Tag Archives: a pair and a spare

Sew 275 – Shorts with added sparkle

Lilly B wears upcycled denim shortsPlaying is a valuable childhood learning activity because it is believed to create a brain that has increased flexibility and improved potential for learning later in life.

When play is carried into adulthood, It develops creative thinking, individual expression and a sense of well-being. REfashion enables play-based fun through upcycling existing clothing in affordable and adventurous ways.

Lilly B has been on the blog before (ages ago now!) wearing Sew 193 and I’m thrilled to now feature Lilly wearing one of her own upcycles based on a pair of op-shop-found cotton denim jeans.  Continue reading

Sew 43 – Black & white rerun

black and white outfitClothing can be endlessly upcycled until it wears out. This skirt is on its third life. It began as a dress (1) from op shop, I removed top to make a skirt (2), which I’ve now re-upcycled (3).

For relaxation when I worked 9-5+ as a communications manager, I’d visit op shops on Saturdays gathering odds and sods to create ‘new’ office outfits – such as this one.

There’s an art to successful op shopping. In her book DIY Fashionista, Geneva Vanderzeil, includes a five-point plan to get the most out of secondhand shops to which I entirely concur:

  • Go often – things are coming and going all the time, so if you don’t scoop the great stuff someone else is going to    
  • Dig deep – the best finds are often at the bottom of the pile
  • Be imaginative – think outside the box – tops for bottoms, outerwear made into daywear, evening to day – the options are limitless, you just need to create them in your mind
  • Location, location, location – the best jumbles are often found in places where a proportion of the population have a reasonable income leading to better quality cast-offs
  • Get to know the staff – often people in charity shops are volunteers – become friends with them and they may put things away for you  Continue reading