The more wool the merrier I reckon. I have lost a few garments in the past to moth/silverfish damage, but now there is much more wool in my wardrobe I seem to have fewer problems. I’ve learned to take a preventive approach to caring for it – cakes of nice-smelly soaps and bags of star anise (see photo below) seem to do the trick. And of course, sponging any food or drink spills before putting away.

When you have a critical mass of wool, you can get a load together for the wool-wash cycle on the machine, adding eucalypt-based wool wash to further guard against munchies. Wool actually needs much less frequent washing than we tend to give it. A good rule of thumb is that unless it is smelling or looking dirty, don’t wash.

When I recently sorted my wool stuff, I found a couple of pair of tights (one grey, one black) and one skivvy (purple) that were looking a bit ragged with holes appearing along the seams. These are upcycled into Sew 116, because the fabric was still good and it doesn’t seem to fray when cut.

I selected one waistband to use for the skirt, cut off the legs, and set the band aside. From the rest of the legs, and the skivvy, I cut panels which were then sewn together to become the skirt, that was attached to the waistband by stretching it to fit. I used scraps to cover a few random holes. From my op shop stash, I found a boiled wool vest and changed the buttons so they were properly aligned with the button holes and black to provide contrast. I grooved up the collar by trimming it to become a V-line. To do this, cut confidently, begin just above the second button and trim in a straight-line back to the neckline. I then positioned the offcuts away from the neck out to the sleeve (they’re still attached at the back) and used tacking stitch to hold them in place. Happy days! Have fun reworking clothing that already exists rather than buying new.