Just a quick update as I haven’t posted in ages. I have been sewing, lots! I’ve got a few photos to post soon of recent upcycles, including my favourite, a massive pair of tartan curtains that have been given new life as a dress for an important event at the end of the month. But… Continue reading This upcycling challenge is TOUGH.
2016 hasn’t been overly kind to me so far. January brought a mighty chest infection, February served up a slipped disc, and I started March with shingles on my face. So sewing, BrawHem, and the blog have all taken a back seat while I recover. It’s only when you injure yourself that you realise how physical… Continue reading Slipped Discs, Crochet, and finding my sewjo…
A lot of fabric upcycling is focused on sewing, rather obviously. However! I don’t feel that giving your clothes a second life (or third, or fourth) should be limited to those of us with a sewing machine, or that can hand sew – and I find hand sewing really boring, so let’s avoid that. So… Continue reading No Sew Embroidery Hoop Fabric Wall Art
I’d heard about the H&M Conscious garment collecting initiative recently, where you can donate old clothes and textiles in return for a £5 voucher, so I thought I’d try it out for myself. Because I sew, I end up with heaps of offcuts, scraps and threads that until recently ended up heading to landfill –… Continue reading Help save the planet, grab yourself a £5 H&M voucher.
In my last blog I told you about a little challenge I had set myself in honour of my mum’s 1970s dungaree/curtain transformation. My challenge? To transform these dungarees and this vintage curtain (found in a charity shop) into something wearable! And the result? Ta-dah! Well, I say result – it’s not quite finished… Continue reading Dungaree Curtain Dress
My mum, Irene, didn’t want to take sewing class at school. She wanted to do woodwork, but this was the early 70s and girls didn’t do woodwork. Girls went to sewing class and so, reluctantly, my mum became acquainted with her first sewing machine, and her first (and only) sewing teacher. It didn’t take long… Continue reading My Mum -The Rebel Upcycler.
I was having a look through my fabric collection the other day and stumbled upon a few things I’d forgotten about, including a brilliant vintage piece (looks like it lived a previous life as a curtain) kindly given to me by a friend, and a stash of old scarves I’d promised myself I’d do something with.… Continue reading Scarf and Vintage Curtain Fringe Top
This is a quick update to let you know what I’ve done with the rest of the jumper that I made the cosy wrist-warmers from. I wanted to make as much use of the remaining fabric as possible, and the sleeves were in pretty decent condition (minus the coffee-stained cuffs) so I lopped them off… Continue reading Snood
Many of us are having a good sort through our wardrobes at this time of year, out with the old – in with the new, and find many things that no longer fit, still have the tags on, or aren’t in the best condition. This jumper falls into the latter category. So what do we… Continue reading New Year – New Life for this Jumper
After setting up BrawHem earlier this year, it felt appropriate that my New Year’s Resolution would involve sewing, and more specifically, upcycling. So this is my challenge – a whole year of making my own clothes, using only upcycled materials. And you can come along for the (likely rather bumpy) ride. I’ll be sharing my… Continue reading Welcome to Upcycling My Year
BrawHem : Upcycling My Year 