I flew to Sydney today and was surprised to see an advertisement for Pfaff sewing machines right up front in the Virgin Australia’s in-flight magazine Voyeur. Sewing is a happening thing.

Just as there’s resurgent interest in home-cooking and baking,  crafts such as knitting, crochet and home-sewing are coming into the frame because people enjoy being resourceful and making things for themselves if they have time available.

Sew it Again is a 365-day project demonstrating how to use simple sewing techniques to refashion clothing that already exists but is not being worn as is.

Every day this year, I am posting an upcycled outfit here on sewitagain.com – with all the upcycles easily viewed via pinterest with postings also at facebook.com/textilebeat and twitter.com/textilebeat

Last week I spent a day upcycling with fashion and textile students at Fairholme College in Toowoomba, and Sew 293 is a Year 11 product. This look was created from an unworn cotton knit jumper and a cotton shirt from my accumulated op-shop pile and the students then used their creativity to turn it into something to suit their style. They reshaped the hem of the jumper, cutting along the zigzag open-stitch pattern then sewing across the cut hemline to stop it from fraying. The jumper offcut became a headband. For the skirt, they reshaped the bottom portion of the shirt, taking it in at the sides and turning into a short-sculptured look that utilised the existing hem. A fabulous result, modelled by Shannon.