Monthly Archives: December 2014

Sew 345 – Cool cotton restyle

Summer storms and Christmas drinks – it is that time of year in Australia. And how exciting to be posting Sew 345, which means only 20 upcycles to go before the Sew it Again year is complete!

I’ve learned so much by experimenting with creative restyling, reshaping and repurposing of existing clothing. Certainly it takes a little time and a few skills, but really it is not hard to breathe new life into clothes made from beautiful natural fibres by making simple changes.

Despite sewing most days, I don’t really think my sewing skills have improved that much. Perhaps it comes from working with existing clothes and random shapes – I don’t have any great expectation for neatness and perfection, being more interested in comfort and originality. Continue reading →

Sew 344 – Upcycled Christmas bunting

It’s been a tradition for the past few years in our neighbourhood to put up red bows rather than energy-consuming light displays in a green Christmas concept initiated by real estate agent Doug Disher.

Although our red felt bows have weathered well on the verandah posts, it was timely to upcycle them into Sew 344 of the 365-day Sew it Again project reusing what we have rather than buying new.

To make the bunting, cut the strips of red felt into triangles and decorate each with pieces of unused white linen napery (gathered from op shops) – including doillies, napkins, glass-covers along with some white net tulle – all secured by bias-binding created from a quality white sheet (cast off by a friend). Continue reading →

Sew 343 – Upcycled is greenest

Eco-friendly products only become a good choice after we have exhausted or worn out all the other choices that have already been manufactured.

This means the greenest clothing of all is clothing that already exists – so if we are to be authentically sustainable, we revisit what we have, rather than buy new.

When my sister Jo came over at the weekend, we rechristened my sewing machines and I’m pleased to report they’ve recovered from their drenching.

This brown linen is what Jo calls her lucky dress, because she won a job wearing it to a significant interview. Jo has worn it for years and decided to refresh and lengthen it by incorporating a Canteen bandanna. Continue reading →

Sew 342 – Synthetics shed microfibres

Global research shows synthetic clothing can shed microplastic fibres with every wash, and these fibres are then flushed into oceans to contaminate the food chain and the planet.

The research led by ecologist Mark Browne found clothing fibres to be abundant in habitats worldwide, and the problem is worsening. In his University of California Benign by Design presentation, Browne says ingested and inhaled fibers carry toxic materials and a third of the food we eat is contaminated with this material.

Environmental Science and Technology published the study in 2011 on Accumulation of Microplastic on Shorelines Worldwide: sources and sinks: “Experiments sampling wastewater from domestic washing machines demonstrated that a single garment can produce >1900 fibers per wash. Continue reading →

Sew 341 – Dolly peg angels

Dolly peg angels are one of my favourite Christmas decorations which are easy to make as simple gifts with meaning and usefulness. There are endless creative options when you gather wooden pegs, quick-drying clear fabric glue, various fabric offcuts and bark (from a paper bark tree in a park near you).

The pegs above which I’ve made as Sew 341 utilise torn silk strips of fabric as bows, with the threads that peel off when you tear the fabric being randomly knotted as a clump to form hair. It is just a matter of choosing a piece of bark or silk to wrap around the peg, securing it with glue under the overlap at the back. Continue reading →

Sew 340 – Clothing in a material world

Reflecting on what I’ve learned from this 365-day Sew it Again journey, I had the opportunity to summarise it in a one-minute pitch at #TEDxSouthBank today, as follows:

Every day we eat and we dress. We’re now conscious of our food – it’s time to become more conscious of our clothes. Do you know: Continue reading →

Sew 339 – Xmas stacks of fabric scraps

Creative types use lateral thinking when reviewing the usefulness of any old coats lurking in your wardrobe, back door or opportunity shop.

Off-season or damaged coats are often available for just a few dollars at op shops, yet they have metres of useful fabric when cut up and repurposed as a craft resource.

I removed the lining and cut up a beige wool coat (see photo in Sew 339 how-to) into pieces, throwing out the small damaged sections which had led to the demise of its usefulness as a garment. I had the fabric pieces stored in a plastic bag, waiting for their moment to shine. Continue reading →

Sew 338 – Christmas allsorts from offcuts

In the same way you can scratch up a meal from leftovers after Christmas, you can make decorations before Christmas from bits and pieces of fabric from here and there. Just apply a bit of creative energy and tap into ideas all around you.

I got this Christmas allsorts decoration idea from the Thrifty by Design team in Canada and I’ve just modified to suit the textile resources I had at hand – no need to go out a buy anything, just use what you have.

They are made from old wool coats – a beige one (photo below) that was $2 at opshop due to marks on the back (making it perfect for chopping up) – and the red wool sleeves left over from an earlier project Sew 226.

I started by making a pattern from cardboard, cutting circles and triangles in three-different sizes. While watching TV in the evening, I cut out shapes from the red and the beige wool, aiming to make roughly the same number of each. Then you just make stacks, interspersing the colours, and use fishing line on a needle to thread up through the middle before finishing the bottom with buttons and a bell, and the top with buttons. To provide a hanging loop, trim out the seams and cut a slit at either end – one fits over the buttons, the other will hang on a hook on the tree or elsewhere.

Sew 337 – Old lights, new decorations

Christmas is coming and we’re Into the final straight of the year for this 365-day Sew it Again project, demonstrating creative ways of reuse for thrift, well-being and ecological health.

Community, connection and care are the fabulous aspects of this time of year and I have always struggled with the push to consume more and more. Australians are tipped to spend $18 billion over the holiday season – that’s up to $800 for every woman, man and child in the nation.

My Christmas thing has always been hand-made decorations because they are useful, pretty and non-fattening offerings. I enjoyed being able to give one of these Christmas dragonflies, right, to my hairdresser yesterday and my friend Wendy Agar when she popped in for lunch today. Continue reading →

Sew 336 – Reusing shell treasures

Shell buttons are beautiful unique treasure from the sea and deserve to be used again and again. I have old hand-made trochus shell buttons from my mother-in-law’s collection and am still incubating an upcycling project worthy of them.

I’ve salvaged many shell buttons over the years and find the variety and natural beauty truly amazing. They’re special because they won’t always be available in future. ABC Rural reported recently that a small trochus shell industry remains in Great Barrier Reef waters to cater for the high-end fashion market but the reality is that most buttons are now plastic. Continue reading →