It is the time of year for festive celebrations such as this evening’s fabulous QRRRWN event at Panda Pearls at Nundah in Brisbane which included a surprise talk by Gina Fairfax about philanthropy, giving while living and the great work of The Tim Fairfax Family Foundation.

It was also a lovely opportunity to catch up with author Annabelle Brayley from Morven who said giving is not just about money – it can be contributing and donating in many other ways.

Since we were all wearing black and white (me in opshop/upcycled Sew 349 left) it made a good photo opportunity with Annabelle (centre) and Gina (right). And the fabulous feedback from Annabelle (an accomplished dressmaker) is that she’s been motivated to upcycle unworn garments in her wardrobe as a result of the Sew it Again project. Hooray, positive behaviour change! Happy.

Today’s upcycle, Sew 350, is a piece of silk I bought new in Malaysia and was wearing as a sarong (photo below) when my young cousin Olivia came to visit earlier in the year (Olivia upcycled Sew 240). To do the silk justice, I decided to sew it into a beach shift. This involved creating a long strap by tearing off a 5cm wide strip of silk, folding it over lengthwise, sewing together then pulling it inside out (with a safety pin). I then tore the rest of the silk into two even pieces, neatened all the edges and sewed the side-seams together leaving an open portion at the top (to become arm holes) and the bottom (for walking). The shift is finished off by turning over 2cm at the front top and front back, feeding the strap through both and then tying it on one shoulder. Sew comfortable!