Tag Archives: Darcy

Sew 364 – Thanks friends + family

Many regard shopping as recreational sport at this time of year with sales everywhere – yet shopping is ultimately unsatisfying because there is always more bright, shiny, new merchandise to buy.

OK, I did send Mr Darcy into the fray this week for new pots so we could pension off old ones that have seen decades of service and too many burning experiences. There was a need, not just a want.

Reducing consumption of new stuff is at the heart of this counter-culture Sew it Again project, which is exploring ways to reuse existing clothing and textiles rather than always buying new.

I admit to bulging wardrobes, which I’ve been trying to whittle down all year and only made a small dent in. Most of the stockpile is natural fibre-clothing from op shops which I can re-donate at any time, in the same way I bought it, so no harm done. Continue reading →

Sew 165 – Mending favourites, again

It is exciting to be in central Queensland for a creative upcycling workshop supported by Biloela Arts Council and the Banana Shire’s Regional Arts Development Fund. This marks the beginning of a community-wide REfashion Revolution in which we open our minds to chopping and changing dated garments into something more current and wearable.

Some people toss out unworn clothes, hopefully to an op shop rather than into the rubbish. Many others treasure the natural fibres or the sentiment of garments and hold them in the back of the wardrobe – even though they aren’t wearing them because they no longer fit, are frumpy or old-fashioned in style or stained in some way. Continue reading →

Sew 142 – Repairing old favs

Crisp new natural-fibre fabrics are lovely to feel, yet the softness and malleability that comes with age has great appeal too.

The men in my family often come with hands outstretched when their favourite trousers or shorts need mending (they’re good at housework and cooking so it’s a quid pro quo). I love that we have this family ethos of treasuring things for sentimental reasons rather than monetary ones.

Staying overnight recently with my friend Georgie Somerset on her and Rob’s beef property at Durong, I took this photograph, below, of their mending pile stacked in a corner waiting for a spare hour or two in between cattle work, community work and board meetings! Continue reading →