We all bobble along in the world, making the best of what we have and contributing where we can to make a difference. I’m assiduously working away this year on the Sew it Again project, supported by my family and friends to demonstrate ways of upcycling existing clothing to conserve and revive natural fibre resources instead of buying new.

And it is exciting when others catch the ball and run with it! Star pupil from the Coolah workshops Jacki sent me this update: ‘Had a great day – mended two dresses, patched some work jeans that had holes and upcycled a hoodie top into jeans, bag and scarf with little pockets to keep hands warm. That outfit was for an 8-year-old girl, the daughter of a friend. When I gave her the clothes she said “Look Mum the jeans aren’t ugly anymore”. See below for Jacki’s photos of the second-life she created for her unworn hoodie.

Often there is nothing wrong with clothing, it just isn’t working for us anymore. Certainly it is good to pass rejects on to charity shops where it may come in handy for someone else – but the other option (if you have time and inclination) is to refashion it into something that presents the resources in a new light.

For Sew 144, I refashioned reject opshop jeans and cotton check shirt for a new look. I cut the jeans on the diagonal (no need to mark it out, just get your eye in and cut confidently) and turned them into a skirt by cutting open the legs then patching together with part of a checked shirt (see photos below). I then cut the long sideseam of the shirt and tied a knot to hold it in place while the other side hangs loose.