Get Crafty With Wardrobe Refashion

As an artist, I am blessed with a natural predilection for creating stuff from other stuff. As a woman I can lay claim to a magpie eye for shiny, pretty things, particularly haberdashery and fabrics and the patience to source and return them to the nest.

This talent (which some neanderthals may refer to as a design fault) sits very well in combination with the desire I have been cultivating over the past 10 years to lessen my impact on the planet. Thus, I have in recent years, along with many others it seems, developed an addiction to salvage, reclamation and re-design.

The hunt for perfect and potentially perfect pre-loved items is one that beats regular shopping hands down. Whether it's vintage shopping at the local market, hunting on the never ending aisles of the internet or good old charity store foraging, taking new-old finds home and turning them into something else is a magical experience that I highly recommend.

Often the new item turns out to look less than 'perfect' in the commercially-branded-made-from-new-ingredients-hot-off-the-production-line sense. This is because it isn't one of those. It is a handmade piece of me and all those who previously owned it with a history that stretches further than a faceless person in a far flung sweatshop. I can take pride in this and the kind of individual 'faults' and unique quirks that only come from free creativity.

Thinking about having a go yourself but not sure where to start? There are a growing host of sites (many of which are listed in the bluAngelAlmanac sidebar) full of information and tips for beginners as well as more advanced ideas and patterns for when you become an expert.

Give yourself time and a lot of patience to discover and develop the right skills for you but don't expect to become an expert overnight. Practice, practice, practice and the art of salvage and re-creation can be yours. Think of all those surprised happy faces at holiday times and birthdays as beautiful, handcrafted, thoughtful gifts are unwrapped instead of shop-bought, homogenous items. And no more traipsing round the high street searching for perfection in the house of smoke and mirrors either!

To encourage your handmade fashion recycling, creative Nichola Prested has set up Wardrobe Refashion, a blog site where users can take the following pledge and vow not to buy new items for either 2, 4 or 6 months at a time. There is a simple list of Rules to follow and support from other users. If you have a needle and thread, some time and a desire to connect rather than disconnect through fashion - why not give it a go?

"I __________________ pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings! Signed__________________"

Read Nichola Prested's interview with the V&A here.

Further Info:
Wardrobe Refashion