Monthly Archives: April 2014

Sew 110 – Make social media statement

You can plop any old statement into social media, be it good, bad or ugly. Social media shapes your public identity, it reflects who you are.

Social media gives us an amazing opportunity to publish and become shape-shifters, just as it influences us in return. But we need to remember, that our online self is only a fraction of our true self at any given time.

As journalist Kylie Lang said in her TEDx Noosa talk, we can connect with up to two billion people. That gives us the potential to change the world for the better.

With so many global problems facing the world today, Kylie quotes the OECD saying we need solutions from independent thinkers who skillfully use technology, engage empathetically with others and act autonomously. View her talk there.

Continue reading →

Sew 109 – Playing with pre-loved garb

As we strive for more success, possessions, money, positive experiences or recognition, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters in the world.

Taking time to show care and kindness to others; living simply to nurture our health and wellbeing; valuing quality, integrity and traditions; and respecting the environment which sustains all life.

My material world is being turned on its head this year as I spend each day playing with existing clothing and upcycling it for a second life. And it is wonderful to feel connected with a global and organic movement for change which is the Fashion Revolution.

Eco-fashion pioneer and Fashion Revolution Day co-founder Orsola de Castro says that environmentally and socially, the fashion system isn’t working and needs to change. Be inspired by reading more from Orsola here.

Simple truths are explained in this clever little Fashion Revolution Day video, featuring a six-year-old’s perspective on why clothing is cheap … because people and ecosystems are being exploited. Continue reading →

Sew 108 – Resewing existing clothing

Weird, eccentric, alternative, unusual, different, unique, junky, ragged, rustic, rough, bodgie, wasted, original, rad, scrappy, yuck, quirky, bespoke, creative … adjectives describing various results from taking scissors to existing clothes and resewing them.

There are professional designers creating cutting-edge clothing from upcycled materials all over the world, with the best collated by New York-based academic Sass Brown in her latest book Refashioned and website Eco Fashion Talk.

I’m an amateur, learning by doing, having a go with what I have, resewing rejected natural fibre clothing using home-sewing techniques and posting results on sewitagain.com every day this year.

One doesn’t have to look far to see evidence of clothing waste, millions of tonnes of it every year. Americans throw out 30kg of textiles per person per year, according to Elizabeth Cline in Overdressed: the Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. And at least half of donated clothing ends up being shipped overseas to African countries, according to Beverly Gordon in her book Textiles: The Whole Story. Continue reading →

Sew 107 – Little brown number

Chocolate brown is a favourite colour and I gravitate towards it in op shops – which of course I’m trying to steer clear of these days as I work my way through the accumulated stockpile.

Doing some research ahead of an interview tonight with 612 ABC Local Radio’s Rebecca Levingston, I came across the Little Brown Dress project in which Seattle artist Alex Martin wore the same brown dress in different ways for an entire year in 2006.

In this Seattle Times article Martin said she did it to make a personal attempt to confront consumerism. “Martin was troubled by sweatshops, over-consumption and the modern American penchant for disposable items. And she was irritated by the societal pressure on women to buy into, literally and figuratively, what’s considered fashionable.”

My personal commitment this year is to upcycling – adding value by mending, modifying, remaking, resewing, refashioning – unworn and reject clothing for a second life. Continue reading →

Sew 106 – Homegrown eco looks

All living things have a place and a purpose on the planet. While life is a struggle for some, others expend much time and effort chasing money and stuff.

Popular culture positions elite, prestige and luxury atop a greasy pole. Many invest a lifetime pursing this elusive high when it is simple things around us that provide meaning in the end.

Through her beautiful distillation of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, Australian Bronnie Ware has become an advocate for healthy, simple living.

We know that whole local food keeps our bodies healthy. If we expend effort in its growing and cooking, then all the better. Quick, easy, processed, packaged fast food might be cheap, but we have come to understand its consumption is not good for our health.

We are coming to grips with our clothing story in the same way. Events such as the Rana Plaza factory collapse last year exposed the dark underbelly of fast fashion as a source of cheap, ready-made, clothing that exploits people and resources. Somebody somewhere is losing out when you can buy $5 shirts and treat them as disposable.

That’s why we need a Fashion Revolution. Young people such as UK-based creative Tilly, of Tilly and the Buttons fame, are empowering a new generation of DIY dressmakers by demonstrating how to create their own clothing. Continue reading →

Sew 105 – Natural, found, refashioned

Every morning we dress for the day. How we chose to dress reflects who we are, influences our wellbeing and impacts our environment.

My choice is natural-fibre and op-shop found, adapted using simple home-sewing skills. My choice is deliberate, authentic, ethical and sustainable. I am upcycling clothing that already exists in the world, sharing Sew it Again ideas to inspire others to refresh what they already have rather than buy more.

Your clothes tell a story about who you are. Fashion has its own story too, and it’s turning into a force for good with Fashion Revolution Day. Here’s the Fashion Revolution story: Continue reading →

Sew 104 – Bring on the Sew Change

It doesn’t cost the earth to save the planet. If we all make small changes and different choices, the collective impact can be huge.

My contribution this year is demonstrating how changing existing clothing by resewing – doing a sew change – can bring new life to natural resources that for various reasons are not being worn.

My inspiration is natural beauty, such as this mushroom cum toadstool which has sprung up in our local bush after recent rain.

Possessing a wardrobe bulging with clothing alongside a feeling of having nothing to wear is a common refrain in advanced economies. Consumer culture encourages buying new as the solution.

There’s little economic imperative to reuse, resew, refashion what we already have because the machine of consumption and global supply chains mean new clothing is so cheap. Whether the purchase represents best value is another matter.

This year I’m working off-trend, sewing upstream against the tide by demonstrating how the application of a few simple sewing skills, some time and creativity we can (if so inclined) revive what we already have as an alternative to buying new.

My Sew it Again campaign comes on the back of leadership study last year and concern for the squandering of limited resources in the form of natural fibre clothing which I continue to observe within my own environment.

Working my way through 365-days of wearable upcycling, I am inspired by fabulous change happening around the world. There’s TRAIDremade in the United Kingdom, Redressed in Hong Kong and the global Fashion Revolution movement which is turning fashion into a force for good.

Today’s Sew 104 is a refashion of a hand-printed cotton garment that is a friend’s reject. No doubt lovely in its day, the waistline frill added unnecessary bulk that is unflattering for all but the slimmest. I removed the frill, turned the waistline over and inserted thin elastic to minimise bulk and provide flexible fit. I cut-up the bodice and used the printed mid-riff part to form a collar-effect on a simple cream wool-blend top. A red stain on one end of the collar is hidden underneath and it is held in place using the press-studs that were already there from its past life. I trimmed loose threads from the cut edge which had frayed after washing.

Sew 103 – Handmade with love

Beautiful things handcrafted with love are compelling, timeless and bring joy to the hearts of those who value them. And how satisfying it is to raise children to become capable, creative and caring young adults making their way in the world.

Nearly 1000 triangles of cotton fabric lovingly stitched into decorative bunting by Grandma Joy Moir were the defining feature of yesterday’s engagement party for #caseyandJenna … and they will be reused across time, at the wedding and the nursery (fingers crossed) and a multitude of celebrations into the future.

Continue reading →

Sew 102 – Cause for celebration

Learning from the experience, knowledge, ideas and skills of others helps us navigate the thrills and spills of life.

As a parent, I’ve passed on what I know to three offspring and it is exciting today to be celebrating our son Casey and his fiancée Jenna Moir’s engagement at the Gold Coast – thrilled to have another woman joining our family. (see nostalgia photo of Casey and I below)

One of my favourite women Georgie Somerset brought my attention to a recent Women’s Agenda post that shared key lessons from successful women to help at work, at home and in life. Great wisdom in these quotes:

“Done is better than perfect. I have tried to embrace this motto and let go of unattainable standards. Aiming for perfection causes frustration at best and paralysis at worst.” Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In

“The way we’ve defined success is no longer sustainable for human beings or for societies. To live the lives we truly want and deserve, and not just the lives we settle for, we need a Third Metric, a third measure of success that goes beyond the two metrics of money and power, and consists of four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving.” Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington in Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder. I wrote about Beyond Power and Money earlier this year. Continue reading →

Sew 101 – Re-creation as recreation

Upcycling natural fibre clothing for a second life makes sense – for the planet, the hip-pocket and personal satisfaction.

There’s recreation to be had in recreating new garments out of old. It is fun engaging one’s creative and thrifty instincts, exploring and playing with textures and techniques … but it does require a willingness and flexibility to invest time in the process.

One of the most valuable things about having basic sewing skills is the independence and individuality they provide. You are not restricted to what’s currently trendy and newly available online or in shops.

The essence of Sew 101 is being empowered, sustainable and creative. I made this simple top and skirt years ago from Italian lycra (not a natural fibre I know, but so interesting). These casual separates served me well but I was no longer wearing them. From my op-shop stash I found a sheer silk shirt in complementary colours and merged the two to create a one-off.

Even as I filleted the silk shirt by cutting off the sleeves, the collar and rectangular panels from the body, I appreciated the high quality craftsmanship of the maker (it was a Liz Davenport, a leading designer from Western Australia).

I left all the fastenings and features in place, arranging and then sewing various pieces to the lycra base. The silk pieces float and drape from where they are anchored to the lycra with machine or hand stitching. Lycra doesn’t fray, so I cut into the sleeve and neckline without needing to neaten it. I kept fiddling, adding and subtracting until I’d had enough yesterday afternoon – and this is the result.