Lidiya Zhang takes us on a collection of creative ideas - no matter if you're a crafting virgin or a hobby hoarder, this article will be a dream guide to upcycling your bland basics this new year! Buttons, beads, stitches and more!
Is ethical consumption on your list of 2026 New Year’s resolutions? If not, upcycling your wardrobe might be the easiest (and most joyful!) place to start,
College students are known to be in an era of our lives where we all want to be different, but not too different. We want to stand out, but not too much. Although my dream life is to not give a single hoot about whether someone gives my outfit a second look or not, I’m just not there yet (working on it, I promise!) So, in my kind of awkward, want-to-be-different-but-not-too-much phase, upcycling and decorating my basic fits has been a great starting point.
I have compiled a list of low-friction ways to get started, ranked from easiest to most time- and effort-intensive (but still beginner-friendly!), followed by a guide on where to pick up the essentials to start your crafty era. So, while the whole ‘new year new me’ hasn’t become stale yet, why don’t we try picking up a new wholesome hobby for 2026?
Repeat after me: Blandness can be fixed with buttons and beads!
Buttons and Beads
(To avoid typing it out a million times, ‘buttons and beads’ will be shortened to BaB)
To start off, here are some quick-fire ideas:
- BaB framing a pocket or outlining a neckline
- A randomised trail of BaBs down a seam of some sort
- BaB clusters in simple shapes like flowers, stars, whatever you want.
- A handmade BaB charm that you can hang from your belt loops or bag straps. This is better than a Labubu, trust.
If you’ve got some extra time on your hands, you can also take out the basic buttons on your shirt and replace them with more colourful options (make sure that the buttons you sew on fit in through the buttonhole, though, don’t ask how I know this). Add in some of that Grá charm with a row of BaB in the tricolour if you’re feeling patriotic. What about a BaB constellation across the seams of your jeans? You can make it into the shape of an actual constellation, with the help of a sewing needle. Star signs, anyone? I’m a cancer.
Fabric markers
If you’re a fan of doodles and drawing, then fabric markers are your new best friend. DIY an artsy, chaotic patchwork moment on that plain, white tank top and I promise, it’ll be the only top you’ll want to wear when summer kicks in! Don’t ask me what to draw because I’m already over the word limit. All I know is that the messier and more spontaneous it is, the better it looks.
Felt cut-outs, extra fabrics, stitches & more!
Back in hot with the fabric glue, but we’re doing a bit more than just sticking on some BaBs this time. Pull out the sewing needles because we’re getting down and stitching. Before I lose you to your broken attention span, here’s another quick list of ideas:
- Fold up the hem of your jeans and line the cuff with your favourite patterned fabric (secondhand fabric from thrift shops comes in handy! Shop recommendations at the end of this)
- Collect some cool embroidered iron-ons and put them on whatever looks too plain to the eye
- Make flares from your jeans by adding some extra fabric at the cuff! There are so many tutorials online.
Pro tip for maximum uniqueness: don’t mind too much about “messy” stitches because people need to stop being so obsessed with perfection when it’s literally handmade.
“Oh, but I’m broke!” That’s the point, silly. Upcycling isn’t really about splurging money on even more things. That’ll only add to the cycle of overconsumption that we’re trying so hard to fight against. Fabric glue in most shops costs €1.99. Change Clothes (based in the Liberties) offers the biggest selection of secondhand materials that you will ever need for your crafty projects - from buttons and ribbons to fabric scraps and yarn, they have it all. Disgustingly affordable, cares about the environment, sources ‘scraps’ locally, what else can you ask for?
Before I let you go about the busy UCD world of socialising, assignments, and who knows what else, I’d like to remind you that hobbies are meant to be FUN! Maybe you have also noticed, but so many hobbies seem to eventually need to be monetised. But what if we did a little rebellion and were okay with an ‘imperfect’ extra hand-sown stitch? Remember that for the next time you decide to get crafty. Maybe you’ll find that the ‘imperfection’ is nothing but a perk to the handmade piece of colour you added into your life.