Next week - Thurs 9th - is our 7th stitchUP session ! I plan to continue with my no sew rag rug, but I'm also looking for ideas for the kids to do. With it being feb I'd thought I'd look at some simple valentines crafts for kids. I will adapt so that the materials used are recycled. Here's a great idea for kids to learn some simple crochet technique >

Here's the tutorial for loveheart bookmarks >>

There are several variations on a theme for the woven loveheart basket. They can be made with thin card or stiff fabric. I like the tutorial for this one, it's thorough and simple to do >>

Follow the step by step instructions >>

I thought this project might be good for some of the older kids who have grasped the crochet basics and want to learn the double and treble stitches >>

Here's the "how to" from One Sheepish Girl >>

Usually with hindsight you can begin to see the threads of your life come together , a story starts to emerge. 2011 seemed a bit of a blur. I had a baby that didn't sleep through,I was doing the "forty something" reflection on life and I then started up a sewing "Upcyling" group.

When I started hosting stitchUP , it was to rekindle my love of the handmade, get out of the house and meet people but also to take a look at fashion - namely "What am I wearing?". Years of motherhood had taken it's toll Cacharel had been usurped by catch-a-snot. Jeans and perma- cardi covered in various baby goo was now my uniform ! I had a wardrobe of clothes that I eventually had to accept would never fit me again.

When I began to think about fashion my initial response was panic. I didn't have time to put in the hours pouring over fashion mags & certainly didn't have the money to keep up. Last week's top trend was this week's fashion no no. Surely this couldn't be ?!... I experienced the "solyent green" horror moment ... fashion was eating itself !!! Consumption at it's most ridiculous!

According to DEFRA (click here to link to sustainable clothing report) two million tonnes of clothing are bought in the Uk per yer, with the discount clothing (low cost, short life-span) making up 20% of the market. They also state 50% of all clothing ends up in landfill.

The life span of a garment from creating the resources; farming cotton; dyeing fabrics; manufacturing materials wastage; distribution; product life-span, laundering and inevitable disposal there are very few areas where there are no adverse effects on the environment.

With this in mind, I aim to explore over the next year ways in which I can rethink my relationship to the clothes that I wear and their environmental impact.

The 4R's REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE & RECYCLE

REFUSE

I can refuse to buy new clothes.

I can buy secondhand from websites, vintage boutiques, clothes swaps & charity shops.

I can refuse to buy clothes that have a high impact on the environment.

I can refuse to buy clothes that can't be recycled.

REDUCE

I can reduce the amount of clothing I buy

I can reduce the energy I use in laundering

I can reduce the amount of detergents I use

I can reduce the amount of clothing I need by repairing worn & damaged items

REUSE