Tag Archives: ABC Landline

Sew 170 – REfashion is non-toxic

Dominique's apron upcycledThe reasons why I’m upcycling natural fibre garments during 2014 include because it is creative, mindful, resourceful, flexible, sustainable, thrifty, bespoke, handy, fun, ethical, reducing waste, shifting habits, demonstrating alternatives and non-toxic.

This Ecouterre article about toxic threads provides further affirmation: “Around 80 billion garments are produced worldwide, the equivalent of just over 11 garments a year for every person on the planet, according to Greenpeace. The growing volumes of clothing being made, sold, and disposed of magnifies the human and environmental costs of our clothes at every stage of their life cycle, which means that even minute quantities of toxins can cumulatively amount to the widespread dispersal of damaging chemicals across the globe, the group says.”  Continue reading

Sew 54 – Wool for winter comfort

wool knit upcycledThis plum outfit is from op shop wool separates linked by scarf pieces hand sewn with vintage buttons to dress up skirt.

Wool drapes beautifully, is comfortable and toasty warm in cold weather. Merino wool is particularly soft, with amazingly superfine wool being produced in cooler parts of the nation.

Athough Australia no longer rides on the sheep’s back, it still leads the world in wool production by supplying high-quality natural fibre for the world of high-fashion in Europe and the bourgeoning Chinese market.

The National Farmers Federation website says total production of wool in Australia was 368,330 tonnes (greasy) in 2011, with wool exports valued at $3.047 billion and major markets for Australian wool being China ($2.2 billion), India ($209 million) and Italy ($178 million). Continue reading