Monthly Archives: May 2014

Sew 131 – Quick fix for waistband

There is no end to the potential of upcycling existing clothing for a second life – you are limited only by your imagination, skills, time and willingness to work.

It was great to help five keen upcyclers along the way today at a workshop as part of my Upcycled exhibition in Coolah.

Georgina worked on a quilt incorporating knitted items (scarf, balaclava, glove, booty), Ele sewed white linen shirts into a bedspread, Janelle turned a knitted dress into a skirt, Lindy turned jeans into a skirt, and Jacki turned tops into skirts.

Once you open your eyes to the untapped potential of clothing that is not being worn as it is, you liberate yourself with new options and opportunities. Continue reading →

Sew 130 – Fast fashion waste

The built environment shapes the way we live, food choices influence our health and the clothing we chose to wear is a statement about who we are.

Media reports today confirm that fast food is having a profound influence on our diet, with a new Australian Health Survey by the Bureau of Statistics showing we are eating 30 per cent less fruit and vegetables than 15 years ago.

Curtin University’s Professor Mike Daube is quoted as saying fast food has eclipsed vegetables as a dietary staple, which is a major concern because of the implications for health costs and disease burden in society. “The results are a triumph for the mass marketing of junk food,” he says.

Just as fast food has negatively influenced our diets, fast fashion has transformed the clothing and textile landscape. In the past decade, our entire approach has changed since globalisation made clothing cheaper and more plentiful that ever before.

Clothing waste is a very real issue, leading to organisations such as the UK-based charity TRAID working to stop clothes from being thrown away and Hong Kong-based NGO Redress promoting environmental sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption.

Tweets from the Ecochic Awards yesterday via @TRAID and @Redress_Asia quoted: “A third of all clothing is still ending up in landfill In the UK … we throw £140 million of clothes into the bin every year … according to WRAP UK 17-20% of garments made remain unsold.”

Such waste is worrying and these figures are probably similar in other developed nations such as Australia. A desire to value reject natural fibre clothing underpins my 365-day Sew it Again project to raise awareness of how we can creatively reconstruct and upcycle what already exists instead of always buying new.

Sew 130 is two op-shop found jumpers. The striped wool had a couple of small holes which I mended by hand-stitching on a few buttons. The khaki wool jumper was cut and reshaped as a jumper skirt, with the sleeves sewn together (on the diagonal to optimise length) to become a scarf. Ele has accessorised with bright blue and makes these rejects look groovy.

Sew 129 – Putting it out there

The most common reason we hesitate when given a chance to express ourselves creatively is our fear of other people’s negative opinions, says Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer.

In her book On Becoming an Artist, Dr Langer says it is hard to try something without knowing the outcome but from a creative perspective, not knowing the outcome is actually preferable. And it is important to remember that the evaluations of others – both good and bad – are not really objective and needn’t shape our choices.

“Evaluation is central to the way we make sense of the our world; almost all of our thoughts are concerned with whether what we or others are doing or thinking is good or bad … If a change in our attitude about evaluation is to happen, the most important understanding we need to gain is that all behaviour makes sense from the actor’s perspective or the actor wouldn’t do it.” Continue reading →

Sew 128 – Working with nature on-farm

Farmers pride themselves on looking after the environment that provides their livelihood.

That’s why country people understand recycling and upcycling. Working in tune with nature and being mindful of how we use natural resources is a way of life.

Organic beef producer Phil Cook – partner of leadership colleague Ele Cook – goes one step further in modelling his sustainably upcycled wool jumper this morning as he headed outdoors to work in the cold windy weather at Coolah in New South Wales. Continue reading →

Sew 127 – Warming wool jumper skirt

It is cool in Coolah so I’m glad to have plenty of op shop (Coonabaraban Vinnies) wool jumpers to upcycle into Sew 127 using my signature swish of the jumper to skirt conversion.

This is the simplest upcycle of reject and waste natural-fibre garments, and one that features prominently in the Pandora Gallery Upcycled exhibition which was officially opened yesterday, thanks to my creative leadership colleague and friend Ele Cook – and gallery volunteers including Jennie and Jackie.

This country town in central west New South Wales is waste conscious – it even has a Waste to Art project to reuse resources in a productive way. As part of the Upcycled exhibition, we are holding a hands-on Wagga-making workshop (making cushions and blankets from waste textile) on Sunday at the back of the gallery. Continue reading →

Sew 126 – Linen suit gets update

Setting up the Upcycled exhibition at Pandora Gallery in Coolah has helped consolidate the purpose and messaging around my 365-day Sew it Again campaign. Once people think about how our relationship with clothing has changed over the years, they understand why we need to adjust our behaviour to reduce textile waste.

Because country people live close to nature and are naturally resourceful, they’re really receptive to the upcycling concept. We workshopped the Upcycled values for a sign on the gallery wall and keeping adding more – they include being mindful, thrifty, ethical, resourceful, sustainable, creative, original, zero waste, eco-friendly. Continue reading →

Sew 125 – An upcycled upcycle

Uncertainty is an essential element of creativity, which in turn comes from mindful attention to your craft of choice. My craft is resewing existing clothing.

Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer says our current culture leads us to try to reduce and minimise uncertainty, leading to mindless rigid behaviour governed by rules and routines.

On the other hand, if we exploit the power of uncertainty we learn that things can become more than we previously thought possible. Mindfulness makes us sensitive to context, perspective, and changing situations.

Sew it Again is a response to changing circumstances around the way we dress. As clothing becomes cheaper, plentiful and designed with built-in obsolescence – an extraordinary amount of clothing waste has been accumulating around the world. Continue reading →

Sew 124 – Upcycled in Coolah

Very excited to have my first Upcycled exhibition now hanging in Pandora Gallery at Coolah in New South Wales as a celebration of natural fibres and (re)fashion from today until May 16.

Upcycled is an interactive exhibition about the history, origins and uses of natural fibres which explores creative ways to refashion existing clothing for a second life.

Our consumer society is using textiles at an unprecedented rate, with thousands of tonnes of waste clothing dumped in landfill or shipped to third-world countries every year.

Thanks to my ARLP leadership colleague Ele Cook and gallery coordinator Jennie Stephens, I’ve been able to mount this exhibition to showcase some of my repurposed reject garments 365-day Sew it Again creations to raise awareness of the ethical, social and environmental issues of textile waste. Continue reading →

Sew 123 – Sew it UP

I’ve traversed two states in two days, leaving Mt Tabor near Augathella yesterday morning and now at Coolah in southern New South Wales, travelling through grazing, grain and cotton country.

Part of that 15-hour journey was with Georgie Somerset, but since went separate ways at Miles yesterday afternoon, I’ve had plenty of reflection time ahead of my first exhibition Upcycling at Pandora Gallery tomorrow.

Australian country singer Tania Kernaghan was a special guest at the launch of Keelen Mailman’s book The Power of Bones at the magical sacred site of Lost City on Mt Tabor on Friday. Keelen meets everyone with an open heart, and because Tania also has a beautiful heart she says Keelen’s book “will touch your heart in so many ways”. Here’s a happy photo of us under the bough shed with me, left, Tania, Keelen and her sister Cissy, and Georgie.

Because I’m travelling, Sew 123 is by necessity a simple one. It’s an upcycle of an upcycled jumper which I purchased in Canberra. The vintage brown wool cardigan had vintage yo-yo flowers attached and I was pleased to find it on my last visit to the capital and support another upcycler’s efforts. After some wearing, the shoulder seam needed a mend and a small hole needed darning. Clothing never stays perfect forever, so simple skills like using a needle and thread to mend a hole is a basic life skill.

Sew 122 – Leading with heart

The Power of Bones is the incredible story of Keelen Mailman’s life journey to date and it was a privilege to be on country at Mt Tabor for the book launch at sunset last night. Mt Tabor is a long way from the coast and about two hours from Augathella in western Queensland, but Georgie Somerset and I made the trek because we are so proud of Keelen as a fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Program.

Keelen and I were Spiritual Travellers in the Kimberley and it was from her I learned about leading from the heart and trusting your instincts.

As the first Aboriginal women to run a cattle station in Australia, Keelen has shown incredible courage and love for her Bidjara ancestors, culture and country. I will write more on this tomorrow. Continue reading →