Refashioning and upcyclng clothing is play-based creativity because there are no rules – you are only limited by your imagination and energy.

It was great to have the opportunity today to lead an activity day with Brisbane home-schooling families who regularly meet at Petrie School of Arts.

Young Chantel was amazingly dedicated in refashioning a black and white unworn viscose dress (from my stash, a friend’s cast-off) into a skirt, bag and headband in zero-waste style.

To begin, she made a skirt by cutting off the bottom portion of the dress, turning the cut edge over to make a casing for elastic (cut to fit her waist) then threading elastic through using a safety pin and knotting to secure (her Mum helped with the sewing machine). 

Next, she cut the belt ties off the bodice, turned it turned inside out and stitched the bottom together to make a bag – using the shoulder straps as ready-made handles.

Chantel then turned a belt-tie into a headband which she decorated with the hanging ribbons (folded together concertina style) as well as bits of white t-shirt ribbon, before threading coloured buttons on to another piece of white t-shirt ribbon.

It is great to see such attention span and creativity in one so young (I didn’t ask, but she must only be about eight-years-old). Well done Chantel, there is no limit to what you can do now that you know cast-off clothing is a resource to reuse to make new garments to suit yourself.

With upcycling the DIY finish may not be as perfect as store-bought, but there is infinite satisfaction in having created something with your own hands, energy and imagination.