Halloween is right around the corner friends. Don’t (like me) wait until All Hallow’s Eve to see what garments lurk deep in your’s closet archives that are funky enough to constitute a costume…and then end up as the Nerdy Catholic School Girl or 80′s something or other.

Thank the Internet, we have Rob Czar and Corinne Leigh of Threadbanger.com to inspire us with some inventive DIY costumes that can be made from recycled clothes, fabric spray, glue, and some serious gumption.

Every truly thrifty fashionista knows how to transform a superfly men’s XXL t-shirt into a clubworthy frock, top, scarf, skirt, headband or belt, but few know how to do it with as much sheer brilliance as Carmia Marshall and Carmen Webber. These scissor sistas launched the ill custom vintage t-shirt line Sistahs of Harlem back in 2001, selling at street festivals and flea markets throughout New York City.

Since then, their designs have exploded onto the couture scene, gracing the pages of Nylon and Honey, as well as the wardrobes of stylish sirens like Erykah Badu and Alicia Keyes. Carmen also appeared as a designer on Season 4 of Project Runway. These women are gonna show you eco-stylistas some fresh ways to upcycle your ex-boyfriend’s leftovers into new spicy datewear, cuz when it comes to tired clothes or men, sometimes you just have to say-NEXT! …And let’s make sure it’s going to be an upgrade, am I right ladies? Check out Carmia’s how-to on the sexy “Keisha Tee” on Threadbanger, In The Loop’s favorite web tv show for DIY-lovers.

Don’t know what to wear tomorrow to one of the thousands of Inauguration Day parties happening across the country? Our favorite DIY icons, Rob and Corinne of Threadheads, show us how to upcycle plastic to-go containers into Obama shrinky dink earrings, transform old t-shirts into edgy Barackwear, and even repurpose unused office supplies into Presidential stencils. Go ahead, fashionistas-Barack it out!

Warning: Recycling plastic-good. Toxic fumes-bad. Keep windows open when baking recycled plastic into new baubles!

Our DIY mavens at Threadbanger, Rob Czar and Corinne Leigh, enjoyed their time at New York Fashion Week earlier this month. Though, luckily for us, these two have once again figured out how to create haute couture looks with very shallow pocketbooks. That rhymed. (Just in case you weren’t paying attention.) Check out Madame Corinne’s incredibly hot, slightly domi exposed-zipper skirt.

To make it as sustainable a project as possible, see what fabric you already have or try shopping for fabric at the thrift store. Otherwise, experiment with organic cotton, Oeko-Tex certified bamboo, or my personal favorite, hemp.

*Beware of long T-Mobile ad at the end…I guess Threadbangers have to pay their bills too.

In this episode of Threadbanger, Rob and Corinne, our favorite icons of DIY fashion, show us a few key elements about fabric’s construction. Then Miss Corinne Leigh demos how to make an incredible summer dress from recycled fabric. (She makes it look so easy!)

The ecological beauty of DIY everything is that you can personally create new goods from materials that would otherwise go unused, like surplus and vintage fabrics as well as the treasure trove of material found in your “On-The-Way-To-The-Salvation-Army” bag that lives in the nether regions of your closet. It’s like magic. Jesus may be one of the only historical figures to turn water into wine, but you can certainly perform the miracle of turning old table cloths into new headturning halter tops. Hallelujah.

Of course, if you still haven’t gotten your own sewing machine, you can check out the incredible summer dresses at Greenloop, made from organic cotton, bamboo, tencel, and recycled materials.