Refashioning clothing you already have instead of buying new is what I, Jane Milburn, am doing every day this year as a mindful, resourceful and purposeful project demonstrating sustainable ways to dress by upcycling unworn natural-fibre garments.

To create Sew 273, I took a plain black silk skirt with frill hem and randomly altered the hemline before embellishing it with fringing cut from two butter-cup yellow unworn silk garments – a jacket and a striped shirt.

To begin, I cut on the diagonal across the bottom of the skirt to create a more interesting sloping hemline. I cut the bottom frill from the offcut and stitched it to the new hemline.  I then cut a strip from all the finished edges (including buttons, button-holes, collar) of the silk jacket to create a long and continuous hemmed silk length which is about 4cm wide, and zigzagged it in place above the bottom black frill. 

Next, I did the same with the yellow/black-striped top and stitched it on to the skirt, above the earlier frill. The random pieces require a little massaging to sit flat but the result makes an interesting statement about reuse. To finish off the look, I added another black frill above the two yellow ones, and created a flower from the offcuts and a yellow button. I teamed the embellished skirt with a plain black top. For extra drama, the left-over of the silk jacket can be used as a shawl, tied at the shoulders by a knot of two sleeves. See some how-to photos below.

I wanted to create something conservative but meaningful for the funeral of my friend Teena Maria Girdis. A sad day. But life goes on. And so does the Sew it Again project which aims to raise awareness of creative, ethical and sustainable eco-clothing options which arise when you apply some time and simple home-sewing skills to reject clothing.