Although ‘buy once, buy well’ is an excellent strategy when making any purchase, it is not always easy to implement. Somehow we gather a lot of ‘also ran’ clothing which clutter up the place – eventually becoming upcycling fodder.

When my son Max moved out last year, he left various boxes of ‘treasure’ to be collected at a later date along with a bag of sweaters he didn’t want anymore. For months now, Max has been asking for upcycled gear and these crazy pants for the upcoming Splendour in the Grass festival at North Byron are a delivery on my promise.

I’d already used this Kwik Sew 3701 pattern to made house pants for Max, so I knew it fitted. The creative upcycling element with the crazy pants comes from cobbling together off-cuts of three cotton sweaters (including his old school sweatshirt) into trousers. 

The process involved identifying the worthy features of each top (zips, embroidery, drawstrings, texture, monograms) and cutting out shapes that maximise use of the fabric. Things to think about are keeping bulk away from seams, having pockets in useful places, and making each leg unique but complementary.

Gorgeous Max went away happy with his crazy pants, made by his mother with love. As he heads off to Splendour with Steph at the weekend, he won’t run into anyone else wearing the same because these trou are unique in the world! I’m proud that Max is a graduate environmental advisor and board with upcycling as a cut above recycling.