Category Archives: repurpose

Sew 345 – Cool cotton restyle

Summer storms and Christmas drinks – it is that time of year in Australia. And how exciting to be posting Sew 345, which means only 20 upcycles to go before the Sew it Again year is complete!

I’ve learned so much by experimenting with creative restyling, reshaping and repurposing of existing clothing. Certainly it takes a little time and a few skills, but really it is not hard to breathe new life into clothes made from beautiful natural fibres by making simple changes.

Despite sewing most days, I don’t really think my sewing skills have improved that much. Perhaps it comes from working with existing clothes and random shapes – I don’t have any great expectation for neatness and perfection, being more interested in comfort and originality. Continue reading →

Sew 344 – Upcycled Christmas bunting

It’s been a tradition for the past few years in our neighbourhood to put up red bows rather than energy-consuming light displays in a green Christmas concept initiated by real estate agent Doug Disher.

Although our red felt bows have weathered well on the verandah posts, it was timely to upcycle them into Sew 344 of the 365-day Sew it Again project reusing what we have rather than buying new.

To make the bunting, cut the strips of red felt into triangles and decorate each with pieces of unused white linen napery (gathered from op shops) – including doillies, napkins, glass-covers along with some white net tulle – all secured by bias-binding created from a quality white sheet (cast off by a friend). Continue reading →

Sew 339 – Xmas stacks of fabric scraps

Creative types use lateral thinking when reviewing the usefulness of any old coats lurking in your wardrobe, back door or opportunity shop.

Off-season or damaged coats are often available for just a few dollars at op shops, yet they have metres of useful fabric when cut up and repurposed as a craft resource.

I removed the lining and cut up a beige wool coat (see photo in Sew 339 how-to) into pieces, throwing out the small damaged sections which had led to the demise of its usefulness as a garment. I had the fabric pieces stored in a plastic bag, waiting for their moment to shine. Continue reading →

Sew 338 – Christmas allsorts from offcuts

In the same way you can scratch up a meal from leftovers after Christmas, you can make decorations before Christmas from bits and pieces of fabric from here and there. Just apply a bit of creative energy and tap into ideas all around you.

I got this Christmas allsorts decoration idea from the Thrifty by Design team in Canada and I’ve just modified to suit the textile resources I had at hand – no need to go out a buy anything, just use what you have.

They are made from old wool coats – a beige one (photo below) that was $2 at opshop due to marks on the back (making it perfect for chopping up) – and the red wool sleeves left over from an earlier project Sew 226.

I started by making a pattern from cardboard, cutting circles and triangles in three-different sizes. While watching TV in the evening, I cut out shapes from the red and the beige wool, aiming to make roughly the same number of each. Then you just make stacks, interspersing the colours, and use fishing line on a needle to thread up through the middle before finishing the bottom with buttons and a bell, and the top with buttons. To provide a hanging loop, trim out the seams and cut a slit at either end – one fits over the buttons, the other will hang on a hook on the tree or elsewhere.

Sew 337 – Old lights, new decorations

Christmas is coming and we’re Into the final straight of the year for this 365-day Sew it Again project, demonstrating creative ways of reuse for thrift, well-being and ecological health.

Community, connection and care are the fabulous aspects of this time of year and I have always struggled with the push to consume more and more. Australians are tipped to spend $18 billion over the holiday season – that’s up to $800 for every woman, man and child in the nation.

My Christmas thing has always been hand-made decorations because they are useful, pretty and non-fattening offerings. I enjoyed being able to give one of these Christmas dragonflies, right, to my hairdresser yesterday and my friend Wendy Agar when she popped in for lunch today. Continue reading →

Sew 327 – Mullum refashion

We had a quick trip across the border yesterday to enjoy one day of the Mullum Music Festival at Mullumbimby in New South Wales and found a relaxed funky spirit that encompasses the entire community, as well as an amazingly creative, sustainable dress scene.

Highlights included seeing Darren Percival at the Civic Hall, a great dinner at The Middle Pub and chatting with Andrew Nichols from Mullum Glassery. While I’m trying to be non-consumerist this year, in support of creative reuse I bought two glasses from Andrew which he refashions from spent wine bottles (see photos below). Continue reading →

Sew 323 – A bauble from waste

The festive season brings saturation marketing of many material things which most don’t need and obligatory rehashed Christmas news stories about more binge spending and consuming.

How refreshing to see the 1 Million Women campaign promoting a No Waste Festive Season and encouraging a focus on moments rather than things.

At our house, we’ve been trying to minimise Christmas fuss and waste for years. We’ve used the same fabric wrapping (secured with safety pins) and ribbons for a decade and they are still going strong and looking good.

This year the 365-day Sew it Again project adds another imperative to reduce waste. With the 12 days of Christmas rapidly approaching, here’s an upcycled decoration made from waste. Continue reading →

Sew 322 – Doily linen cushion

Travelled back across Australia from Perth to Brisbane so today’s upcycle is one I had in reserve for a difficult day such as this.

Sew 322 utilises some beautiful doilys gathered from a Dubbo opshop which are stitched to linen cushions.

If you buy Sheridan linen sheets and pillowcases (my favourite), they come in linen pouches secured with coconut shell buttons. It takes a little effort to unpick and remove the labels but once that’s done, you can decorate with doilys to make pretty cushions. I created the pillow insert by using stuffing from an old pillow inside a pillowcase cut down to suit the required size. Continue reading →

Sew 320 – Greed before need

Greed before need is the headline on David Penberthy’s column in Western Australia’s Sunday Times newspaper today about the level of unnecessary consumption in our society.

This unnecessary consumption leads to 70,000 tonnes (70 million kgs) of cast-off clothing being shipped from Australia to developing nations each year and sparked this 365-day Sew it Again project, which is reusing and refashioning pre-loved clothing as an alternative to always buying new.

Penberthy was writing about phone upgrades and said many of us have convinced ourselves that luxuries are necessities.

“We have embraced a big-bang approach to shopping which is a world away from the gradual acquisition which marked more frugal and disciplined past generations … The basics for a young couple starting out are not defined by shelter, transport and utilities but have been extended to include a television which simply must be 40 inches across and web-ready, the latest phone for every member of the family, and three meals out a week because of the rapidly dying art of peeling a carrot or a spud.” Continue reading →

Sew 315 – Creative second-hand combo

In this era of conspicuous consumption, it is refreshing to come across people from all walks of life who deliberately make thrifty choices and consider secondhand-best whenever possible.

At a check-up with my dentist yesterday, Bruce asked me what I’d been up to since I last visited, I told him about Sew it Again and that the upcycled outfit I was wearing (right) had cost me less than $2. He was completely with the program. Bruce said he loved fossicking through second-hand clothing stores and that his med-student daughter had upcycled his wife’s wedding dress for her Year 12 formal outfit. Fabulous thrifty values, reusing what already exists instead of always buying new! Continue reading →