Tag Archives: ARLP

Sew 188 – ARLF farewell honours

It was an honour to be commissioned to create a unique, relevant farewell gift for Dr Lesley Fitzpatrick who led the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation as CEO for seven years.

The ARLF’s flagship program is the Australian Rural Leadership Program which provides a rare opportunity to enrich, enlighten and empower selected individuals – and I was fortunate to be sponsored through the program in 2009 thanks to the Fairfax Agricultural Media scholarship.

One of Lesley’s achievements as CEO was securing Graduate Certificate status for ARLP through James Cook University. I found the Grad Cert transformative because It led me on a creative journey into eco-leadership, reusing natural fibres to reduce waste and help shift the way we think about fashion and clothing. Continue reading →

Sew 124 – Upcycled in Coolah

Very excited to have my first Upcycled exhibition now hanging in Pandora Gallery at Coolah in New South Wales as a celebration of natural fibres and (re)fashion from today until May 16.

Upcycled is an interactive exhibition about the history, origins and uses of natural fibres which explores creative ways to refashion existing clothing for a second life.

Our consumer society is using textiles at an unprecedented rate, with thousands of tonnes of waste clothing dumped in landfill or shipped to third-world countries every year.

Thanks to my ARLP leadership colleague Ele Cook and gallery coordinator Jennie Stephens, I’ve been able to mount this exhibition to showcase some of my repurposed reject garments 365-day Sew it Again creations to raise awareness of the ethical, social and environmental issues of textile waste. Continue reading →

Sew 68 – Glowing with silk

This op-shop silk top was resewn for a better fit then teamed with home-made silk skirt, and a scarf to finish.

My excuse for having wardrobes of accumulated natural-fibre clothing is I’ve been rescuing it from op shops for a song. Older clothing is often better quality and more interesting than new garments, which are increasingly being made from synthetic fibres.

Statistics show that average apparel fibre consumption in 1992 was 7kg per person and that increased to 11kg each by 2010 – an 80% increase in less than two decades. During that time, most of the increase is in synthetic fibres made from petroleum with natural fibres consumption increasing only marginally.

Each year, we are each adding 11kg more clothing to the global stockpile – with much of the reject stuff heading to landfill. What does 11kg of clothing look like?

I’m giving a presentation later this month on this topic and bagging up old stuff a friend was tossing out as props so we can eyeball what an individual year of new clothing looks like for one person. Globally, we multiply those bags by 7.2 billion to get a year’s worth of clothing consumption. Continue reading →

Sew 44 – What is it all for?

This dress was created by sewing a linen skirt to the top of a cotton/silk shift because the blue and yellow shades in both looked as if they were meant to be together.

Some things are just meant to be – and I think this year in the rhythm of sewing, photographing, writing and posting about my resewing experiences is one of those things.

I’m currently working out how to manage this rhythm while in Western Australia next month, my third trip west during the past year since my youngest brother Paul lost his life in an excavator accident there.

Losing a much-loved sibling is painful, as well as a wake-up call for what really matters. Paul was living an adventurous life in his Mercedes Sprinter van fitted out as a mobile home/tool kit, working as a builder in remote parts of the state. He had no children, was twice married and twice divorced.

Paul didn’t leave a Will, so part of my journey this year after being appointed as administrator is deciding what to do with his possessions. Less is more and quality remains long after price forgotten were codes by which Paul lived – and I’m fortunate he gathered a couple of high-quality friends who are helping me work through this process. Continue reading →

Sew 21 – Skirt with a story to tell

This history skirt is upcycled from five reject garments made of silk, screen-printed cotton, linen and vintage buttons found at opportunity shops during a road trip up the Queensland coast.

History skirts are an original design and concept which I created based on a gored skirt pattern. It was inspired by a shirt I bought from the amazingly creative Mary Ede of The Skirt, who is based in Townsville north Queensland.

I wondered what could be done with all the natural fibres, fabrics and found stuff I was rescuing from op shops along the way – and the Textile Beat creative business/social enterprise and this Sew it Again project are results of that wondering.

It is rewarding when people like champion swimmer, expert trainer and stylish dresser (among other things) Lisa Curry support one’s efforts.

Last year, when Lisa Curry stepped into Blackall Cultural Centre while on her Aussie road trip inspiring health and wellbeing, her attention was immediately captured by my history skirts.

While Lisa’s eyes were drawn to its colour and creativity, her decision to purchase this upcycled natural fibre garment demonstrates support for slow fashion as one small way to boost ecological health and reduce our carbon footprint.

I posted this story of Lisa’s orange and avocado history skirt: “It was handcrafted in Brisbane by Jane Milburn from at least 10 upcycled fabric sources including an Italian linen dress, silk shirt and tie, rayon vest, cotton scarf, floral cotton from Nana’s fabric box, vintage buttons and more.”

I’ve got Col Jackson from Blues Country Magazine to thank for this photo taken at the QRRRWN annual conference, and my Australian Rural Leadership Program colleague Ele Cook from Coolah in New South Wales to thank for helping me follow my heart on this creative journey inspiring the upcycling of natural fibres for pleasure, reward and sustainability.

This chocolate swirl history skirt has several pockets for gadgets and each panel has a feature created from off-cuts. It is brought together by a stretch-knit waistband and hemmed with a border of raw silk. Because the construction is time consuming, it is a labour of love. I’ve teamed this skirt with a knit top from which I removed the roll collar and hemmed with zigzag.