Allyson Roller. AP student. Tennis player. Art lover. Honor roll qualifier. And recently, and upcycler.

Upcycling is where you take old clothes, and turn them into a new, better article of clothing. This is a way to save money, put in your creativity, and learn how to make clothes.

Roller found her desire to start up cycling in the summer when she found she had nothing to do. She saw the idea on Pinterest and the innovative idea stood out to her. This was way to be conscious of the planet, money, and a way to show her creativity, and spend quality time with her mom.

“I’m the type of person that always has to be doing something, and this was a good way to deal with that,” said Roller.

Roller has made about 10 items in total and plans on making Christmas gifts out of her new talent. She recalls that she hasn’t paid full price for an item in a long time.

“You spend around 10 bucks on something and you can make it into something new,” said Roller

Roller also enjoys upcycling as peaceful and soothing remedy when the stress of her 4 AP classes, being the VP of NHS, and her tennis playing gets to be too much. She realizes that she has a lot compared to others, and is focusing on trying to incorporate minimalist ideas into her routine. Roller finds herself more grateful to the people who make clothes, and live money conscious and minimalistic.

She suggests to beginner upcyclers, “a good sewing machine, thread, and the ability to be patient and persistent. Don’t be willing to give up.”