Category Archives: refashion

Sew 115 – Fighting the good fight

The fabric of society is threads of courage, concepts and good conscience woven with heart. It is Anzac Day in Australia, a day we remember the sacrifice of others so we can live well in a just and free society.

Yesterday a different type of war began. The Fashion Revolution is a battle of conscience to change the culture of clothing consumption which causes injustice, exploitation and waste in the name of looking good.

When you lead from the heart, valuing good and honest endeavours, you live with a clear conscience. This year I stepped into a fairly vacant space, upcycling downunder out of concern for the waste and clothing churn I saw all around me.

This time last year on television, I had watched Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza factory collapse in what was the worst industrial accident for a generation, killing 1133, injuring twice that number, and leaving thousands more destitute. It seemed so wrong – people working in unsafe and desperate conditions, churning out more $5 clothing that not one of us need.

There’s little any individual can do on their own to change things – but yesterday it was amazing to see the Fashion Revolution Day social media storm begin in Australia/New Zealand and gain momentum as it swept around the globe.

So many great words written, photos posted and shared with the #insideout hashtag. The Fashion Revolution movement, founded by Carry Somers in the United Kingdom, connected people in more than 50 countries wanting fashion to become a force for good, one year after Rana Plaza collapsed.

It fell on fertile ground with me, an agricultural scientist and communications consultant with a love of natural fibres and wardrobes bulging with op-shop rescued natural fibre clothing. My Sew it Again upcycling journey began this year as a way of reusing what I already have, showing others what they can do with what they have, and working to shift society’s thinking about the way we engage with our clothes.

Sew 115 is a dress upcycled from a skirt and top that weren’t being worn as they were. The skirt I’d made a while back from cotton/viscose knit fabric which was resewn to the reworked top. The top was op-shop found of cotton/viscose/elastane blend fabric which was quite thick and structured. I cut out the neck and put it aside. I cut off the hem and reattached it as a collar – positioning the collar piece inside the neckline so that it flops forward over the cut neck edge. (Place collar inside neck with both pieces sitting the same way not right sides together. It is hard to show in a photo but easy when you get it sitting the right way. Put one pin in and test how it sits when you bring it to the front.) I trimmed and angled the sleeve length to groove it up a bit, leaving the edge unfinished but putting a few hand stitches in the cut arm-seam so it doesn’t unravel. I removed the elastic from the waist of the skirt and discarded. I then attached the skirt to the top by sewing right sides together. The skirt had a slightly bigger circumference than the top, so I pinned both in quarters (for even spread) and stretched the skirt as I sewed it to the top. The rosemary sprig from our garden is a nod to Anzac Day. Lest we forget.

Sew 114 – Jeans repinafored

Fashion Revolution Day has arrived. It’s exactly one year since Rana Plaza collapsed in Bangladesh killing 1133 workers, injuring many others, and exposing unpleasant truths about cheap, unethical and exploitative clothing.

We’re fussy about what we wear because we want to look good, feel comfy, reflect an image, belong to our tribe. Wearing any old thing is rarely enough. We want to make a statement.

Fashion Revolution Day is a chance to wear your heart on your sleeve, think about what you’re wearing, show your labels, ask the brand who made it, reflect on whether it is an ethical and sustainable choice.

Clothing the world soaks up massive resources when you do the sums – 7.2 billion people each (on average) consuming 11 kg of apparel fibre (ie clothing) every year. Look at this graph below and you’ll see how consumption is rising, with the growth mainly in synthetic fibres made from petroleum. source document Continue reading →

Sew 112 – History skirt revisited

It would be interesting to know how much time we spend each week attending to our clothing requirements in terms of trying, buying, preening, storing, washing and perhaps sewing, resewing or mending.

Over Easter I had a spring clean of my wool wear with southern winter approaching and was pleased to find most in good order and only two moth/silverfish munches to be found.

With Fashion Revolution Day April 24 asking Who Made Your Clothes? it is particularly interesting to look closely at the labels and reflect on who originally made the clothes I’m now upcycling.

Continue reading →

Sew 109 – Playing with pre-loved garb

As we strive for more success, possessions, money, positive experiences or recognition, it is easy to lose sight of what really matters in the world.

Taking time to show care and kindness to others; living simply to nurture our health and wellbeing; valuing quality, integrity and traditions; and respecting the environment which sustains all life.

My material world is being turned on its head this year as I spend each day playing with existing clothing and upcycling it for a second life. And it is wonderful to feel connected with a global and organic movement for change which is the Fashion Revolution.

Eco-fashion pioneer and Fashion Revolution Day co-founder Orsola de Castro says that environmentally and socially, the fashion system isn’t working and needs to change. Be inspired by reading more from Orsola here.

Simple truths are explained in this clever little Fashion Revolution Day video, featuring a six-year-old’s perspective on why clothing is cheap … because people and ecosystems are being exploited. Continue reading →

Sew 108 – Resewing existing clothing

Weird, eccentric, alternative, unusual, different, unique, junky, ragged, rustic, rough, bodgie, wasted, original, rad, scrappy, yuck, quirky, bespoke, creative … adjectives describing various results from taking scissors to existing clothes and resewing them.

There are professional designers creating cutting-edge clothing from upcycled materials all over the world, with the best collated by New York-based academic Sass Brown in her latest book Refashioned and website Eco Fashion Talk.

I’m an amateur, learning by doing, having a go with what I have, resewing rejected natural fibre clothing using home-sewing techniques and posting results on sewitagain.com every day this year.

One doesn’t have to look far to see evidence of clothing waste, millions of tonnes of it every year. Americans throw out 30kg of textiles per person per year, according to Elizabeth Cline in Overdressed: the Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. And at least half of donated clothing ends up being shipped overseas to African countries, according to Beverly Gordon in her book Textiles: The Whole Story. Continue reading →

Sew 107 – Little brown number

Chocolate brown is a favourite colour and I gravitate towards it in op shops – which of course I’m trying to steer clear of these days as I work my way through the accumulated stockpile.

Doing some research ahead of an interview tonight with 612 ABC Local Radio’s Rebecca Levingston, I came across the Little Brown Dress project in which Seattle artist Alex Martin wore the same brown dress in different ways for an entire year in 2006.

In this Seattle Times article Martin said she did it to make a personal attempt to confront consumerism. “Martin was troubled by sweatshops, over-consumption and the modern American penchant for disposable items. And she was irritated by the societal pressure on women to buy into, literally and figuratively, what’s considered fashionable.”

My personal commitment this year is to upcycling – adding value by mending, modifying, remaking, resewing, refashioning – unworn and reject clothing for a second life. Continue reading →

Sew 106 – Homegrown eco looks

All living things have a place and a purpose on the planet. While life is a struggle for some, others expend much time and effort chasing money and stuff.

Popular culture positions elite, prestige and luxury atop a greasy pole. Many invest a lifetime pursing this elusive high when it is simple things around us that provide meaning in the end.

Through her beautiful distillation of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, Australian Bronnie Ware has become an advocate for healthy, simple living.

We know that whole local food keeps our bodies healthy. If we expend effort in its growing and cooking, then all the better. Quick, easy, processed, packaged fast food might be cheap, but we have come to understand its consumption is not good for our health.

We are coming to grips with our clothing story in the same way. Events such as the Rana Plaza factory collapse last year exposed the dark underbelly of fast fashion as a source of cheap, ready-made, clothing that exploits people and resources. Somebody somewhere is losing out when you can buy $5 shirts and treat them as disposable.

That’s why we need a Fashion Revolution. Young people such as UK-based creative Tilly, of Tilly and the Buttons fame, are empowering a new generation of DIY dressmakers by demonstrating how to create their own clothing. Continue reading →

Sew 105 – Natural, found, refashioned

Every morning we dress for the day. How we chose to dress reflects who we are, influences our wellbeing and impacts our environment.

My choice is natural-fibre and op-shop found, adapted using simple home-sewing skills. My choice is deliberate, authentic, ethical and sustainable. I am upcycling clothing that already exists in the world, sharing Sew it Again ideas to inspire others to refresh what they already have rather than buy more.

Your clothes tell a story about who you are. Fashion has its own story too, and it’s turning into a force for good with Fashion Revolution Day. Here’s the Fashion Revolution story: Continue reading →

Sew 104 – Bring on the Sew Change

It doesn’t cost the earth to save the planet. If we all make small changes and different choices, the collective impact can be huge.

My contribution this year is demonstrating how changing existing clothing by resewing – doing a sew change – can bring new life to natural resources that for various reasons are not being worn.

My inspiration is natural beauty, such as this mushroom cum toadstool which has sprung up in our local bush after recent rain.

Possessing a wardrobe bulging with clothing alongside a feeling of having nothing to wear is a common refrain in advanced economies. Consumer culture encourages buying new as the solution.

There’s little economic imperative to reuse, resew, refashion what we already have because the machine of consumption and global supply chains mean new clothing is so cheap. Whether the purchase represents best value is another matter.

This year I’m working off-trend, sewing upstream against the tide by demonstrating how the application of a few simple sewing skills, some time and creativity we can (if so inclined) revive what we already have as an alternative to buying new.

My Sew it Again campaign comes on the back of leadership study last year and concern for the squandering of limited resources in the form of natural fibre clothing which I continue to observe within my own environment.

Working my way through 365-days of wearable upcycling, I am inspired by fabulous change happening around the world. There’s TRAIDremade in the United Kingdom, Redressed in Hong Kong and the global Fashion Revolution movement which is turning fashion into a force for good.

Today’s Sew 104 is a refashion of a hand-printed cotton garment that is a friend’s reject. No doubt lovely in its day, the waistline frill added unnecessary bulk that is unflattering for all but the slimmest. I removed the frill, turned the waistline over and inserted thin elastic to minimise bulk and provide flexible fit. I cut-up the bodice and used the printed mid-riff part to form a collar-effect on a simple cream wool-blend top. A red stain on one end of the collar is hidden underneath and it is held in place using the press-studs that were already there from its past life. I trimmed loose threads from the cut edge which had frayed after washing.

Sew 102 – Cause for celebration

Learning from the experience, knowledge, ideas and skills of others helps us navigate the thrills and spills of life.

As a parent, I’ve passed on what I know to three offspring and it is exciting today to be celebrating our son Casey and his fiancée Jenna Moir’s engagement at the Gold Coast – thrilled to have another woman joining our family. (see nostalgia photo of Casey and I below)

One of my favourite women Georgie Somerset brought my attention to a recent Women’s Agenda post that shared key lessons from successful women to help at work, at home and in life. Great wisdom in these quotes:

“Done is better than perfect. I have tried to embrace this motto and let go of unattainable standards. Aiming for perfection causes frustration at best and paralysis at worst.” Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, Lean In

“The way we’ve defined success is no longer sustainable for human beings or for societies. To live the lives we truly want and deserve, and not just the lives we settle for, we need a Third Metric, a third measure of success that goes beyond the two metrics of money and power, and consists of four pillars: well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving.” Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington in Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder. I wrote about Beyond Power and Money earlier this year. Continue reading →