Two orange knit garments were melded into a dress to camouflage an unfortunate stain on an otherwise beautiful wool top.

When a hole appears, a button falls off, seam pops or stain appears – what do you do? Turn to expert, toss them out, or DIY? If you have simple home-sewing skills, you are empowered to apply them creatively to solve small defects in otherwise perfectly good clothing.

With my Sew it Again campaign this year I’m working my way through wardrobes full of natural-fibre clothing accumulated from various sources over time, demonstrating creative ways of upcycling and reviving them for a second life.

I’ve run a number of different campaigns in my time, and it was interesting to be described as an ‘avid sewer and sustainable fashion advocate’ by Laura Stead-Churchill in Bmag.com. 

My story is still a work in progress – but it is lovely to read how Meg from Indiana in the United States has woven her back story into the Heartland Yarn Company which is producing hand-dyed yarns using only natural dyes, with yarn being the connecting thread.

“When I harvest natural materials to use as dyes, I forge a link to the environmental surroundings that support my craft. When I dye using traditional methods, I feel a connection to the men and women who knew this art as an everyday necessity for thousands of years. When I sell my yarns to my neighbours, I form ties to a community that sustains me as an artist and maker,” Meg says. And through Etsy, Meg is connected to a unique outlet to provide yarns to a larger, global community. What a beautiful, meaningful and mindful way of living on our planet, in tune with nature and community.

Meanwhile, back in the Textile Beat studio, I merged a wool knit with a linen knit is similar burnt-orange shades to renovate and recreate as an outfit.

I rarely buy new clothing, but this particular burnt orange Ping Pong knit was a treat bought from David Jones about three years ago because I loved the colour and merino wool.  To my chagrin, the following winter a stain appeared on the bottom back where I either sat in/bumped into something or washed it with something that lost dye.

It languished unworn last winter, but now I’ve come up with a creative fix – making it look like it was meant to be – to cover and disguise the marks. I merged the bottom of the linen jumper to extend the hemline of the wool garment, created a scarf from the linen sleeves, and cropped the neckline into a curved pocket which was sown on the back to cover the stain (reflecting the curved pockets on the front). I used leftover ribbons of linen to embellish pockets (when you cut knit into strips, they roll-up and do not unravel after initial stray threads have frayed away).  PS: the photos were taken under natural light, but it is interesting all the different shades that appear.