Tag Archives: cushions

Sew 249 – Chair cover from jumper

Old cotton jumper revived as chair coverThere’s so much good reading on the Triple Pundit – people planet profit website, including this great article on 10 budding trends in sustainable fashion.

Number 8 of the trends is more reuse and upcycling to cut environmental impact – which is my key focus with Sew it Again, every day in 2014 refashioning existing clothing for a second life.

In the article, Mary Mazzoni quotes on the American situation: “According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only about 15 percent of the 13 million tons of clothing and other textiles that are thrown away each year are recycled, turned into products like rags or broken down to be reused as sustainable fibers.”  Continue reading →

Sew 230 – Clothing mellows to cushions

Clothing on the couchThere comes a time in every garment’s life when its wearable dash is done and it is one step away from the rubbish bin.

These cushions are made from op-shop found jumpers and jackets that I’ve upcycled to breathe new life into my old wicker veranda couch. The jacket buttons make for easy cushion stuffing, while the jumpers are machine-stitched at one end and tacked or pinned at the other.

I can date the couch back to 1982, purchased new in Horsham, Victoria, when I worked there in my first professional job as a rural reporter with the ABC. While it is a little scary to declare that history – I like the fact that this wicker is still sitting on the verandah doing its job 32 years later.  Continue reading →