“Uh oh, this is not going quite as planned” … is a frequent thought when you take scissors to garments. Expect the unexpected, let it lead you to creative original solutions and don’t give up until you have a wearable result.

Upcycling is a creative discipline that requires a combination of time, skills, confidence and desire to produce something unique from rejects.

Natural fibres now make up only one-third of modern clothing according to the FAO – the rest are made from synthetics which are mostly pure petroleum. 

I love natural fibres and find plenty of opportunities to rescue them, seeking out reject clothing from op shops and resewing for a second life. That’s where this coat came from which becomes Sew 224 – heading towards two-thirds of the way through my Sew it Again upcycling project, yay! I had earlier made the skirt as part of a series of four created from 12 old jumpers (see Sew 52 and Sew 157) as posted on Pinterest.

Using a brown boiled wool cardigan with flower features (found at Adelaide op shop), I decided to create a signature coat of many colours by transforming and attaching a skirt (see photos below). By cutting, rotating and resewing the panels, the colour contrasts became more striking. It was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle that didn’t quite fit back together – leaving a couple of extra pieces which I then sewed to the collar and bodice of the jacket for creative effect. To merge the jacket and skirt together, I cut the bottom off the jacket and attached this as a trim on either side of the front of the skirt before adding a few new buttons to close. Liking the look of the trimmings from the overlocker, I stitched these to a leftover piece of boiled wool and glued that to a tin brooch. Zero waste, creative look, along with a warm and comfortable sense of achievement.

Op shop week is coming up on August 24 to 31 so that’s a great opportunity to support charitable groups who raise funds by recycling, reuse and reselling stuff that is surplus to requirements. And thanks to all the great volunteers who keep them operating!