Sew a sustainable capsule wardrobe that is tailored to you - and with it, help break the cycle of throw-away fashion.

Awarded 'Best Upcycling Book' and 'Best New Author' at the Creative Book Awards, 2024.

The fashion industry is the second biggest environmental polluter on the planet. Every year, over 350,000 tonnes of clothing is sent to landfill in the UK - just under 14 million tonnes in the US - much of it owing to fast fashion. Furthermore, it's estimated that many of us wear only 20% of our wardrobe regularly, with the other 80% languishing in our wardrobes unworn, or worse - contributing to those ever-growing landfill figures.

We urgently need to find alternative, more sustainable approaches that allow us to have the stylish wardrobes we crave without hurting our planet. The techniques you learn in The Re:Fashion Wardrobe is one of those alternatives.

Learn how to alter or create entirely new garments from pre-loved clothes or forgotten fabrics that are not only chic but don't cost the earth. Beginning with advice on equipment, fabrics and how to source your clothes for refashioning, Portia Lawrie will then take you step-by-step through a collection of 11 garments that she has reworked, showing you just how easy it is to refresh or drastically change any piece of clothing you come across.

Every garment in the collection can be used to create a modern capsule wardrobe that you can wear throughout the year, and Portia has included advice on how to adjust the garments in the book to make versions suitable for different times of the year.

Useful sewing techniques with clear illustrations are included at the back of the book for you to dip into whenever you need them - from measuring and fitting through to garment deconstruction and construction.

This is not the "Becky home eccy" refashioning of old, or simply make-do-and-mend either. This is showing that with some time, basic sewing techniques and a dash of creative vision, a wardrobe you've made entirely from recycled garments and textiles can be as stylish, edgy and aspirational as anything the high street has to offer.

About the Author

Portia Lawrie is a self-taught dressmaker and clothes designer who has been passionate about recycling for over a decade. She has been writing about sewing since 2010, predominantly at her current online home: www.portialawrie.co.uk Portia is the founder/creator of The Refashioners, an annual sewing event that has been running since 2011. It challenges the global sewing community to look at old clothes in a new light, and provides inspiration and tutorials. She is also the ambassador for PFAFF sewing machines.

Portia has been a contributor to Simply Sewing magazine since 2015. She was awarded Dressmaker magazine's Dressmaker of the Year 2017. Her winning entry was a quilted denim coat made from old jeans. In 2016 and 2017 she was nominated for best sewing blog in both The British Craft Awards and The British Sewing Awards. She was nominated for best Instagram of 2018 (British Craft Awards) and Best Sewing Blog 2018 (British Sewing Awards).

In 2020, Portia and fellow designer, Samantha Claridge, launched The ChangeMaker Initiative shop; 100 per cent of all profits are given to charities that promote positive social and environmental changes. Portia lives in Essex, UK, with her partner and son. Instagram: @portialawrie

Reviews

The fashion industry is the second biggest environmental polluter on the planet. Every year, over 350,000 tonnes of clothing is sent to landfill in the UK just under 14 million tonnes in the US much of it owing to fast fashion. Furthermore, it's estimated that many of us wear only 20 per cent of our wardrobe regularly, with the other 80 per cent languishing in our wardrobes unworn, or worse contributing to those ever-growing landfill figures.

We urgently need to find alternative, more sustainable approaches that allow us to have the stylish wardrobes we crave without hurting our planet. The techniques you learn in The Re:Fashion Wardrobe by Portia Lawrie is one of those alternatives.

Learn how to alter or create entirely new garments from pre-loved clothes or forgotten fabrics that are not only chic but don't cost the earth. Beginning with advice on equipment, fabrics and how to source your clothes for refashioning, Portia Lawrie will then take you step-by-step through a collection of 11 garments that she's reworked, showing you just how easy it is to refresh or drastically change any piece of clothing you come across.

* Craft Focus, December/ January issue *

Lawrie's breezy, can-do attitude is infectious. After all, how hard can it be to repurpose garments (owned or thrifted) to save the planet and pockets? For readers without sewing expertise, Lawrie advises at least getting familiar with the workings of a machine and its terminology. Her idea works: create 11 items of clothing-from boxy tunic shirt to duvet duster coat-that adhere to a color palette for mix-and-matchable potential. Upfront instructions couldn't be more thorough and are well illustrated too: building the wardrobe, sourcing garments, and working with fabrics, haberdashery, and hardware. Directions for constructing each piece are thorough, filled with step-by-step photographs, tips and tricks (e.g., how to remove jean rivets), opportunities for creativity (like reverse the skirt design and put buttons on the back), and more. There's even a bit of a photo runway, showing different combinations of garments. Best yet is Lawrie's information on techniques that go beyond pattern templates and her reminders that fitting (yes, self measuring) is critical to buttons and holes, necklines and belts. No excuses!

-- Barbara Jacobs * Booklist *

Learn how to alter or create entirely new garments from pre-loved clothes or forgotten fabrics. We're taken step-by-step through 11 garments, showing how to refresh or drastically change any item of clothing. With time, basic sewing techniques and creative vision, we can make a wardrobe entirely from recycled garments and textiles that's stylish, edgy and as aspirational as anything the high street offers.

* Machine Knitting Monthly, May 2023 *

This book is absolutely fantastic. Great ways to redesign old clothes without spending more money. Step-by-step instructions throughout with clear pictures to guide you through the process. I love how there is also a section for combining your makes and a great sewing technique section included. Will certainly be able to update my wardrobe without spending with this book.

-- Karen Moore * Customer Review *

I have lots of clothes in my wardrobe that I no longer wear so this book seemed the ideal choice to enable me to re fashion them. The book is definitely not for beginners. I think that you would definitely at least some sewing skills to get the best out of it. That being said, it does mean that the clothes you can make are wearable and stylish. It's not just cutting the sleeves off a T-shirt. It also gives tips on how to identify fabric by doing a burn test. I've not seen this anywhere else. It also has chapters on pattern making and fitting. This gives you skills to let your imagination run free. I'm looking at the clothes in my wardrobe with fresh eyes and as well as being an environmentally friendly way of having new clothes it also is a way to save money.

-- Yvonne Wilkinson * Customer Review *



Book Information
ISBN 9781782218753
Author Portia Lawrie
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Search Press Ltd
Publisher Search Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 864g
Dimensions(mm) 280mm * 216mm * 15mm