Category Archives: wellbeing

Sew 218 – Creativity is taking risks

In the 21st century, society needs people who think creatively because as they step into life’s problems they are more able to find creative ways of dealing with them.

That’s a paraphrase of the Life at 9 life journey series on television last night, which was about creativity. It seems creativity is a predictor of success in every domain of life because it is problem-solving, divergent thinking of possible solutions when presented with a difficult issue.

As we grow up, we are often obliged to subvert our creativity, to conform and follow rules and the experts in this program suggested that our current education system’s emphasis on performance and getting the ‘right answer’ is squashing creative development. Continue reading →

Sew 215 – Linking with like-mindeds

As I work my way through this Sew it Again year, I enjoy meeting people and starting a conversation about clothing – where it comes from, where it goes to, and what happens to it along the way.

There is significant community awareness of the disposable culture flowing from the cheap and seemingly endless supply. People are becoming more conscious of the negative environmental and social impacts of the clothing binge, in the same way they know about negative health impacts from over-consumption of cheap processed food, But doing something about it is another matter.

Items that are unique and locally handmade with heart are rare. They standout among the sameness of the mass-produced and are valued by conscious consumers. They’re doubly special if you take the time to learn the skills and make them yourself. Continue reading →

Sew 212 – Clothing is not fashion

I’ve learned so much from reading Kate Fletcher‘s Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys book – including an understanding about the difference between clothing and fashion.

Here’s a big slab of what Fletcher says about that: “Fashion and clothing are different concepts and entities. They contribute to human well-being both functionally and emotionally. Clothing is material production; fashion is symbolic production. Although their use and looks sometimes coincide, fashion and clothes connect with us in different ways. Fashion links us to time and space and deals with our emotional needs, manifesting us as social beings, as individuals. Fashion can be what is set in motion when a designer presents a new collection on a catwalk on Milan. But equally, fashion can be the moment when a teenager crops a pair of jeans, adds a badge to an old sweatshirt and paints their Converse pumps. Clothing, in contrast, is concerned chiefly with physical or functional needs, with sheltering, shielding and protecting. Not all clothes are fashion clothes and not all fashion finds expression in garment form. Yet where the fashion sector and the clothing industry come together (in fashion clothes) our emotional needs are made manifest as garments. This overlaying of emotional needs on physical goods fuels resource consumption, generates waste and promotes short-term thinking as we turn our gaze from one silhouette, hemline and colour palate to the next in search of the next new experience. It also leaves us dissatisfied and disempowered, as physical goods, no matter how many of them we consume, can never truly satisfy our psychological needs.” Continue reading →

Sew 211 – Use skills to renovate clothes

I’m up to day 211 of upcycling and renovating existing clothing to give them another chance at life through the 2014 Sew it Again project.

We don’t live in a perfect world so why expect our clothing to be so? Clothing requires maintenance and can be renovated. Sometimes we wash them more than we need to (Levis CEO doesn’t wash jeans) and often times we rush off to buy something new instead of checking and changing what we already have.

As an op shop queen, I buy very little new, am into DIY and use the library. But when I found Womankind magazine while browsing the newsagent, I saw something special.

The cover is symbolic, a beautiful butterfly collage of a woman’s face, the editorial by Antonia Case a compelling case for using time wisely to create a good life and the article about Julia Schor was the decider to add Womankind to my collection of affirming publications. Continue reading →

Sew 206 – Jumper becomes jazzy skirt

Most of us have clothes we don’t wear in our wardrobes. We can give them to friends, donate them to charity, put them in the rubbish bin – or upcycle them into something else.

At our Jumper to Skirt workshop in Warwick today, Desirea converted this jumper (that was no longer being worn as such) into a jazzy skirt with two scarf options.

It is also exciting that Desirea hasn’t sewn before (she has always called on her mother to do that) so this simple project was a good way for her to get quick results and hopefully be inspired to sew more in future. Continue reading →

Sew 203 – Where clothes come from

During the past decade there has been growing interest and awareness in where food comes from, how it is grown and what are its nutritional and sustainable values. We’re alive to fact that we are what we eat.

In a similar way, there now is growing interest in where clothes come from, who made them, what they are made of and whether they are ethical and sustainable – because we are what we wear.

Skin is our body’s largest organ, so the clothing we wrap it in influences feel, comfort and interactions by osmosis. Natural-fibre clothing free from contaminants and toxins must be best. The benefits of natural fibres are eloquently summarised by Wildfibres UK. Continue reading →

Sew 202 – Crazy pants for Splendour

Although ‘buy once, buy well’ is an excellent strategy when making any purchase, it is not always easy to implement. Somehow we gather a lot of ‘also ran’ clothing which clutter up the place – eventually becoming upcycling fodder.

When my son Max moved out last year, he left various boxes of ‘treasure’ to be collected at a later date along with a bag of sweaters he didn’t want anymore. For months now, Max has been asking for upcycled gear and these crazy pants for the upcoming Splendour in the Grass festival at North Byron are a delivery on my promise.

I’d already used this Kwik Sew 3701 pattern to made house pants for Max, so I knew it fitted. The creative upcycling element with the crazy pants comes from cobbling together off-cuts of three cotton sweaters (including his old school sweatshirt) into trousers. Continue reading →

Sew 197 – Wool jumpers become coat

Sew it Again is a social-change project to shift thinking about the way we consume clothing and textiles. The project demonstrates creative ways to upcycle existing clothing and empowers others to tap into their ‘greenest’ clothing of all. It engages old-fashioned sewing skills, encourages a culture of thrift, and shows heart-felt concern for where mindless consumption of fast fashion is leading.

Creative entrepreneur Dr Cathryn Lloyd from Maverick Minds says today’s business is no longer about doing business as usual. “Complexity and uncertainty reflect the world as it is today. All businesses require creative entrepreneurial thinking and behaviour. The 21st century belongs to those who can bring their creative potential and leadership skills to their personal and professional lives.” Continue reading →

Sew 196 – History skirt with sentiment

This skirt is unique in all the world and comes with a story. That’s the biggest reward of the creative process says its maker Lena Tisdall, who refashioned the skirt from old clothing that had belonged to her mother.

The original garments were in good condition but not particularly special in their own right. Had Lena not chosen to refashion them, they most likely would be put in a charity bin.

Donated clothes are an important source of revenue for charities – but the landscape is changing. The sheer volume of surplus clothing generated by fast-fashion consumption habits means for-profit clothing recyclers see an opportunity to on-sell this to developing nations. Continue reading →

Sew 194 – Treasuring what you have

One of the things I most enjoy about the Sew it Again project is working with others to enable a shift in thinking about what we can do with clothing that already exists in the world. This is the ‘greenest’ clothing we have and extending its usefulness is an easy, environmentally conscious and sometimes sentimental action.

My friend Lena came for a workshop yesterday with a trolley full of clothing that had belonged to her mother, who passed away more than a year ago. It was lovely sitting in the winter sunshine with Lena, looking at the garments – their colours, fabrics, design – and history.

This shirt (now Sew 194) was handmade by Lena’s mum, who worked as a tailor in Finland before moving to Brisbane. I discovered this by asking about the neat handmade buttonholes which are testimony of handcraft skills of old. After we removed the shoulder pads, the potential of the heavy-cotton spotted shirt was evident. It makes a great jacket which Lena can wear with pride. It works well with a black pleated skirt which we refashioned, from elastic-band into a wrap-around secured by two buttons. To finish off this outfit, we experimented with belt options. I found a white buckle in my stash, which looks great with the fabric offcut (from elastic waistband) threaded through it. Lena is clearly proud of this upcycle – and Sew 195 which I’ll put up tomorrow – and went home with ‘homework’ to make a blue history skirt that will become Sew 196. Apart from the satisfaction of engaging others in upcycling, that’s another 3 of my 365-day challenge taken care of!