It is shocking – horrifying even – that there is such a surfeit of clothing in the world that barely worn stuff is being tossed for lack of the right look, shape, size, pattern or fit.  

We are encouraged to buy more stuff at every turn, without mindful consideration of a longer-term perspective for ourselves and the planet.

This year I’m pausing to reflect and sort all the stuff I’ve accumulated – my stuff of choice being found natural fibre clothing from opshops.

Over the past three years of op-shopping, I’ve accumulated enough to see out my lifetime. I don’t harbour any guilt from it because I’ve had a sense of rescuing it for a good cause. That cause is the Sew it Again project, upcycling every day this year to demonstrate how simple home sewing skills can extend the life of existing clothing by adapting to suit one’s needs. 

Two unworn pieces become Sew 117.  Beige and black always look good together. This opshop wool find attracted me because of the pattern and colours, but it was not a very useful length. Looking for something to add to the hemline, I found a viscose top which I’d purchased new on sale a few years ago (before my op-shop reincarnation) and had virtually never worn. I cut the viscose top into pieces – the bottom I added to the bottom of the wool to become dress length. The other pieces, I cut to form a long strip (sew and turn inside out) which I added at the shoulder line, sewing underneath and letting it fall down over that seam. I added my Textile Beat upcycled label,  a statement of sustainable, ethical reuse.