Stepping Away from Consumerism: Turning Charity Shop Finds into a Handmade Wrap Skirt & Mandala Earrings

I have been trying to step away from mindless consumerism, choosing sustainability over convenience. That’s why I always check second-hand shops first to see if I can find what I need while also supporting charity organizations.

The other day, I passed by a charity shop in Banbury and was amazed at how cheap the items were. I was drawn to a fabric with a beautiful earthy-coloured pattern and a nice material that drapes beautifully. I bought it for only £2, buy one, get the item free.

Next to it, I found some threads and yarn.

I picked one that I thought would match the fabric perfectly.

Today, I decided to turn this lovely fabric into a wrap-around skirt.

The fabric was cut in a circle, so I tried to create a pattern to shape it into a skirt.

First, I located the centre of the circle by folding it into quarter.

I cut the tip to mark the middle.

Then, I measured my hips and cut a slit in the middle according to my hip measurement, with one side cut all the way through.

I cut a strip on both sides adjacent to the slit.

Next, I trimmed the excess fabric where I had cut the strip and used those pieces for the straps.

Once everything was shaped and cut, I sewed the sides and finished the straps. I used a sewing machine this time.

and I am amazed that it still works, as I have not used it for quite a while.

I was really pleased with the result— a comfy, adjustable wrap-around skirt!

I tried it on, and it fitted well and was very comfy!

🧡🤎
To complement it, I decided to use the matching yarn to crochet mandala earrings.

Mandala Earrings Crochet Pattern 🧵

Materials: 🧵

Fine yarn
.75 crochet hook
Needle for weaving in ends
Scissors
Hoop earring bases and beads (optional)

Pattern: 🧵

Round 1:

Start with a magic ring.
Ch 1, 11 sc into the ring.
Join with a sl st into the first sc. (11 sts)

Round 2: 🧵

Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in the same stitch, ch 1.
(2 dc in the next stitch, ch 1) repeat around.
Join with a sl st into the top of ch 3. (11 clusters)

Round 3: 🧵

Ch 1, sc in the same stitch, ch 3, skip 1 stitch, sc in the next stitch.
(Ch 3, skip 1 stitch, sc in the next stitch) repeat around.
Join with a sl st to the first sc. (12 loops)

Round 4: 🧵

Sl st into the first ch-3 loop, then work: sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc in the same loop.
(Sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc) in the next ch-3 space—repeat around.
Join with a sl st to the first sc.

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

To add a special touch, I embellished the earrings with gold, orange, and blue beads as accents to match the fabric. Then, I attached them to earring hooks.

This project was much more enjoyable and satisfying than buying something new.

Making your own from second-hand items reduces waste, saves resources, sparks creativity, and supports sustainability. 😊

Have a lovely day!
Mariah 🤎🧡🧵