Sustainable tips for creative minds


Daniella Othman 

October 24, 2024

Arts and crafts are a vital creative outlet for many. Making your own clothes, gifts and accessories is often a rewarding way to reduce consumption and save money.

However, this isn’t always the case. How many times have you decided to make something instead of buying it and ended up spending more money and time doing so? In this blog, I share a few tips to help you express your creativity without costing the planet or your wallet.

1. Sourcing yarn sustainably 

If you’re an avid knitter, crocheter or fibre artist, you’ll know that it often takes more balls of yarn than initially expected to finish a project and that good quality yarns are expensive. One way to build up a yarn stash sustainably involves thinking outside the box – instead of buying yarn, buy knitted jumpers! These can be found in any charity shop, in a variety of colours and weights. Winding the yarn up might take a while but put on a good TV show and it’ll be done in no time, and you’ll have a glow of satisfaction from putting in some hard work! This is even more useful if you want natural fibres - vintage clothing is more likely to be made from wool or other natural materials, which tend to be more water and energy intensive to produce so it’s even more important to procure them secondhand.

2. Explore charity shops for crafting treasures

As well as jumpers, charity shops can be a treasure trove for all sorts of crafting materials. Embroidery thread, sewing patterns, beading kits, yarn – these are all things I’ve found in charity shops! You can even find inspiration for new projects and crafts by picking up a craft kit or some bits and bobs you don’t normally use. Instead of buying new fabric, finding old clothes made of fabrics in the colours and patterns you like and cutting them up works just as well.

3. Seek out secondhand supplies online

If you’ve exhausted your local shops or just want to stay in the comfort of your own home, sustainable bargains can be found online too. Check out Facebook Marketplace or eBay to find supplies that people are getting rid of, also, some ‘buy nothing’ groups will give items away for free. The trick with online secondhand shopping is to cast as wide a net as possible – on Facebook, look under the ‘hobbies’ category and just keep scrolling until something catches your eye. On eBay, make sure you filter by ‘used’ to find the bargains which are from other people’s homes, not new products living in warehouses. Use the broadest keywords possible – it will take longer, but you’ll have a better chance of finding the gems hidden within the interweb. Shopping secondhand is a lot like treasure hunting, sometimes it’s more work but you’ll be rewarded greatly for your efforts!

4. Repair and reuse what you have 

Although crafting is a way for many people to consume less and create gradually, it can also become an issue. Using, reusing and repairing what you have instead of buying new items is a good way to be more sustainable in all areas of life, even if you’re buying secondhand. For crafts, this could mean focusing on getting creative by repairing clothes or items you already own instead of buying something new. You could also consider donating or selling on any supplies that are collecting dust around the house, plus many people have a ‘one out, one in’ policy – where they only buy something new if they get rid of something they already own first.

Final thought 

Crafting is often one of the more sustainable hobbies – sorry plane fliers and racing drivers! Every small action adds up when it comes to sustainability. I hope these tips help you find more climate-friendly, budget-friendly ways to enjoy your creative pursuits.

Ready to start crafting with the planet in mind? Share your sustainable crafting tips with us via our social media channels or show us what you’ve made by using the hashtags #EcoCrafting #RecycleMore!


Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this blog represent those of the author, Daniella Othman, and are not those of recycle-more, Valpak Limited or any other organisation.