BY TARYN DE VERE
I pulled out my sewing machine last weekend because I had a strong urge to sew.
I’m not a great sewer and I only have one pattern (and that’s for a literal clown’s outfit) so I have to make a lot of it up as I go along.
I was lacking in fabrics so I raided my vintage linens collection and got creative.
First I made a long flowy jacket out of an old curtain and a tablecloth.
Taryn got creative this week and started a DIY fashion project.
I used a similar jacket I owned as a pattern, and added pockets to my creation.
Then I sewed together some old tea towels and tablecloths to make enough fabric to make a kaftan.
I added some internal ties to give it a bit more shape.
There are millions of ideas for upcycling clothes online, so there’s no end of inspiration and tutorials.
It’s all in browns which is not a colour I wear much, but I do love the eclectic look of the kaftan so I’m not sure I can bear to part with it (not yet anyway).
I had a huge amount of fun sorting all my linens into colours and trying to figure out what would go with what, and how I could make something wearable out of it.
I made a pair of trousers out of a duvet cover, and a lovely blouse out of a stained tablecloth.
Taryn caught the sewing buzz this week.
To cover the stain I sewed on a tray cloth.
(My sewing skills are rudimentary, so anything with buttons or zips wasn’t considered.)
I looked in my wardrobe to find clothes that I thought I might be able to copy.
I made a shift dress out of some children’s curtain fabric which took me about an hour to make.
I got rather carried away and was still sewing at midnight, but lack of fabrics stopped me from making more.
I’m fond of saying inspiration is everywhere and this was very true for me when I caught the sewing buzz.
Inspiration was in my wardrobe with the clothes I already had, and in my linen cupboards. I’m hoping this column might inspire my readers to think about doing some upcycling.
Lots of people have sewing machines in their lofts and sheds and with summer on the way this could be a great time to pull out the machine and start re-working some of the clothes you already have, or using favourite items to make patterns in different fabrics.
There are millions of ideas for upcycling clothes online so there’s no end of inspiration and tutorials.
I really enjoyed finding a way to turn stained tablecloths into wearable pieces.
There’s joy to be had in re-purposing something beautiful but flawed.
The other great thing is no one else on earth has the items I made, they really are one of a kind pieces.
I’ve been around all the charity shops in the last week to look for more linens, I didn’t have much luck. I found one tablecloth in Strabane and one tea towel in Letterkenny.
If anyone knows where to find more linens please get in touch! I’m @TarynDeVere everywhere.
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