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. 

Sew 131 is a red wool suit that was op-shop found. The zipped Jacket was lovely as is but the skirt a little too long and a little too tight with the waistband. My solution was to cut off about 4cm from the waist, including across the zip (you can cut plastic zips), then use bias binding to neaten the edge. I pinned the lining/skirt together then sewed on the bias (folding it back under the zip) before cutting off the old waistband and neatening the edge.