Nearly at the end of this crazybrave year dedicated to upcycling natural fibre clothing that already exists in the world. My aim? To model one way to dress with conscience in a society burdened by expanding resource use and dangerous climate change.

Melissa Breyer on the Treehugger website has put together some scary statistics on global fashion consumption habits and impacts along the clothing supply chain. Even though there are more than 7 billion people in the world, I believe small individual  changes can ultimately make a big difference.  

As I reflect on the people that made my Sew it Again upcycling year possible, today I thank the farmers who grow the natural fibres, the spinners who make the fabric, the designers and makers who magic it into clothing, the people who donate clothing then no longer want to charities and the volunteers who help run thrift shops – from where much of my clothing is sourced. 

Having said that – Sew 354 isn’t actually from a thrift shop – the purple linen top is a cast-off from my sister which I’ve turned into a dress by adding fabric from a linen circle skirt (which appeared earlier as Sew 232 – re-refashioning can continue until the fibres wear out!). I cut down the sleeves of the top because they were too bouffy and hemmed them to a shorter length. I pinned and stitched some pleats into the lavender ‘skirt’, adjusting it to fit before top-stitching in place. I then used the sleeve offcuts for flower feature and a pocket for my mobile! Zero waste, individual style, reusing existing resources.