Tag Archives: reuse

Sew 236 – Upcycled opshop cashmere

Jane wears upcycledNational Op Shop Week begins today and will bring focus to the role of opportunity shops in extending the useful life of consumer goods. By donating to, or purchasing from, op shops we tangibly make a social, ethical and sustainable contribution to society.

Most of us have much more clothing than we need in our wardrobes and It makes sense to shift things we no longer need or want – or have never worn.

I’m such a big supporter of op shops that I’ve accumulated more than I need, particularly seeking out natural-fibre clothing made of linen, wool, cashmere, silk and cotton. Only one-third of modern clothing is made from natural fibres, with the majority two-thirds being made from synthetic fibres or petroleum.  Continue reading →

Sew 233 – Op shop silk for theatre

Jane Milburn wears op shop silkMy opshop habit has re-sourced garments for every occasion, including this $10 number which served me well at an earlier Governor’s Reception and last night to the Lyric Theatre.

The Last Confession starring David Suchet as Cardinal Bellini was incredible theatre about power, leadership and choices – and I had the opportunity to see it thanks to QPAC and my friend Liliana Molina.

At intermission, when a generous lady complemented me on my outfit (deeply envious  were her words) I happily confessed it was op shop because its time for clothing reuse to came out of the closet and be mainstream. The dress is beautifully finished (dressmaker unknown as no label) which I found all askew in the dress-up section of an op shop and I bought it for the dupion silk fabric – only realising its full potential when I tried it on at home.  Continue reading →

Sew 69 – A Scrappy Shift

Sustainable shift from scraps

This Scrappy Shift has a story to tell about the pieces of pink and white garments resewn for a second life in another place and time from their original purpose.

Some people will look at this and hate it. I look at it and love its busyness, diversity, colour, texture, quirks and angles – all stitched up with authentic simplicity and care.

Steph Poncini

This concept started with a friend’s shift from which I cut a pattern. I did this by placing an old sheet on the floor, laying the dress on top and cutting around it with 1cm extra all round for seams. This will be my pattern for future similar garments.

I then rearranged the rest of the sheet so it was on the cross (the diagonal grain) and cut two fresh pieces with irregular hemline created by the shaped fitted-sheet elastic randomly cutting across the bottom. I left the elastic in place and it is now hidden by the pieces of dress which fall down over the top of it. Cutting on the cross helps the finished garment drape less squarely and stiffly. Gathering various pink garments from my storage spaces and a metre of pink bobbles, I proceeded to cut pieces using pinking shears and randomly arrange then pin them on the sheeting. Son Max and Steph, see photo, called in for brunch and shared some time in this process.  Continue reading →