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.