What to do with worn out clothes and shoes

[teh_blumchenkinder]

I hate throwing away stuff that still has obvious use to it. This includes bras (which the elastic goes first, making it useless to me), jeans that wear out across mass areas (such as in the butt, leaving balding patches about four inches (or larger) across, and in both knees-- too big for acceptable patches or sewing, but leaving the legs and most of the pelvis area good), t-shirts that are of awesome designs but old enough to have age-holes in them, and underwear that has wear in some areas, but is mostly still good-- or bad elastic. Shoes are the worst. Soles and treads completely bald, top parts still good.
I want to know what I can do with these. ... My bras are big enough to support large tomatoes or eggplants, not watermelons.
I was thinking of a quilt for the jeans... lord knows I have enough.

[Seshat]

This includes bras (which the elastic goes first, making it useless to me)

Have you tried replacing the elastic?

Another option is to unpick lace and other pretty elements, and use them as ornaments and feature items on other garments.

jeans that wear out across mass areas (such as in the butt, leaving balding patches about four inches (or larger) across, and in both knees-- too big for acceptable patches or sewing, but leaving the legs and most of the pelvis area good)

Sew them into bags, wallets, sandwich bags, purses....

t-shirts that are of awesome designs but old enough to have age-holes in them, and underwear that has wear in some areas, but is mostly still good-- or bad elastic.

http://www.sustainlane.com/reviews/h...1HNU9TQPLH2C9O

Shoes are the worst. Soles and treads completely bald, top parts still good.

Take them to a cobbler for re-soling. Preferably before the sole is worn completely through, though bald (but still with a bit of sole) is fine.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

My bras are plain (sadly, now I want to get fancy bras just to re-use the stuff on them! ), and the elastic bits are ... odd. They're more like elastic fabric, or spandex. Replacing might be feasible still... hm. I'd have to replace the fabric on the front too, it's like a tomatillo skin (loose and strange) now that it's old. The elastic parts are from the cup proper alllll the way to the back clasp. ... It's possible...
The shoes are cheap ones, like you get at Payless or Volde-Mart (they cost between 5-20 USD)-- taking them to a cobbler would be prohibitive. Now, my heels, on the other hand... I'd do anything to save them. Thankfully, those aren't showing bad wear yet! The shoes often come apart from the top completely. Pretty flip-flops I have issues throwing out. I need to just buy ugly ones... the Volde-mart two dolla specials work fine for summer bumming. ... but I feel like I'm depriving myself if I dont' get pretty ones, so I'll have to figure out something to do with those too.
Jean bags would be awesome. I frequently desire to wash purses and bags, and stick them through the wash when I can. The ones I can't... I keep very careful tabs on to not get dirty! ... Jean wallets, like the ones that are more like clutch 'purses' are a possibility; I love those things. I need more.
The t-shirt yarn would be amazing for making things to keep out drafts/insulation on walls, pet beds, bath mats, area 'rugs'... thanks!
And if I have any I want to keep a design for, I can sew it to a jean bag! Cool!
Oh, or I can make a wall hanging. I like those, they take up wall real-estate without crazy outlay like a framed photograph or poster (although I do have those). I like my environments to have color and balance, and white space is there to get eaten. :3 Yes, I do know the value of good white space, and with hangings like blankets, they can just be taken down and folded, and re-arranged with others!
Thank you!
And anyone else with ideas, keep 'em coming. I don't want to get bored, after all.
EDIT: any idea for underwear and socks? after all, there's only so many car-wash rags one can use... My socks get holes, the elastic wears out, and the soles get mangy-dirty.

[Seshat]

The bras you may just need to resign yourself to the fact that they're only worth giving to rag traders for recycling into industrial ragging. (Which becomes furniture upholstry and other such things, so it's not totally wasted.)

You can buy shoe soling material yourself: try one of those hardware warehouse stores, or a rubber place that sells to the public. At the hardware store, you buy non-porous to non-porous adhesive. Roughly cut your new shoe soling to fit the old sole. (Stanley knives are good for that.) With coarse grit sandpaper, roughen the old sole. Brush any dust and dirt off it, you want it clean.

Using the glueing instructions, glue the new sole to the old sole. Leave to cure for at least 24 hours.

Using the stanley knife, carefully trim the new sole to the same size as the old sole. Depending on how neat you want to be, sand the edges of the new sole.

If you get a bulk sheet of the soling material, you can have years and years of new soles for the price of a couple of pairs of cheap shoes.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Toss the bras.

Don't save the clothing unless you can and do and actively are crafting with the fabric. Otherwise either toss it or give it to a thrift store.

You can get shoes...NICE shoes...for cheap. Toss 'em.

I say this because I am acutely aware of hoarding tendencies. I recognize the thought patterns in myself and deliberately go against them. My dad is a hoarder. He's not one of these overwhelmed hoarders you see on tv, and it's controlled to a great extent, but God forbid if anything happened to her I shudder to think what might happen over there.

Do not give in to the idea that "well, I could use that" unless you actually will use it RIGHT NOW.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

The bras you may just need to resign yourself to the fact that they're only worth giving to rag traders for recycling into industrial ragging. (Which becomes furniture upholstry and other such things, so it's not totally wasted.)

buh? There are such things? MUST FIND. This is awesome, and exactly what is needed for some of the clothes I have!
EDIT: it's either give away, reuse, keep in a box, or throw away. Ragmen still exist?? Awesome.

You can buy shoe soling material yourself <snip>

... I very vaguely remember seeing such things... thanks for reminding me! SWEET.

Toss the bras.
Don't save the clothing unless you can and do and actively are crafting with the fabric. Otherwise either toss it or give it to a thrift store.
<snip>
You can get shoes...NICE shoes...for cheap. Toss 'em.
<snip>
Do not give in to the idea that "well, I could use that" unless you actually will use it RIGHT NOW.

;_____;
The bra cups are super nice and soft... feels like I should use them for something. The shoes... ... *sigh* I might ought to be able to throw them out. I was afraid of getting into hoarding territory myself, I have enough stuff to move with all my books. Most of the stuff I have I can't give to thrift stores because of wear-- I look at giving to thrift stores, friends, and church members as first options. I'll do my best to adhere to the "RIGHT NOW" thing.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Keep this in mind: Would you rather have something worn out that you (let's face it) won't use for anything, or would you rather have a clean house and more living space for things that are actually important?

That's almost a mantra with me.

If your stuff is too worn to give to a thrift shop, it's too worn to give to anyone and it's too worn to store for a project you will never get around to. If you make quilts, I know how easy it is to get quilting fabric and how cheap a lot of it is.

Consider this: Say you want to make something with old clothes later down the line. You're always making more old clothes. When you finally "get around to it", you will have accumulated more and actually have a plan. So toss the ones you have now.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Keep this in mind: Would you rather have something worn out that you (let's face it) won't use for anything, or would you rather have a clean house and more living space for things that are actually important?

This is something very much like what I've been saying to myself, I've had to sort through the stuff I have left from my life. It's slow going, but good. I've gotten rid of a lot of trash, and even bad memories.

If your stuff is too worn to give to a thrift shop, it's too worn to give to anyone

yup. That's why I still have some stuff

and it's too worn to store for a project you will never get around to.

only vital parts are busted, there's swaths of jean-legs and sock-tops that are nearly/still pristine.

If you make quilts, I know how easy it is to get quilting fabric and how cheap a lot of it is.

This is an encouragement.

Consider this: Say you want to make something with old clothes later down the line. You're always making more old clothes. When you finally "get around to it", you will have accumulated more and actually have a plan. So toss the ones you have now.

Which is why I'm excited about the rag man. Also, I don't keep everything, just the rare pieces that can't be given away, and feels wrong when tossed wholesale. It will make life so much easier, and it's recycling-- but for clothes!

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Huh. I've helped sort through hunormous warehouses of clothing and shoes before, volunteer work for school (private, christian, only went there a few years), and for church... but didn't really quite get all the dynamics behind it. The internet is my friend, because apparently clothing is a big charity item around the world!
This link is the most solid/dense/useful in explaining it a bit more...
Also, it appears that I may not have to seek these rag traders out myself. o_O

[trailerparkmedic]

Your thought process sounds just like my mother in law's. She's a hoarder; unlike some of her family members, she's not as bad as the TV show, but the sheer amount of stuff has made her life much more difficult. It's difficult to find things she wants, difficult for us to sleep among mountains of stuff when we visited, and impossible for her to sell her house.

If you can find a rag trader by a certain deadline (say, Friday), send your worn out, unusable clothes there. Otherwise, let it go and toss it in the dumpster. Don't send it to Goodwill, since they have to pay for their trash and something unusable will still end up in the dumpster. At least, that's what happened when I did a bit of community service there.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

You don't need sock tops. Socks are so freaking cheap you don't need to mend them. This ain't little house on the prairie, socks are not hard to come by and they cost next to nothing.

I"m not trying to bust on you...but you are tottering on the brink of an abyss here, it seems to me, and I'm trying to keep you from falling over the edge.

We're talking about socks here, not a classic automobile.

Look here, there but by the grace of God go I. And you. I once had an entire room filled with shit I MIGHT need (which I never did.) I don't do that anymore because I changed the way I think.

You got to get control of this before you end up on some terrifying TLC show.

[ArcticChicken]

I like to make jeans skirts.

It's a great way to get a bit more use out of my pants.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

You don't need sock tops. Socks are so freaking cheap you don't need to mend them. This ain't little house on the prairie, socks are not hard to come by and they cost next to nothing.
I"m not trying to bust on you...but you are tottering on the brink of an abyss here, it seems to me, and I'm trying to keep you from falling over the edge.
<snip>
You got to get control of this before you end up on some terrifying TLC show.

I know! I know I sound silly! It's the thought of waste that I hate. That's why I seek to recycle and reuse things. Bought a bottle of pop? Reuse it for a week or two for water (useful for measuring intake, which I need), then recycle bin it. I take trips to recycle my glass (every two months), which is also fun 'cuz I like to drive (and it's not that far, like five miles). I use those fakey-cloth grocery bags instead of plastic/paper (unless I need them for some reason). I do want to get rid of stuff, and I have been, and that includes my beloved books. I set a goal to get rid of three shelves, which is close to a bookcase, of books, so far, two. Go me! The rest are completely legit, for entertainment and work references (I am writing-- several books. They're in the "oh stars what is this shit?" stage XD yeah that's an official stage!). Furthermore, I plan on moving in with someone else in the next two years, which means it is more than time to get rid of stuff.
I'm just glad I don't feel the impulse to keep milk rings and pop tabs, or old/trash tech. o_____o Also, must cut back on my candles-- which is easy enough: just burn them!
*snicker* little house on the prairie... I used to live in SD.
besides. The socks are half elastic and half cotton intertwined together. Fixing them would be a bitch, and tedious. However, for hand-knit wool socks? Def.
EDIT: oooh, I like the jean skirt at the end, the 'slip' one. That's actually mildly classy looking. Jean skirts are the quintessential 'summer jive' outfit.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

OH, definitely fix good socks. I have a pair of handmade Finnish wool socks my sisters MIL made that my BIL ended up giving to me. I have fixed those socks repeatedly because they would be next to impossible to replace and totally keep my feet warm when it gets cold here. This is SC and you can't get stuff to keep warm here. Not serious stuff, anyways. Marketers like to pretend it doesn't get cold here. I assure you it does.

However, if you've worn out a pair of the average cheapo socks, it ain't a waste to toss 'em. Certain things I consider disposable even when I buy them.

[Seshat]

RK is right - and I didn't notice the potential hoarding issue in the OP. Sorry!

Those items which you WILL do something with, by all means keep. Buy a plastic storage bin: that's your 'used fabrics to craft with' storage bin. Once it's full, you may not store anymore used fabrics to craft with, no matter what! You have to drop off other used fabrics to Goodwill, a ragman, or landfill.
(You may, of course, empty the bin and pick the best from both the bin and the new used-fabrics to keep.)

Re-sole the shoes you've loved and found comfortable.

If you find yourself with clothing or shoes that you don't love, or don't find comfortable, give them to Goodwill while there's still a lot of wear in them. Better that they go to someone else while they're good.

Hm. If you have a tendency to hoard 'clothing to mend', do the same trick. One basket-worth or storage-bin worth, and never any more. If you haven't mended it by the time the bin is full, you clearly didn't want it that much.