Tag Archives: wool

Sew 138 – Washing and wearing

After our clothing has been made and sold, the main environmental impact comes from the way we wash and dry it.

In The Sustainable Fashion Handbook by Sandy Black, the University of Oxford’s Chris Jardine estimates that each washing machine or dryer uses about 10 percent of an average household’s electricity consumption.

Simple options for reducing environmental impacts (and cost) of washing and drying are:

Wash full loads – the energy required for a washing cycle is the same, regardless of whether the machine is full or empty;
Wash at as low temperature as possible – heating the water uses most of the electricity required to run the machine;
Dry garments on a line, not in a dryer – line dry garments outside on a washing line, or inside on a well-spaced clothes rack. 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.

Sew 133 – Alter a turtle neck jumper

Alternative ways of living and shopping that are more healthful and mindful for ourselves and our environment are all around us when we open ourselves to them.

It is great to see Reverse Garbage in New South Wales has a new shop ReConsidered at Redfern to increase the reuse of materials and decrease the amount of valuable resources heading to landfill. This South Sydney Herald article quotes Reverse Garbage CEO Narelle Mantle saying the project is promoting care and responsibility for one another and our environment. “ReConsidered seeks to inspire others to literally reconsider the notion of what is ‘waste’ and ‘garbage’ and to see value and function in materials which have been thrown to the wayside.”

This aligns with my Sew it Again project this year, in which I am valuing natural fibre clothing as a resource that can be reinvented for a second life. Sometimes it only takes a small change to make an otherwise attractive garment more comfortable. Continue reading →

Sew 132 – Mending a Woolaby

The beautiful warmth, softness and lustre of merino wool from which a Woolaby rugby jumper is created makes you want to hold on to it forever.

When holes inevitably appear over time, the life of a natural fibre garment such as this can be extended by mending the holes – in this case using woollen hearts cut from another beyond-repair jumper.

Reconsidering ways to reuse and revive resources is the subject of David Sherlock’s dramatic Think Before You Throw art sculpture from reject stuff at the Coolah waste transfer station. A trip to the tip to see this and other sculptures from the Waste to Art project overseen by my leadership colleague Ele Cook was the highlight of my morning! Continue reading →

Sew 130 – Fast fashion waste

The built environment shapes the way we live, food choices influence our health and the clothing we chose to wear is a statement about who we are.

Media reports today confirm that fast food is having a profound influence on our diet, with a new Australian Health Survey by the Bureau of Statistics showing we are eating 30 per cent less fruit and vegetables than 15 years ago.

Curtin University’s Professor Mike Daube is quoted as saying fast food has eclipsed vegetables as a dietary staple, which is a major concern because of the implications for health costs and disease burden in society. “The results are a triumph for the mass marketing of junk food,” he says.

Just as fast food has negatively influenced our diets, fast fashion has transformed the clothing and textile landscape. In the past decade, our entire approach has changed since globalisation made clothing cheaper and more plentiful that ever before.

Clothing waste is a very real issue, leading to organisations such as the UK-based charity TRAID working to stop clothes from being thrown away and Hong Kong-based NGO Redress promoting environmental sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption.

Tweets from the Ecochic Awards yesterday via @TRAID and @Redress_Asia quoted: “A third of all clothing is still ending up in landfill In the UK … we throw £140 million of clothes into the bin every year … according to WRAP UK 17-20% of garments made remain unsold.”

Such waste is worrying and these figures are probably similar in other developed nations such as Australia. A desire to value reject natural fibre clothing underpins my 365-day Sew it Again project to raise awareness of how we can creatively reconstruct and upcycle what already exists instead of always buying new.

Sew 130 is two op-shop found jumpers. The striped wool had a couple of small holes which I mended by hand-stitching on a few buttons. The khaki wool jumper was cut and reshaped as a jumper skirt, with the sleeves sewn together (on the diagonal to optimise length) to become a scarf. Ele has accessorised with bright blue and makes these rejects look groovy.

Sew 129 – Putting it out there

The most common reason we hesitate when given a chance to express ourselves creatively is our fear of other people’s negative opinions, says Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer.

In her book On Becoming an Artist, Dr Langer says it is hard to try something without knowing the outcome but from a creative perspective, not knowing the outcome is actually preferable. And it is important to remember that the evaluations of others – both good and bad – are not really objective and needn’t shape our choices.

“Evaluation is central to the way we make sense of the our world; almost all of our thoughts are concerned with whether what we or others are doing or thinking is good or bad … If a change in our attitude about evaluation is to happen, the most important understanding we need to gain is that all behaviour makes sense from the actor’s perspective or the actor wouldn’t do it.” Continue reading →

Sew 128 – Working with nature on-farm

Farmers pride themselves on looking after the environment that provides their livelihood.

That’s why country people understand recycling and upcycling. Working in tune with nature and being mindful of how we use natural resources is a way of life.

Organic beef producer Phil Cook – partner of leadership colleague Ele Cook – goes one step further in modelling his sustainably upcycled wool jumper this morning as he headed outdoors to work in the cold windy weather at Coolah in New South Wales. Continue reading →

Sew 119 – Upcycling is endless

The theory of ‘buy once, buy well’ definitely makes a valid case for having fewer garments of better quality in your wardrobe. Yet most of us are attracted to the constant stimulation of variety and change, so it is easy to understand why cheaper fast fashion options are popular.

Upcycling existing clothing is a way of enabling a near endless array of unique choice and difference, at little financial and environmental cost. Certainly there is a time cost – that is offset with satisfaction of mindful creativity and empowerment from originality.

I love this Sunday Mail quote from fashion authority and author Marion von Adlerstein: “I don’t think great style belongs exclusively to fashion people or arty types; anyone can tap into it with a bit of thought. It’s about creating the best version of yourself you can be.” In other words, give it your best shot. Continue reading →

Sew 118 – Thrift the new black

Some people look at you sideways when you declare you’re an op-shopper while others understand the sense of discovery, salvage, revival, thrift and pleasure it represents.

There are many reasons why people throw out clothing including de-cluttering a bulging wardrobe, boredom, dated style, gain/loss of weight, doesn’t work with body shape, owner has moved on, it needs mending or they may want to help a charity.

But in a recent 1 Million Women post about the pros and cons of donating clothing to charity, Bronte Hogarth wrote: “It might feel like you’ve lifted a weight of your shoulders in cleaning out your closet and donating your clothes to charity, but everyone should be aware that your clothes don’t automatically end up in an op shop or in the hands of someone in need, if at all. The model at Lifeline, for example, shows that one third of clothes donated are considered good enough to go back into the stores to be sold, one third is packed up to be exported, and the remaining third is either cut up and sold as cleaning cloths or disposed of. This model is reflective of clothing collection charities worldwide.” Continue reading →