alterations and updates of thrifted finds. Each month she starts with a concept, shops our stores, and reworks her thrift finds into high-fashion pieces. She takes us on a thrift journey from start to finish, and it’s a great ride every month!
DIY Denim Skirt, Featuring Recycled Glass
This time I decided to go to the Goodwill bins, instead of visiting the regular thrift store. If you have not been, the bins are where you can buy a wide variety of secondhand clothes priced by the piece or by the pound. I kept hearing good things about the bins and hoped to find something that paired well with the recycled colored glass I have.
After a lot of searching, I came across a cute denim PacSun mini skirt. I liked that it did not have pockets because I planned to do a design on the front, and that left me more space to place the glass. I also loved the skirt’s curved hemline.
How do I make it?
I used recycled glass from Goodwill for this project. Tumbled™ is craft glass made from 100% donated recycled material from Triad Goodwill Retail Stores, part of their new recycling initiative, Repurposed™ By Triad Goodwill.
I made sure my hot glue gun and sticks were near by me. Then I ironed the denim skirt and started laying down a few pieces of glass on the front. The light blue glass reminded me of the ocean and inspired me to line up majority of the pieces into a big swirl. Once I was satisfied with my design and placement of glass, I glued down each piece one by one.
I decided to only glue glass on the front of the skirt instead of both sides, mainly because I want to be comfortable when I sit or move around in it. Lastly, I made sure each piece was glued down all the way before trying on the skirt.
What was your inspiration?
Triad Goodwill gave me a sneak peek at their new product line with a 16oz bag of recycled craft glass that came in three distinct colors – blue, green, and white. When I searched on Pinterest for inspiration, I saw a photo of a white top with small colorful gems stones on it. I loved how the stones were in a random pattern, and it gave me the idea to do something similar but on a jacket or skirt instead.
Thrifting Tip!
Happy Earth Month!! Here are some of my go-to ways you can help the environment:
- Use reusable bags and water bottles
- Buy secondhand/thrifted clothes
- Switch to paperless bills
- Upcycle or donate any unwanted clothes
Credits
Photos taken by my fiancé. The final piece was styled and modeled by me.
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