We’ve had an email from Naomi:

I’ve got loads of old shoes that I no longer wear but they’re not suitable for use as “dirty shoes” in the garden or whatever because they’re got stiletto heels. What can I do with them?

We’ve covered old shoes before but I guess high heels are a bit different because they’re only good for aerating the lawn ;)

Of course the obvious suggestions are to pass them onto someone who’ll wear them - through Freecycle, local charity shops, eBay etc - or put them into a shoe recycling scheme so the materials can be reused and recycled.

But what about other ideas?

(Photo by kymmie_xox)

We’ve covered old jeans before - and again when speaking specifically about making bags out of them - but these are a bit different.

I was sorting through my “in storage” clothing last week - stuff that’s in limbo, I don’t really think I’ll be wearing it again but can’t bring myself to take it to the charity shop/fabric recycling bin just yet - and I found my favourite work trousers from back in the day when I actually wore trousers for work. These were THE BEST WORK PANTS IN THE WORLD. They fitted me perfectly - hanging low, with long wide legs just as I like, had deep pockets at just the right place/angle and given the heavy, woolliness of them, they looked suitably work-y even when teamed with a never-ironed black shirt. I remember being really quite distraught when the fabric wore through at the bum. *nostalgic sob*.

So, anyway, I found these trousers last week and it was fun remembering all the good times we had together - all the time we ran up the stairs together, or sat at my desk together, or even those times when we soaked up puddles together - so it felt heartless to just send them off to be recycled.

Even with the worn/holey bum being out of action, there is quite a lot of good fabric because of the wide legs. I thought they might make a fun clutch purse or something - but wanted to run it by you crafty people first, in case you had any more awesome ideas. I am thinking crafty stuff primarily but any reuse suggestions would be great.

So ideas?

We had an email from Lori the other day about the bags and things she makes out of old jeans.

You can be a “jeanius” like me, too!! RECYCLE!

As lover of both recycling and puns, how could I resist? ;)

Her range includes bags and accessories just using the fabric and items more obviously a former pair of jeans/denim skirt - ready-made pockets = win!

She also has some random fun things for sale - like this cheque book sleeve made using an old M&Ms wrapper. I think this is very cute and fun but unfortunately now have an insatiable desire for sugar-coated chocolate treats. Thanks Lori, thaaaaanks. :)

Anyway, you can find Lori’s things at http://loriforney.etsy.com

• How can I reuse or recycle old jeans?
• How can I make a bag out using recycled things?

We’ve had an email from “fay bee”, saying:

I had some ankle-high sheepskin boots (australian “Ugg boots”) that are now past their prime. I’ve cut the soles off and now I have 2 pieces of lovely sheepskin (long and thin).

What can I do with them?

Given the wool lining, you couldn’t really use them like, say, old scraps of thin leather to make a purse or wallet but depending on the dimensions and condition of the pieces - and how crafty you feel, you might be able to turn them into a lovely warm pair of mittens or something — anyone know of any good sites that could help get her started?

Any other suggestions?

We’ve had an email from Derek asking about large scale recycling:

hello. i work in heavy industry and we use thousands of pairs of work gloves, most are thrown away when torn, but a lot are thrown away when covered in substances like oil or just dirt. could you tell me if these gloves could be cleaned and recycled or cleaned and used for other purposes.

I don’t know for sure but I suspect the fabric of all the gloves, whether torn or not, could be reclaimed - shredded up to make insulation if nothing else. Anyone know for sure?

Any other ideas about recycling - or reusing them on a large scale?

(Photo by Penny Matthews)