Endless consumption can’t rule. To sustain our lifestyle into the future we need to be mindful about the resources we consume and the waste we create in doing so.

It’s wonderful to be living in a city that promotes sustainable choices through the biannual Green Heart Fair and share ideas with friendly Brisbane residents and visitors.

Textile Beat was part of the action, and thanks to City Smart, family and friends for enabling that to be. Some of the Sew it Again collection found new homes – and others were paraded by the gorgeous Em and Maddy.

Today’s upcycle is Sew 152, an eco-dyed cotton dress that had been white in its heyday and needed a lift. I sprayed it with milk then dried it in the shade because the protein helps the cotton retain more of the colour when it hits the dye bath. After boiling bark in a pot (while barbecuing meat for dinner last night), I added the dress and a few other white t-shirts before leaving them to cool overnight. You can see clearly from the photo above where the milk slashes were because the colour is so much darker. To lengthen the baby doll dress, I cut the bottom off a t-shirt and sewed it in place below the lace hem.