

I read a really interesting
post on one of my new favourite
blogs today. This blog follows Gretchen and her mission to improve her seamstressing whilst following all the projects from Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing. In this post she was discussing the idea of repurposing unwanted materials in the forties compared with nowadays. Some of her comments got me thinking about Pretty Green and what I wanted to achieve with it. Something I don't think I've ever fully discussed on this blog.
Gretchen showed this make do and mend inspired pattern from the forties, which shows you how to make the blouse and sweater illustrated from an old shirt and dress. Although she liked this vintage idea she had some misgivings about modern repurposing projects:
"I hesitate to admit this, as I fear I'm gaining a reputation as a major snob. But some of the refashioning projects on various "hip" crafting websites seem so slapdash to me. Why bother turning an old shirt into something different but low quality? It just seems like the idea is "take this old thing and cut it up and throw some fabric paint on it and ta-da! Green sewing!"
... I don't understand the idea of refashioning for refashioning's sake, and that's what some of the green trend seems to be about to me. "Although I have nothing against other people refashioning for refashioning's sake, I must say this summed up feelings I've had in the past and that is what reminded me of the beginnings of Pretty Green...
I have always been interested by the idea of upcycling and looking at everyday objects in another way. To me the idea of being able to recycle materials yourself seems very satisfying and I love things which go against the throw away culture that seems to be popular at the moment. I would therefore hunt out these sorts of projects online and, while I found them very inspiring, I often felt that I would never actually use them. It was the process which appeared more important and interesting than the finished item itself. This didn't seem right to me, in order for an upcycled item to be ecologically worthwhile and justify the time spent making it, I felt it needed to be better than it was before.
This became a bit of a challenge, could I use unwanted materials to make something which
a) looks better than the original item
b) makes it useful again
c) if possible is as good as something you could buy brand new?
I felt that this would truly make upcycling ecological. I tried out a few projects and realised that people were willing to part with money for them. There was born Pretty Green, items which try to be green but also pretty
and practical.
Recently I have been very focused on making upcycled underwear because of the number of orders I've had and I realised that both my shop and this blog seem to be very lingerie-related. I will definitely be keeping this up as I love making them, but here are some other upcycled projects that I hope to find some time to work on very soon:
Fashion Magazine Homewares:


I have loads of homeware items I have been collecting to cover in these 1920s fashion magazines, I just haven't had the time to work on them! I sorted out the magazines the other day because some are still in a good condition and I definitely would not want to decoupage with those.
Plastic Bag Purses and Wallets:
There is a big pile of plastic bag fabric which I prepared waiting to be transformed into more purses and wallets. I like how thanks to the plastic bags these purses are waterproof and don't get so dirty in your pocket or handbag. Seriously good upcycling I think... this product wouldn't be as useful if I didn't use recycled materials!
Crockery Cake Stands

I have piles and piles of chipped or mismatched plates waiting to be transformed into cake/jewellery/clutter stands. I just don't see how I would be able to sell these unless I have a stand at a craft fair. I don't think they would post very well!
and of course my
Upcycling Lingerie Service:


I would love to know what you think of the upcycling part of Pretty Green. Have I managed to fulfil my challenge? Are the items well made enough with enough attention to detail? Do they look worse for being made out of recycled materials? (Honest answers are very much encouraged and appreciated)