Upcycling male ambassador Phil sent his too-big old shorts my way and I recreated them as a shabby-chic skirt.

Reinventing old stuff for a new life and engaging others in creatively discovering ways to reuse existing clothing is my purpose this year with the Sew it Again campaign.

This campaign brings together all that I know and believe in from my upbringing living simply on a sheep farm in New Zealand, through agricultural science study, work as a rural reporter and advocate, then postgraduate study in eco-leadership and wellbeing.

It was wonderful to share stories and a meal with gorgeous Julia Shapley when she visited the studio yesterday. Julia’s on her way to becoming a ‘glamorous hippy’ as she follows her heart on a creative journey that involves many new and exciting projects – at least one of which involves design, fabric and sewing.  It feels good to connect with friends who share similar values and also believe that anything is possible when you engage with universal intelligence.

In this photo, Julia is wearing a dress of her own making – simple yet glamorous – and reading a favourite book of mine, The Sustainable Fashion Handbook by Sandy Black.

Meanwhile, I had no sooner got Sew 66 on my model Mabel when friend and ARLF fellow Carol Watson called in and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Sew 66 is sold and looking good.

This was a pair of shorts with lots of pockets, which still had potential. By cutting out the seam between the legs then unpicking the little kink and resewing, the centre seam lies flat and the remaining V is just zigzagged as a feature front and back. I had a silk top from which I cut out the lining and sleeves, and used pieces to knotted on various parts of the skirt. The ink stain at the pocket was covered up by my Textile Beat upcycled label – a la the Fashion Revolution hashtag of #insideout.