Maker upcycles old T-shirts into comfy pants for kids
Dec. 5, 2018
A new vendor to Saturday’s 605 Made Holiday Market is putting old T-shirts to good use.
“I like to use the reduce/reuse motto,” said Michelle Wilson of Michelle & Olive, who sews children’s pants and dresses made from upcycled T-shirts. Wilson also likes to tie-dye white T-shirts and use them for pants. “They turn out really cute.”
Wilson’s 8-year-old daughter, Olive, is the other half of the business name. Olive, who has her own sewing machine, likes to help.
“She’ll help with the tie-dying and will do some sewing,” Wilson said. She and her husband, Zach, also have a 1-year-old son, Jack.
Olive is a fan of the clothing.
“I just made her some pants, and she’s been wearing them the past couple of days.”
Wilson’s grandmother taught the Sioux Falls native how to sew years ago. Wilson started making and selling clothing for adults but primarily does children’s pieces now.
Finding old T-shirts is never a problem.
“I like anything fun,” she said. “I like to do old band T-shirts.”
She used her husband’s old band T-shirts to make the first pair of pants.
“I basically just started doing stuff for our daughter,” Wilson said.
Now, she makes custom orders for customers using their own T-shirts and also does pieces that she sells at markets and on Etsy.
At Saturday’s market, she’ll have sizes from newborn to 6T.
Admission is free to the 605 Made Holiday Market, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the underground parking garage at Cherapa Place.
