Tag Archives: Sew it Again

Sew 207 – See old jumper sew skirt

This was an ordinary old cotton jumper that Helen transformed into a skirt, scarf, toggle and headband at the Textile Beat jumper-to-skirt workshop – and Desirea modelled at the gorgeous Abbey of the Roses in Warwick, Queensland.

Cotton farmers are paid about $500/bale (which is 227kg) for raw cotton or about $2/kg for the cotton in a standard jumper which weighs less than 500 gms. A lot of water, energy and other inputs (insect control, defoliant) go into producing this natural fibre. After being grown on farms, the fibres then go through ginning, spinning, colouring, knitting to turn it into garments which we buy so easily and cheaply in clothing stores because they are made en mass. Billions and billions of such garments are produced every year to clothe the world. Continue reading →

Sew 205 – Repairs and maintenance

Just a quick mend and post today pertaining to repairs and maintenance.

I wore Sew 205 to the International House Board of Management meeting last night. It is an exciting time for the organisation, with lots of clever heads around the table. The college was severely impacted by the 2011 Queensland floods but International House has recovered well and we had good discussions about strategic decisions for the future. It is great to be working with an astute team enabling young people to live, learn and lead with others from around the world.

Continue reading →

Sew 197 – Wool jumpers become coat

Sew it Again is a social-change project to shift thinking about the way we consume clothing and textiles. The project demonstrates creative ways to upcycle existing clothing and empowers others to tap into their ‘greenest’ clothing of all. It engages old-fashioned sewing skills, encourages a culture of thrift, and shows heart-felt concern for where mindless consumption of fast fashion is leading.

Creative entrepreneur Dr Cathryn Lloyd from Maverick Minds says today’s business is no longer about doing business as usual. “Complexity and uncertainty reflect the world as it is today. All businesses require creative entrepreneurial thinking and behaviour. The 21st century belongs to those who can bring their creative potential and leadership skills to their personal and professional lives.” Continue reading →

Sew 156 – On World Environment Day

On average Australians throw away around 21 million tonnes of waste per year, according to the Australian Government’s Living Greener initiative. This figure includes waste from our homes and gardens as well as waste generated from building and renovating our homes.

Since the population of Australia is 22 million, we’re each contributing nearly one tonne (that’s 1000 kg) of waste every single year. This is three kgs of waste each, every day, every year ongoing.

Steps to reduce waste are simple actions we each undertake to minimise our footprint on the planet – today as World Environment Day and every other day after that. Continue reading →

Sew 154 – Three Ts reworked

Leadership is an action not a position. This favourite quote is attributed to US television executive Donald H. McGannon who believed in socially responsible leadership through actions – such as dropping cigarette advertising because it was the right thing to do.

I’ve adopted this quote as my own following socially responsible leadership study last year with the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and James Cook University, which led to my upcycling social enterprise Textile Beat and this Sew it Again campaign.

On a much bigger scale and operating since 2007, Redress is a Hong-Kong based non-government organisation led by Christina Dean working to promote environmental sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption. Continue reading →

Sew 151 – T-shirts reworked

The fabulous City of Brisbane Australia demonstrates that it values sustainable living by hosting the Green Heart Fair twice each year – and this free community event is on again at Chermside tomorrow.

I’m looking forward to engaging with eco-aware locals on the topic of sustainable and ethical dressing – discussing ways we can reduce our clothing footprint.

With the 365-day Sew it Again campaign approaching the half-way mark (well nearly), there are plenty of garments to fill out the Textile Beat tent this year.

Although time is against me now, I’m working on a few t-shirt upcycles we can do – sans sewing machine with just scissors, hand stitching and crafting. Continue reading →

Sew 145 – Many fashion futures

Most of us are spoilt for choice in the Western world, with every conceivable item available in a plethora of colours, styles and sizes ready for our consuming pleasure. We purchase our identity according to whichever brand message grabbed our attention from the rivers of print, screen, digital and social information flowing our way.

Clothing shapes our day. Each morning we dress to be comfortable, look fabulous and belong. In seeking to satisfy those needs for 7.2 billion people in the world, apparel fashion has blossomed into a $1.7 trillion industry. As long as consumers happily and mindlessly reach out for more and more clothing, manufacturers will keep providing it.

Any thinking person knows that endless consumption is destroying the planet. Our wardrobes bulge with stuff we don’t wear because we purchased it for a single occasion, our shape has changed, or we bought it cheaply, hurriedly, without longer-term consideration. Continue reading →

Sew 144 – Seeing resewing results

We all bobble along in the world, making the best of what we have and contributing where we can to make a difference. I’m assiduously working away this year on the Sew it Again project, supported by my family and friends to demonstrate ways of upcycling existing clothing to conserve and revive natural fibre resources instead of buying new.

And it is exciting when others catch the ball and run with it! Star pupil from the Coolah workshops Jacki sent me this update: ‘Had a great day – mended two dresses, patched some work jeans that had holes and upcycled a hoodie top into jeans, bag and scarf with little pockets to keep hands warm. That outfit was for an 8-year-old girl, the daughter of a friend. When I gave her the clothes she said “Look Mum the jeans aren’t ugly anymore”. See below for Jacki’s photos of the second-life she created for her unworn hoodie. Continue reading →

Sew 137 – One of a kind

Having an original, one-of-a-kind garment is interesting, fun and an expression of creativity – but it is not for everyone.

We all have our own preference and taste, whether that is conservative, conventional or high fashion as determined by so-called trendsetters and style leaders,

Because I’ve never been one to follow the crowd, upcycling existing clothing suits me well – I can experiment with different styles and enjoy natural fibres without breaking the bank.

My Upcycled exhibition in Coolah was a unique opportunity to present an alternative and adventurous way of engaging with our wardrobes, rather than simply buying off-the-rack, ready-made fashion as has become the norm over the past two decades.

My premise is that home-sewing is a life skill, just like home-cooking, and the Sew it Again project aims to transform the way we think about and wear our clothes. Continue reading →

Sew 134 – Wool jumper to beanies + bag

By upcycling every day during 2014 for the Sew it Again project, I’m following my heart on a creative journey that bridges memories from childhood, professional expertise, networks, and a love of natural, sustainable fashion.

As well as upcycling for its own sake, I’m sharing skills and creative ideas with others interested in refashioning clothing they are not wearing and working to shift society’s thinking about the ecological impact of current clothing habits.

Today we had a second workshop as part of my Upcycled exhibition at Coolah’s Pandora Gallery which was a lot of fun, with Carol, Stella, Chris, Natalie, Georgina and Diane all leaving the session inspired by what is possible when you apply a little creative thinking.

And star pupil from Sunday’s workshop Jacki went home and produced this jeans skirt (see below) as a result of seeing what can be done. No doubt Jacki is on the way to upcycling her wardrobe forever more, using her existing sewing skills laced with creative inspiration.

To create Sew 134, we chopped off the sleeves from a wool cardigan, mended the holes then covered them with beads from a reject necklace. We then knotted the ends to form a pompom of sorts for what are now beanies. The buttoned front of the cardigan became a carry bag, with the shoulders and back of the cardi being trimmed and sewn into a long strap. A bit hard to show in photos, but once you start cutting you can devise your own method. Have fun.