Category Archives: repair and care

Sew 87 – Signpost for wool

This black wool jumper carries the distinctive Woolmark logo but I’m less certain about the fibres in the second jumper I converted to a skirt and scarf for this outfit.

Wool is a beautiful fibre from nature and it is great to see the trademark Woolmark making a comeback after languishing for a period while the wool industry got its act together.

Australia is the leading wool producing nation but New Zealand spearheaded the wool comeback with its Icebreaker Merino story dramatically showing the way. Check out Southern Alps and Merino 101 here – such a great product and the quality remains long after the price is forgotten.

Prince Charles is an influential ambassador for wool as it aligns with the sustainability philosophy he has championed for a lifetime. The Prince’s Campaign for Wool helped revive the Woolmark as the signature of assured provenance.

Woolmark is owned and funded by Australian growers and it was leadership from Stuart McCullough that brought the Woolmark out of mothballs to celebrate 50 years in 2014 and proudly feature in Italy’s L’Uomo Vogue March issue about Australia.

Today’s upcycle is of a black op shop wool jumper which I smartened up by removing the pilling which can accumulate with wear and now it’s as good as new. The second jumper is too lightweight to be 100 percent wool but nonetheless was perfect for conversion to my signature jumper-skirt, but reshaping the bottom and using the sleeves as a scarf.

Sew 82 – Green leaf eco-dye

This upcycle was done in stages with the cotton dress shortened then dyed in a hot pot with green leaves. The skirt offcut becomes a waistband tied with a bow and eco-dyed silk is added to the neckline and sleeves to disguise stains.

I woke this morning to a beautiful view across a dam into a green canopy of tinglewood trees at our friend Jan’s place at Walpole in south west Western Australia. The beauty of the place is tinged with sadness because it was while landscaping Jan’s place that my brother Paul lost his life in an excavator accident here a year ago. I’ve returned with some jarrah timber which we hope in time and thanks to the Walpole Men’s Shed will become a seat somewhere along the Bibbulmun Track that Paul enjoyed walking from end-to-end several times.

Continue reading →

Sew 81 – Reviving the sewing machine

This upcycle is an adapted woollen jumper cropped under the shoulders to become two pieces – the sleeves sewn together as a scarf and the bottom of the jumper becoming a skirt.

When you have a sewing machine and you use it, you have choice about what you wear and can make small changes so existing clothing works better for you.

It was fun to help my Perth friend Pat Milne get her sewing machine out and adapt a few garments that weren’t working very well for her, including a dress that was too big under the arms. Pat used to take classes with friends in a beautiful big sewing studio when living in Orange, New South Wales but had drifted away from the habit in recent years.

Pat also revealed a special collection of threads and sewing tools bequeathed from her Aunt Bett – including these linen and silk threads on wooden spools and a beautiful authentic thimble.

To make this jumper skirt, I cut the jumper below the arms then added another piece of fabric to become waistband with elastic inside it. The sleeves were sewn together on the diagonal and it wraps around the neck as a scarf pinned with a brooch made from an old earring.

Sew 77 – Twin-set, no pearls

This hand-knitted coral pink wool twin-set is an op shop find which I’ve upcycled and wear with a contrasting jumper-skirt.

There was a time when people looked down their noses at home-made clothing. That’s all changed now that cheap store-bought stuff is a dime a dozen and one-off hand-made originals are being re-appreciated.

Knitting and crocheting has been rediscovered as a craft of skill, creativity and relaxation. What fun to come across Woollylatte’s, an exclusive knitting boutique and coffee house just around the corner from where I’m staying with my friends Pat and Bruce at Wembley in Perth. Continue reading →

Sew 74 – Adding a button fix

This embroidered silk wrap-around op shop find had a belt-tie waist which I upcycled by adding two buttons/buttonholes to secure the garment more definitively.

Sometimes we need to see things done before we can conceive of different ways of working and wearing – which is why I’m demonstrating upcycling ideas every day with this Sew it Again campaign.

Being in Western Australia for the next couple of weeks, I was lucky to be inspired by a whole bunch of creativity in the annual Sculptures by the Sea at Cottesloe Beach. Several of the textile creations which took my eye are photographed below. Continue reading →

Sew 73 – Untangling a shawl

It was only after I took this op-shop find home that I identified it as a square shape adapted as a shawl by folding on the diagonal, buttoned at front and armholes hidden in the layer below.

I’m posting from Western Australia at the moment – having prepared a few weeks’ worth of upcycling ahead of time. My purpose in being here is to finalise my youngest brother Paul’s estate, after he died in an excavator accident a year ago. He’s left a few mysteries for me to solve – and one that remains outstanding is a single key attached to his Mercedes vehicle key which none of his friends know to what it belongs. We may never know. Life’s like that – uncertain, mysterious and ephemeral. Continue reading →

Sew 64 – A little upsize

There’s nothing worse than a too-tight jacket, so create a little more space by adding extender ribbon loops near the top buttonhole and use a scarf to fasten and cover the space.

This jacket now fits my current shape and is suitably dressy for Parliament House and today’s announcement of the 2014 Queensland RIRDC Rural Women’s Award.

I’m proud to be part of the alumni for this Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation program, as 2010 Queensland runner-up, and enjoy opportunities to catch up with women and men doing great things in the sector.

Even though I live in the city, I feel connected to the bush because of my rural heritage, education and advocacy work. In fact we all have connection to rural because that is where our food and fibre comes from – and we need to be increasingly aware of that. Continue reading →

Sew 63 – Camouflage for stain

Two orange knit garments were melded into a dress to camouflage an unfortunate stain on an otherwise beautiful wool top.

When a hole appears, a button falls off, seam pops or stain appears – what do you do? Turn to expert, toss them out, or DIY? If you have simple home-sewing skills, you are empowered to apply them creatively to solve small defects in otherwise perfectly good clothing.

With my Sew it Again campaign this year I’m working my way through wardrobes full of natural-fibre clothing accumulated from various sources over time, demonstrating creative ways of upcycling and reviving them for a second life.

I’ve run a number of different campaigns in my time, and it was interesting to be described as an ‘avid sewer and sustainable fashion advocate’ by Laura Stead-Churchill in Bmag.com. Continue reading →

Sew 61 – Knit wrap dress

This lavender knit wrap dress and purple skirt needed a lift – especially after I caught it in my push-bike spoke (don’t ask) – so I cut off the scarred bit and added some extra purple knit trim.

Being able to resew and adjust existing clothes is empowering and results in individual garments that suit your own shape and preferences – and you will never run into anyone else wearing the same outfit. It also means you can have ethical, thrifty, interesting and sustainable clothing choices based on what works best for you.

It is fun passing on ideas and skills to others – as I did yesterday when helping my lovely friend Liliana Molina make a few tweaks to her gorgeous flamenco skirt bought for a concert last year and now converted to a glamorous dress by adding some elastic and shoulder straps. Continue reading →

Sew 57 – Upcycling goes on forever

This history skirt made from oddments a few years ago is further upcycled with a t-shirt to become a dress that works with matching woolly jumper, which has button feature patching a hole.

In addition to sewing every day for the 365-day Sew it Again campaign to demonstrate creative ways of reusing existing clothing, I’ve been weaving together my story about upcycling natural fibres.

Tonight I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to tell it for the first time at Carindale Community Forum at the Pacific Golf Club on Brisbane’s southside, at which all are welcome.

As there is rising interest in home cooking and food growing for health and wellbeing, there is a pressing need to rethink our approach to textiles and fashion. My model includes empowering individuals to reimagine and recreate their wardrobe collection by resewing at home. Continue reading →