Tag Archives: refashion

Sew 293 – Reshaping for a fresh look

I flew to Sydney today and was surprised to see an advertisement for Pfaff sewing machines right up front in the Virgin Australia’s in-flight magazine Voyeur. Sewing is a happening thing.

Just as there’s resurgent interest in home-cooking and baking, crafts such as knitting, crochet and home-sewing are coming into the frame because people enjoy being resourceful and making things for themselves if they have time available.

Sew it Again is a 365-day project demonstrating how to use simple sewing techniques to refashion clothing that already exists but is not being worn as is.

Every day this year, I am posting an upcycled outfit here on sewitagain.com – with all the upcycles easily viewed via pinterest with postings also at facebook.com/textilebeat and twitter.com/textilebeat

Last week I spent a day upcycling with fashion and textile students at Fairholme College in Toowoomba, and Sew 293 is a Year 11 product. This look was created from an unworn cotton knit jumper and a cotton shirt from my accumulated op-shop pile and the students then used their creativity to turn it into something to suit their style. They reshaped the hem of the jumper, cutting along the zigzag open-stitch pattern then sewing across the cut hemline to stop it from fraying. The jumper offcut became a headband. For the skirt, they reshaped the bottom portion of the shirt, taking it in at the sides and turning into a short-sculptured look that utilised the existing hem. A fabulous result, modelled by Shannon.

Sew 286 – Going green in Brisbane

A lot of interesting, green and thrifty people come to the Green Heart Fair. They come to pick up their free trees from Brisbane City Council, to see Peppa Pig and to gather ideas on how to live more sustainably.

Green Heart Fair values are in alignment with Textile Beat and Sew it Again values. As my rough-hewn signage says, Sew it Again values are creative, mindful, ethical, original, thrifty, eco-friendly, sustainable, unique and zero waste.

Thanks to my friends Neroli Roocke and Leanne McKnoulty for helping out, and the many interested folk who stopped by the Textile Beat activity tent. Continue reading →

Sew 282 – Second-life for silk

Silk is a beautiful protein fibre made from the toil of silkworms which according to the International Year of Natural Fibres (2009) is known as the queen of fibres in China where most of it is produced.

After all the effort and energy that goes into producing the fibre, it is a shame to see it go to waste. That’s why I always enjoy rescuing reject silk garments in op shops – including a pink/cream silk shift recently bought for $3.

The dress was a bit the worse for wear, with the fibres appearing torn around the arms and neck, perhaps having been put through a harsh washing cycle. Although the washing instruction labels on silk often say dry-clean only, I’ve found hand or gentle-washing to be perfectly OK (sometimes shrinkage may be an issue though). Continue reading →

Sew 281 – Simpler ways with clothes

Clothing is different to fashion, as discussed in an earlier post. Clothing is traditionally used for warmth and modesty while fashion makes a statement of individual identity or conspicuous displays of wealth and status.

With the Sew it Again project this year, my friends and I are doing clothing rather than fashion. choosing to rework existing clothing in ways that are thrifty, sustainable and ethical – as well as simple, unpretentious and individual.

It is affirming to yesterday discover the Simplicity Institute in 2012 wrote about a simpler way of dressing which – for simplicity’s sake and because the words are simply brilliant – I’ve copied verbatim below. Continue reading →

Sew 279 – Think outside the circle

It is easy to be caught up in a lifestyle in which competitive market-driven forces whip up a frenzy of ‘need’ for bigger, brighter, newer and supposedly better. Through glossy advertising, we’re sold an illusion that happiness and satisfaction can be bought with the latest and greatest material possessions. Even the promotion of ‘light-green’ or so-called sustainable living often involves buying more stuff.

So it is refreshing to hear discussion about how to move beyond growth economics and towards a ‘steady-state’ economy, with a focus on simpler, less consumptive ways of living.

Last week at the University of New South Wales, the 2014 Australian Academy of Science Fenner Conference on the Environment topic was: Addicted to Growth? How to move to a Steady State Economy in Australia This spawned an article about life in a degrowth economy on The Conversation website, written by research fellow at Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute at University of Melbourne, Samuel Alexander. Continue reading →

Sew 277 – Dyeing for a refresh

It is amazing to see how a colour wash can revive a slightly dated floral dress for a fabulous second life.

This floral maxi wrap Laura Ashley dress was passed to me for upcycling by my friend Robyn Sheptooha back in February and now makes perfect beachwear for the gorgeous Steph on Stradbroke Island.

It was originally a cream floral that served Robyn well in its heyday, nearly 20 years ago. There was really nothing wrong with it at all except the cream floral looked a bit dated and Robyn’s style had evolved. Continue reading →

Sew 273 – Cut frills from silk rejects

Refashioning clothing you already have instead of buying new is what I, Jane Milburn, am doing every day this year as a mindful, resourceful and purposeful project demonstrating sustainable ways to dress by upcycling unworn natural-fibre garments.

To create Sew 273, I took a plain black silk skirt with frill hem and randomly altered the hemline before embellishing it with fringing cut from two butter-cup yellow unworn silk garments – a jacket and a striped shirt.

To begin, I cut on the diagonal across the bottom of the skirt to create a more interesting sloping hemline. I cut the bottom frill from the offcut and stitched it to the new hemline. I then cut a strip from all the finished edges (including buttons, button-holes, collar) of the silk jacket to create a long and continuous hemmed silk length which is about 4cm wide, and zigzagged it in place above the bottom black frill. Continue reading →

Sew 266 – Adding sparkle to black

The future is not a destination, it is a journey made up of small steps. We need courage to design our future with purpose and deliberation, to be the change we want to see.

I’m in Canberra and reflecting on these words articulated by Federal Member for Indi Cathy McGowan in a Charters Towers speech last week at the QRRRWN conference. Cathy referred to visionary garden designer Capability Brown who created landscape legacies in the United Kingdom with instructions for 200 years into the future. Cathy challenged us to project ourselves into the future, to get involved, put up our hands for leadership and influence outcomes. Continue reading →

Sew 265 – Entering upcycle countdown

There are only 100 days left in the year. Sew 265 heralds 99 refashions remaining in my Sew it Again journey of upcycling every day during 2014 for pleasure, reward and sustainability.

Individual action in our own backyards to reduce resource use and minimise environmental impact is the best way we can help the sustainability cause. Although Sew it Again is raising awareness about textile use/reuse/waste, that is just one element of choosing to live in a way that does not harm people, places or planets.

My Townsville friend, veteran bush photographer Fiona Lake, has solar power, chooks and recycles green waste. She washes clothes in cold water, doesn’t iron linen, and wears vintage clothing that belonged to her mum. Continue reading →

Sew 260 – Student models doily skirt

Upcycling today at the Queensland Rural Regional and Remote Women’s Network conference at Charters Towers with great women and girls from All Souls & St Gabriels School.

So grateful to have an opportunity to demonstrate creative ways to reuse existing clothing at the Women of the Worlde conference – and talk about how our modern clothing habits have led to increasing consumption of textiles, two-thirds of which are synthetic fibres derived from petroleum.

The world is smothering in cheap synthetic clothing, with UK figures indicate nearly one-third of clothing ends up in landfill. This waste has sparked my creative Sew it Again journey that integrates professional expertise with a desire for sustainability and well-being – woven with threads of childhood, thrift, empowerment and a love of nature. Continue reading →