Years ago I did a presentation about sustainable fashion and talked about reuse, alteration, and repair. I talked about how new, even 'sustainable' fabrics, have an environmental cost. The other presenters were there plugging those sustainable fabrics. The organisers of the event never returned my messages again. This really has to be a grassroots effort, since the industry, while they can try, can only continue to make money by creating and making new stuff. Thank you for the shout out, and I hope you are feeling better!
One thing I love about historical costuming is that in the past fabric was expensive and considered an investment to be recycled and now we are doing the same thing. We're following in our ancestors' footsteps in more than just making stitches. We're learning to appreciate clothing in the way they did. It's another connection to the past that is important and not to be taken lightly.
There's definitely an accessibility component to all the "finding materials to recycle/items to upcycle" part of this unfortunately. On top of time, it requires being able to go to places physically, often to a lot of places to Hunt, when disabled people, even on the off chance that they are able to go at all, rarely have the ability or energy to walk around looking for those things... Or to reach inside something. Or to move with a mobility aid inside a chaotic thrift store etc. Not to mention the extra time and effort that comes out of a very, very limited, non-stretchable amount. That being said, there's definitely lots to be done when it comes to mending, reusing your own things etc. I always try to keep all my scraps (although I get told off for it lol) so I can make patches, accessories etc from it. My greatest success with that was when I kept a large enough piece of fabric from making a skirt that when the pandemic rolled around, I was able to use it as the fashion fabric outside layer for a mask, and I now have a matching mask and skirt. A tip that I haven't seen before I think but that I thought about recently for people who do want/have to buy new fabric but still want to be as economical as possible is to prepare a couple of rolls of paper (it could even be stuff like old gift wrapping or newspaper) in the generic fabric bolt widths, so that you can do your pattern tetris on THAT and know precisely how much you need for each potential width before you go buy or hunt for your fabric, instead of having to round up your guesstimating. Anyway thank you for holding this interesting panel! Edit: oh yeah also for anyone who Is disabled but still wants to hunt down things to re/upcycle, I've found that if you have the space to Hoard, just letting people around you know you're on the hunt for these things can lead to the best and strangest things making their way to you. It's more random and there's less Thrill Of The Hunt, but sometimes can have delightful results!
Thank you for sharing your experiences! It was definitely a thought in my mind to encourage sustainability and recycling but I also wanted to address the barriers that could prevent someone from using them. Some people don’t consider that when they’re getting all preachy about saving the sea turtles 😂. I’m passionate about it and love what I do but I’m also mindful that these aren’t options available to everyone. So thank you so much for your input on ways to make this more inclusive for those with disabilities 🥰
This panel was so inspiring to be a part of, thank you so much for inviting me to participate! I hope it inspires others to see out ways to recycle, repurpose, reuse, and remake -- not just fabrics/garments, but also notions, closures, accessories, and so forth.
i really loved this panel!! great ideas! When i was an RN working in operating theatres, i would save some of the plastic material that they used to wrap up packs of instruments. They were sterile, good thickness, breathable, FREE and saving them from landfill. Perfect for mockups or just drawing pattern pieces on.
That’s a fabulous idea! I also rescue stuff from my local medical facilities. There seems to be a lot of waste generated there, but it’s definitely important to maintain a clean environment.
When my children were young I made my husband a kaftan/nightshirt and after I laid out the pattern for his item, I placed pattern pieces for a shirt for each of my three sons. There was still room around the pattern pieces so I laid out pattern pieces for an 18 inch doll and then I put pattern pieces for a Ken doll shirt. There wasn't much of the fabric left! I've not done any sewing in quite long time, but when I make my next outfit (from recycled curtains and fabric I bought over 30 years ago and not used yet) I plan on doing the same thing - see how many other things I can cut out of the fabric from other items for my own wardrobe, accessories and doll clothes. I once made rag dolls for my three nieces for a Christmas gift one year and with the pattern tetris I had 8 dolls, though the last one was minus a leg - I'd only bought enough fabric to make 4 dolls and all the clothes I made for the dolls was all from fabric scraps and recycled clothing. I am well known for pulling apart clothing to reuse the fabric. I do the same with sweaters - I pull them apart and reuse the wool in another project. I keep the buttons, lace, zippers etc too, and now I also snip up the scraps that really are too small for anything else and use them for stuffing - and this includes the thread pulled out from recycled clothes, scraps of yarn that are too short for anything. Waste not want not.
Such wonderful ideas!!! Doll clothes are great for using up scraps. So happy to meet another person who is passionate about using every bit of the project. Sometimes I feel a little crazy when I have a giant box full of selvedges that I refuse to throw away 😂
I remember my mom, who was born in 1925, talking about the rag and bone men and the tinkerers coming by the house to collect old cloth & bones and metal.
Watching the part I missed due to being late to the premiere--I forgot I talked about my video on water conservation tactics in costume dye shops/studios. That's here in case anybody wants to see the whole thing to expand upon what I mention in this video: ruclips.net/video/1v6jknTTxEE/видео.html
If you want to do sofa clothes, locate a college or university with dorms/nearby apartments and find out when move out time is. I passed six couches on the side of the street on my way to and from work for a month before most of them were taken by waste management. There is still a chair in pieces... Also, from a family whose men work in ag and whose women patch their clothes. Hammer your denim. Pin the patch, couple of good whacks, it goes through better.
LOL I'm just going to leave a million comments on this video. If folx are interested in learning more, here's the video about how i made the Regency bonnet of recycled straw braid: ruclips.net/video/V_WSgyM14Ik/видео.html
Unpicking the corners on a fitted sheet as I watch this :)
Years ago I did a presentation about sustainable fashion and talked about reuse, alteration, and repair. I talked about how new, even 'sustainable' fabrics, have an environmental cost. The other presenters were there plugging those sustainable fabrics. The organisers of the event never returned my messages again. This really has to be a grassroots effort, since the industry, while they can try, can only continue to make money by creating and making new stuff. Thank you for the shout out, and I hope you are feeling better!
My pleasure and thank you!!! 😊
lots of great ideas on how to reuse or upcycle fabrics!
One thing I love about historical costuming is that in the past fabric was expensive and considered an investment to be recycled and now we are doing the same thing. We're following in our ancestors' footsteps in more than just making stitches. We're learning to appreciate clothing in the way they did. It's another connection to the past that is important and not to be taken lightly.
Thank you! I totally agree. Those of us with ‘old souls’ seem to be much more in tune with it 😊
@twheels yup! We mentioned that in the stream. I’ve got some examples coming up in future videos too 😊
@twheels haha no worries 😊 thank you for watching! I’m still catching up on the CoSy videos myself lol
There's definitely an accessibility component to all the "finding materials to recycle/items to upcycle" part of this unfortunately. On top of time, it requires being able to go to places physically, often to a lot of places to Hunt, when disabled people, even on the off chance that they are able to go at all, rarely have the ability or energy to walk around looking for those things... Or to reach inside something. Or to move with a mobility aid inside a chaotic thrift store etc. Not to mention the extra time and effort that comes out of a very, very limited, non-stretchable amount.
That being said, there's definitely lots to be done when it comes to mending, reusing your own things etc. I always try to keep all my scraps (although I get told off for it lol) so I can make patches, accessories etc from it. My greatest success with that was when I kept a large enough piece of fabric from making a skirt that when the pandemic rolled around, I was able to use it as the fashion fabric outside layer for a mask, and I now have a matching mask and skirt.
A tip that I haven't seen before I think but that I thought about recently for people who do want/have to buy new fabric but still want to be as economical as possible is to prepare a couple of rolls of paper (it could even be stuff like old gift wrapping or newspaper) in the generic fabric bolt widths, so that you can do your pattern tetris on THAT and know precisely how much you need for each potential width before you go buy or hunt for your fabric, instead of having to round up your guesstimating.
Anyway thank you for holding this interesting panel!
Edit: oh yeah also for anyone who Is disabled but still wants to hunt down things to re/upcycle, I've found that if you have the space to Hoard, just letting people around you know you're on the hunt for these things can lead to the best and strangest things making their way to you. It's more random and there's less Thrill Of The Hunt, but sometimes can have delightful results!
Thank you for sharing your experiences! It was definitely a thought in my mind to encourage sustainability and recycling but I also wanted to address the barriers that could prevent someone from using them. Some people don’t consider that when they’re getting all preachy about saving the sea turtles 😂. I’m passionate about it and love what I do but I’m also mindful that these aren’t options available to everyone. So thank you so much for your input on ways to make this more inclusive for those with disabilities 🥰
Recycled plastic boning sounds great!!
Thanks!!! I’m in the testing phase right now and it’s going well 😊
This panel was so inspiring to be a part of, thank you so much for inviting me to participate! I hope it inspires others to see out ways to recycle, repurpose, reuse, and remake -- not just fabrics/garments, but also notions, closures, accessories, and so forth.
Absolutely! And thank you for being there 😊
i really loved this panel!! great ideas! When i was an RN working in operating theatres, i would save some of the plastic material that they used to wrap up packs of instruments. They were sterile, good thickness, breathable, FREE and saving them from landfill. Perfect for mockups or just drawing pattern pieces on.
That’s a fabulous idea! I also rescue stuff from my local medical facilities. There seems to be a lot of waste generated there, but it’s definitely important to maintain a clean environment.
Sarah Ruhl is the playwright and the show is called In the Next Room: The Vibrator Play
When my children were young I made my husband a kaftan/nightshirt and after I laid out the pattern for his item, I placed pattern pieces for a shirt for each of my three sons. There was still room around the pattern pieces so I laid out pattern pieces for an 18 inch doll and then I put pattern pieces for a Ken doll shirt. There wasn't much of the fabric left! I've not done any sewing in quite long time, but when I make my next outfit (from recycled curtains and fabric I bought over 30 years ago and not used yet) I plan on doing the same thing - see how many other things I can cut out of the fabric from other items for my own wardrobe, accessories and doll clothes.
I once made rag dolls for my three nieces for a Christmas gift one year and with the pattern tetris I had 8 dolls, though the last one was minus a leg - I'd only bought enough fabric to make 4 dolls and all the clothes I made for the dolls was all from fabric scraps and recycled clothing. I am well known for pulling apart clothing to reuse the fabric. I do the same with sweaters - I pull them apart and reuse the wool in another project. I keep the buttons, lace, zippers etc too, and now I also snip up the scraps that really are too small for anything else and use them for stuffing - and this includes the thread pulled out from recycled clothes, scraps of yarn that are too short for anything. Waste not want not.
Such wonderful ideas!!! Doll clothes are great for using up scraps. So happy to meet another person who is passionate about using every bit of the project. Sometimes I feel a little crazy when I have a giant box full of selvedges that I refuse to throw away 😂
I remember my mom, who was born in 1925, talking about the rag and bone men and the tinkerers coming by the house to collect old cloth & bones and metal.
Whoa that’s interesting! I love hearing about things that are zero waste 😊
💖
Watching the part I missed due to being late to the premiere--I forgot I talked about my video on water conservation tactics in costume dye shops/studios. That's here in case anybody wants to see the whole thing to expand upon what I mention in this video: ruclips.net/video/1v6jknTTxEE/видео.html
It was super educational and eye-opening, everyone 😊
If you want to do sofa clothes, locate a college or university with dorms/nearby apartments and find out when move out time is. I passed six couches on the side of the street on my way to and from work for a month before most of them were taken by waste management. There is still a chair in pieces...
Also, from a family whose men work in ag and whose women patch their clothes. Hammer your denim. Pin the patch, couple of good whacks, it goes through better.
That’s a great idea, thanks!!! I’ll have to travel a bit for that but I’ll be able to rescue a few of them that way 😊
LOL I'm just going to leave a million comments on this video. If folx are interested in learning more, here's the video about how i made the Regency bonnet of recycled straw braid: ruclips.net/video/V_WSgyM14Ik/видео.html
Haha leave all the comments you want 😊 the more info, the better