We’ve heard the comparisons that this recession looks very much like the great depression. It is hitting everyone’s pocket book, no matter your socioeconomic status. This free fall to the bottom isn’t discriminating.

So why should you craft when there is even less disposable income for you to play with? Well here are my top reasons you should craft when times are tough:

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Well hopefully you are a careful unwrapper, like myself. I exude extreme restraint when I denude any gifts. Not only do I want to know what’s inside, but I also want the paper, too. Even if you aren’t as a restrained unwrapper, you can still salvage the paper and reuse it in many many crafty ways.

If your paper is a bit crinkly or has seems from its previously held shape, you can easily flatten the paper out using your iron. Set it on low and place a towel between the paper and the iron. Check it often because you don’t want to burn the house down!

Once you have your flattened paper you can now use it in so many different ways:

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For all the ladies out there, I’m sure you’ve had this problem. You find a bra that fits so perfectly and is so comfortable, that you wear it until one day the wire starts poking out. Well don’t fret because a simple stitch will have you back in your favorite underthing lickity split.

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Next, layers are key and making sure the extremities are covered (i.e. hands and feet). Buying a new pair of slippers has been tempting me for months, until I saw this Cut Out + Keep step-by-step project for making house slippers out of an old towel (we’ve all got some of those). Vegan and easily customizable, this project only take a little over an hour and is as easy as pie (oh, another good idea to warm up).

Cut Out + Keep is a nifty online community and collection of DIY project started by Cat Morley, a young journalist/filmmaker/photographer in Scotland. Cat’s writing has been featured in both Venus Zine and ReadyMade Magazine’s website; she also produces an online magazine called Snippets, which features "the most interesting, wonderful and weirdest from the worlds of fashion, music, technology, art, craft and entertainment." Snippet’s latest issue, number 6, is all about fashion, even featuring an interview with Portland-based eco-style creator Leanimal (who will be premiering her new collection at the upcoming Portland Fashion Week).

After a host of good online reading and homemade slippers, my chilly hands were becoming all the more noticeable. Cut Out + Keep comes to the rescue again with a step-by-step project for a pair of fingerless gloves made from a pair of socks (another spare thing that’s easy to find lying around). A half hour and very few tools are needed to make these functional hand-warmers . With over 200 projects, Cut Out + Keep is also a great resource for things to do on those long Sundays or when the kids are getting restless.

We like to think of this website as a virtual sewing circle, an open-source hub of ideas, expertise, and amazing patterns you can download and sew at home. We want you to learn something new every time you visit BurdaStyle. We want this website to inspire you. And most importantly, we want you to get involved: We’re offering our ideas, expertise and download-able patterns to the BurdaStyle community, and we hope that you’ll contribute, too.

Though the website has online been online since late January 2007, it has gained popularity in the crafty community quickly.

With users uploading images of their creations, and sharing tips and tricks via the wiki-style Sewpedia and How-To sections, inspiration is only a mouse click away. Though the images in this entry feature skinny, youthful models, nearly all patterns feature a wide range of sizes. As of late, the website’s official blog has featured a number of user’s pattern customizations for pregnancy.

Currently, there are 35 patterns available, with new ones being uploaded at least once a week. Everything from pants and dresses to accessories and lingerie are online in PDF format, easily printable from any home printer. As with any good pattern, difficulty ratings and details on amount of fabric needed are provided for each project, as well as direct feedback from other users who have completed them.

What’s your favorite part of creating your own wardrobe? Where do you prefer to find your stylish patterns?

Leave us your feedback and you could be featured in a future Green Style How-To post!

Out of all 7 projects, my personal favorite it the design from U-handblog, a TypePad-featured blog all about (you guessed it) making handbags. This bag (featured in the accompanying image) has a curved seam and reinforced straps, so no matter how much to put into this sucker, it will still feel comfortable on your shoulders. Don’t let the curved seam scare you off: Lisa does a fantastic job of providing step-by-step instruction and pictures on how to get the job done easily. She also provides directions on how to make a cute little storage pocket, so you can carry your new bag with you all the time (you know, in case that urge to buy some tasty organic peaches comes along). Curious just how much this little bag can carry? A whole heck of a lot: Lisa graciously posted a few images on her blog of the haul she fit into this homemade gem.

Being the greenies we are, using recycled or sustainable fabrics is the first choice when sewing your own creations. You can find a wide range of recycled fabrics just by shopping through any vintage or second-hand store; the drawback here is that you might not be able to find a shirt or pants with enough fabric for this particular projects. For something a bit more modern and colorful, check out my collection of eco-fabric links on my website.

Completed this project? Come back and post some pictures of your creation - we’d love to see them!

Image source: U-handblog 

The goal of the International Fiber Collaborative is to provide an opportunity for people who enjoy working with crafts, whether professional artists, hobbyists, or students, to come together from all over the world to express their concerns about their countries’ extreme dependency on oil for energy. Those who participate will crochet, knit, stitch, patch, or collage 3-foot square fiber panels that will express each participants concern about this topic. By designing and creating a panel and participating in this project you are, in the larger picture, expressing your concern about this important subject to the rest of the world. Once all 800 panels are received, they will be sewn together to completely cover an abandoned gas station in central New York State. I recently spoke with Jennifer Marsh about the history behind this project, how to participate (even if you aren’t particularly craft-tastic), the reaction from the creative community, and much more.

Green Options: How did the idea for the International Fiber Collaborative begin?

Jennifer Marsh: I am a third year Master of Fine Art student at Syracuse University; my focus of study is sculpture. The idea for the International Fiber Collaborative has gradually come about over the course of my first two years in graduate school. When I started at graduate school, I mostly stayed locked away in my studio with the door shut, as most artists do. Gradually, I became frustrated at the lack of impact or contributive spirit that my studio practice evolved into. I wanted to have a more active and productive role in the community. I felt passionate towards creating dialog with others from all walks of life. The result in doing so, proved a thousand times more productive and engaging then my previous studio practice.

So I founded and directed a high school initiative for Syracuse City High School art students: workshops that allowed students to visit the Syracuse University Sculpture Facilities and create sand molds for molten aluminum metal to be poured into them. At the end of each workshop, the students were able to take home their own aluminum sculptures. I direct five workshops a year, with summer kids of all ages getting involved. The eye-opening effect that this had on the students proved to be much more successful then I had anticipated. I enjoyed working actively within the art community at SU, but now I wanted to reach out, to experience lives that are vastly different then mine.

This past June, I volunteered as an English teacher in Northern India for five weeks. During my time spent in India, I realized that life was about the relationships we make and the experiences we share with one another, and less about making artwork for myself. Around this time, I had been working on an idea to crochet a cozy for a barn out in the country, with a herd of matching sheep. This is following a project I had recently finished that involved crocheting a cover for my lawnmower. Still the idea for the barn was interesting, because it started involving a community; however, I still felt that the time disconnected from people crocheting the cover with some hired help would be a contradiction to the recent developments in my desired studio practice.

Then on one day I was driving in the town of DeWitt in Syracuse, New York, just leaving a gas station, when I drove right passed an abandoned gas station. Instantly, I thought that if I covered this building, the idea could be directly connected to countries over dependency on oil for energy. Simultaneously, I was cleaning, spinning, and crocheting wool to create sheep cozies, which I am still working on. However, I ditched the barn idea to pursue the gas station project. And this is when I realized that this project could very well be a collaborative involving people of all different ages, genders, religions, and nationalities. The potential for dialog to generate between artists and the community at large, this is my motivator. This collaborative brings together people whom are passionate about art and the political well being of there country.

GO: What sort of message do you hope to send with this project?

JM: My idea in this project is not to preach about our countries over-dependency on oil, but, however, to propose questions to the participants and the viewers about energy and methods to obtain it, and our reliance on massive industries such as oil. I do not want to corner myself in too much with the specifics; I want the viewers and participants to construct passionate opinions derived from personal experience. Everyday, I add in comments from the community to the website, and it is exciting to watch it grow.

GO: Do you believe that the creative community (especially the "crafty" sector) can have a true impact on our environmental problems?

JM: I think it will be interesting to see all the different materials used by the participants to create these panels. For instance, most synthetic yarn materials are made with oil, and I find that interesting. If people choose to use these store-bought yarns, it might first look like a contradiction. However, it is a good example as to how far oil’s impact has gone. Even the materials that we choose to use in questioning oil’s impact are made with oil. I personally find this contradiction powerful. Not every person can afford the natural wool materials, which can get quite expensive. However, others may wish to clean and spin there own wool, or recycle old scrap cloths and stitch them together.

GO: Once the instillation is through, you plan to sell the individual panels to raise money for the Afghans for Afghans non-profit. Why this organization in particular?

JM: The potential for this collaborative is exciting. If enough panels are collected, then once this installation comes to a close, I can take the panels across the country (world) to cover larger abandoned gas stations, covering more ground and involving more people and places. An artist in Australia has already indicated her desire for the installation to travel to her country. But for this to happen, there have to be enough participants. At some point, I plan on selling either the panels – installation, and/or donating my research so that I might be able to give a contribution directly to a charity. I was hoping to stay in the fiber field, since the majority of participants are fiber artists whom also work for fiber charities. This is a matter in just letting time work itself out, and seeing what my options are down the road, and listening to suggestions.

GO: You will be at the Knit & Crochet Show in Oakland on September 27th-30th. What can visitors hope to learn about the project at the event?

JM: I am very excited to have a booth at the Knit and Crochet show in Oakland, CA. I will have all the information on how to participate, as well as the demonstration panels that were made to kick off this project. I will have sign-up sheets for people to receive monthly newsletters, as well as magnets, brochures, and printed images of the abandoned gas station (as attached) and gas station sketch (as attached). I will mainly be there to listen to people’s responses and opinions towards this project and it’s topic. My motivation will be to get people involved so to push the dialog and community spirit further.

GO: How can readers (even the non-creative inclined) get involved in this exciting installation?

JM: There are many ways for people to participate. If someone would like to participate, but rather not create a panel, I could always use donations of yarn to help participants crochet covers for the gas station pumps. Whatever yarn is not used will be donated to a charity. Also, I could use hands installing the panels in April, which basically would involve stitching panels together, and hanging out with great people from all over. Another area that I could use help with is promoting this project. Simple by sharing this project with friends and family is an easy way to participate, as well as sharing this project with any press that might be interested. This can take a volunteer little time, while making a big difference. So far, people are participating from China, Australia, Canada, and USA. People are getting excited and we are just getting started. The due date for panels is mid-March, with the installation happening in mid-April.

GO: Do you have any other nifty, secret projects in the works that you could hint at?

JM: Currently, I am working on 2-3 sheep cozies. They are crocheted stripes with black and white wool. The wool originally came from these sheep. The cozy is form-fitting, covering his whole body, legs, midsection, head, ears, tail, etc., leaving openings for the necessary parts. Around the sheep’s main, I have crocheted black and white flower pedal type shapes completely covering the cozy from the front legs to the sheep’s nose. Have you ever tried to fit a cozy on a moving sheep? This is the trick. You must find a sheep that was hand raised; occasionally you can find a couple on a farm. They are typically used for petting zoos and/or nativity scenes. However, you have to talk to the sheep for a while before they become comfortable with you. That is what the farmer said, and gave me a sheep talk 101 class when I went to go take measurements of the sheep. I will have the sheep on display with their cozies on in September or October at Syracuse University. I will have built a nice white picket fenced in area for the sheep to spend a couple days. The enclosure will containing food, dirt, hay, and water.

Inexpensive. Indispensable. Iconic. A basic t-shirt is the perfect blank canvas-ready for a creative crafter to cut, stitch, bedazzle, bleach, deconstruct, and personalize. Everyone has a drawerful just waiting for the creative touch. What could be a better way to broadcast an artistic manifesto? In Tease: Inspired T-shirt Transformations by Superstars of Art, Craft, & Design take the basic T from ordinary to extraordinary-and sometimes, turn it into something completely different. With fabulous illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions, Tease provides outrageous, inspiring ideas from crafters around the globe.

How many pairs of old jeans do you have in your closet? Everyone from the sewing novice to the fashion guru can appreciate the ingenious projects that will reincarnate your denim has-beens into fashion must-haves in 99 Ways to Cut, Sew & Deck Out Your Denim. The techniques are simple, the supplies are easy-to-find, and every project takes ninety minutes or less, from start to finish.

Sew Subversive is about making fashion your own, whether it’s embellishing or customizing off-the-rack clothing or transforming clothes that have lost that loving feeling. The three twenty-something co-owners of Stitch Lounge, an urban sewing studio in San Francisco, teach you, in plain, fun language, how to do it, whether you’re hand sewing, machine sewing, or, in a few cases, simply wielding a pair of scissors.

It’s time to get subversive, again! The downtown divas of Sew Subversive are back with another happy helping of straightlaced sewing advice for stylish results every time. Transform tacky bridesmaid gowns and pleated pants into picture-perfect tops, skirts and accessories. The two Melissas and a Hope deliver 30 great projects that are achievable for even the new sewer. Subversive Seamster is your secret roadmap to the jewels of thrifting and the ins and outs of refashioning. This book has shortcuts, tips, and secrets to the wide world of inexpensive, individualized fashion. Our clothes make a statement about who we are. What better way to say, "I am an individual!" than to wear one-of-a-kind items made out of other one-of-a-kind items? We derive the most fashionable satisfaction knowing that we are reusing and recycling what already exists in this material world–and looking darn good doing it!

Like knitting before it, sewing is being reclaimed by a new generation: one that is tired of poor quality and bored by homogenous design. Indie fashion designer Wendy Mullin, of Built by Wendy, teaches the creatively inclined and ultra-stylish how to make the perfect skirt, shirt, and pants in Sew U. She gives readers everything they need to know to begin sewing and provides step-by-step instructions and patterns directly from her studio. She explains how to customize everything from the fit to the pockets so readers can create a thousand different looks using the same three basic patterns. These ideas will inspire readers to rethink and revamp their old clothes to make unique, custom fashions. For those who find themselves brimming with ideas, but unable to make everything themselves, Wendy also offers guidance on how to work with a tailor.