We know that endless growth is impossible in a finite world. Therefore being thrifty, conserving resources, repurposing and repairing existing clothing are actions that contribute to the sustainability of life on Earth.

I find it interesting that some of the wealthiest people are also the thriftiest. Just because one can afford to go out and buy new clothing, doesn’t mean one does. I wrote about this in an earlier post and quoted UK design guru Kevin McCloud’s views on thrift “throw nothing away if you can help it and wear your clothes until they are rags – thrift is an admirable value that we have lost”.

Well-worn and cherished resources are often more comfortable, they have a story attached, and may even be of better quality than newer stuff. Thrift underpins this 365-day Sew it Again project which is valuing, reusing, repairing and refashioning natural-fibre clothing instead of always buying new. 

It is appropriate that the milestone Sew 300 (only 65 to go!) is the repair of a favourite pair of cotton Canterbury shorts, well-worn, well-loved and worth patching up to live on a little longer.

At the Textile Beat weekend workshop for teenage friends, Gemma mended two pair of her well-worn favourite shorts by adding denim patches on the inside then sewing back and forth with zigzag stitch. Nothing fancy, just common old garden-variety patching, which is worn with pride – as a badge of honour and a genuine statement about sustainability. To team with the faded and repaired shorts, Gemma found a cotton knit singlet-shirt in my stash and shortened the shoulders by sewing a tuck then flattening the seam using vintage buttons. Great to be working with teenagers keen on the life-skill of sewing.