This bias-cut silk skirt was shortened by cutting off the old waistline and replacing with thin elastic, then recasting the waistline offcut as a draped collar for a matching silk shirt.

My friend Robyn Sheptooha called in with a bag of surplus clothing the other day and we shared a cup of tea while she told me the story of each – how it came into her life and why it was going out – and being put to good use as garment fodder for my 365-day Sew it Again upcycling project.

We met ages ago with boys in Year 3 and meander in and out of each other’s lives, catching up when time permits.

I did so enjoy reading Nikki Gemmell’s column Swamped Again in The Weekend Australian Magazine yesterday because it took me back to those days on the whirligig, bringing up three children with little time to call your own. 

Now I’m through that stage and the space of two empty nests has blossomed into my Textile Beat studio with wardrobes full of garments awaiting their turn for upcycling.

Robyn now is a wellbeing counsellor and when we make time to walk we talk about creativity and the unconscious therapy of being in nature. Robyn chose to name her practice Dadirri House, dadirri being an indigenous word meaning ‘quiet, still awareness’ and ‘deep listening within’.

Within the bag of clothes Robyn gave to me for Sew it Again, there was one skirt that she still loved but no longer fitted. So here it is today, refashioned for a second life when next Robyn calls in!

The beauty of this type of bias-cut skirt is that it becomes wider nearer the hem. After cropping off the waistband below the zip, I used bias tape (you don’t need to) and thin elastic to create a new waistline for what is now a knee-length skirt. Instead of measuring precisely, I tend to cut by eye and then fold the skirt over itself to keep the length even – as per the photos below.

To create an outfit I found this silk shirt in my op-shop wardrobe stash, cut off the sleeves and added the waistline off-cut as a junky collar with the zip opened out at the front.