My sister Joanne, right, and I were raised by a mother who made clothing for herself and for us, in the time before sweatshops and cheap fast fashion. As a child, I remember being told not to say anything if we saw our young neighbours wearing our cast-offs.

Clothing is still passed on through social and family networks, to maximise use of garments and the fabrics from which they were made. Thrifty values are ingrained, so Jo and I still share unworn clothing before it is donated to opportunity shops, turned into rags or dumped.

These day clothing swaps and swish parties are happening things and I am an avid supporter of op shops – both buying from and donating to.

Op shops operate with a lot of wonderful volunteer support, play an important role in helping those in need and keeping textiles out of landfill through reuse and recycling. 

National Op Shop Week coming up on 24-31 August is a great time to review bulging wardrobes and it is interesting to read here that a survey by New Idea of 900 women last year found that

• 62% have clothes in their wardrobe that has never been worn/still has tags on
• 83% have clothes in their wardrobe they have only worn once or twice
• Almost a quarter (23%) of a woman’s total wardrobe has either never been worn or has only been worn once or twice

Another finding of the survey was that 97 percent of us have donated an item to a charity op shop at some point in our lives and that nearly 9 out of 10 women (88%) have purchased something from a charity op shop.

The jumper-skirt Jo is wearing for Sew 213 is one she made at a Textile Beat workshop using an old jumper with sleeves removed, and skirt shaped to suit her size. I made the phone pouch with a sleeve cut from an op shop men’s jacket ($3 linen very big) and an unworn beaded belt (also op shop) being attached as the strap. Jo’s vest is one I bought years ago at a market because I liked the fringing but the emotional attachment faded so it found a new home with my sister. Thanks Jo for supporting my Sew it Again journey.