Valuing sewing skills – Cath Jarvis

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Cath Jarvis is a busy sonographer and mother of three who with partner Kevin runs a sheep property at Tottenham in central New South Wales. When growing up in the country a few decades ago, Cath’s Mum encouraged her and two sisters to step away from learning ‘domestic’ tasks and get more into professional and untraditional work. This meant Cath only learned to sew later in life when she realised these skills were useful for sustainable living.

Cath Jarvis wears the pinny she created from discarded jeans and work shorts

Cath Jarvis wears the pinny she created for The Slow Clothing Project from discarded jeans and work shorts

“We all rode motorbikes and horses, and generally mucked around on the farm, we might have been a bit wild. Then when we went off to high school we were sent to an agricultural high school and these subjects weren’t offered. I didn’t ever think it was a great loss until my late 30s when I realised being able to sew could be very handy.

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Learning by design – Genevieve Manhal

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Genevieve Manhal made a resolution to buy nothing new this year (except a few items of underwear when necessary) and she’s noticing even more the media stream of fast fashion that is in her face all the time, on television, in magazines and on social media. “No wonder there are so many people struggling with body image issues and the notion of not ‘fitting in’ when this consumerist image is constantly being shown and targeted at every age group,” said Genevieve who lives in the Bass Coast area of south Gippsland in Victoria.

Genevieve Manhal made this versatile pinafore/skirt from resources already in circulation for The Slow Clothing Project.

Genevieve Manhal from south Gippsland in Victoria made this versatile pinafore/skirt for The Slow Clothing Project.

Growing up in a household that valued being sustainable and repurposing items, building your own from scratch and thinking environmentally, the idea of fast fashion has always been an issue of concern for Genevieve. “Also studying design at TAFE it was always in your face, what was in ‘trend’, what you needed to look ‘cool’ and I have always felt, even after being out of secondary school for 10 years, that a big factor with peer pressure and fitting in is by wearing ‘correct’ fashion.

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A meditative process –Tamara Russell

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Melbourne-based Tamara Russell knows firsthand that handmade is so much more satisfying than a quick purchase. For many years, she has been remaking, revamping and reworking her own clothing from other people’s hand-me-downs or op shop finds.

Tamara Russell made a signature wool cardigan from rescued materials for The Slow Clothing Project.

Tamara Russell made a signature wool cardigan from rescued materials for The Slow Clothing Project.

She believes the slow, meditative process of sewing, knitting, crochet and stitching is great for body and soul, slowing one down to enjoy life around them and to be proud of their own creations rather than a quick purchase to follow ‘fashion’ and then disposing of items as they go ‘out of fashion’.

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Making satisfaction – Leeyong Soo

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Leeyong Soo knows the palpable satisfaction of making and remaking her own clothes because she’s been doing it for years. Although confessing to consumerist tendencies, Leeyong loves opshops and trawling through markets because she is attracted to things that are not mass-produced plastic, or cheap polyester garments that will look hideous after a few wears.

Leeyong Soo wears one of the five garments she created from one caftan for The Slow Clothing Project.

Leeyong Soo wears one of the five garments she created from one caftan for The Slow Clothing Project.

“Having shopped second-hand for so many years now, I can’t believe how easily people hand over huge amounts of money for clothing that was likely made in sweatshops and that they will possibly only wear a few times before it’s out of fashion,” Leeyong said.

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Handmade purpose – Emma Williamson

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Emma Williamson’s story embodies the values, spirit and actions of The Slow Clothing Project. When she moved to the remote Pilbara region in Western Australia last year, Emma discovered fresh purpose through handmade. She found a local need of women wanting to learn to sew and set up Sturt Pea Conscious Clothing business to bring inspired clothing into the world and return benefits to people and the planet.

Emma Williamson wears the dress she made from a sheet for The Slow Clothing Project

Emma Williamson wears the dress she made from a sheet for The Slow Clothing Project. Photos by Helen Osler.

“I teach a sewing class, and contribute my skills in dressmaking at a weekly mother’s group. I love helping people to gain an appreciation and aptitude for garment making. I’ve seen it can be very empowering, particularly for those coming from a low socio-economic group,” Emma said.

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Journalist, maker, mender – Kerri Harris

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When ABC Online journalist Kerri Harris wrote a story about The Slow Clothing Project it made sense to ask if she wanted to be involved. She said yes, and here’s her garment story!

Kerri Harris wears the garment she recreated for The Slow Clothing Project. Photos by Giulio Saggin

Kerri Harris wears the garment she recreated for The Slow Clothing Project. Photos by Giulio Saggin

Kerri loves creating things and gets a kick out of saying ‘actually, I made it’ when positive comments flow from what she’s wearing. She makes many outfits for work at the ABC Southbank studios, including skirts and dresses, tops and jackets.

“I learned to sew in Year 8 at my local high school. My mum was really good at sewing and often had the machine out fixing things. She also had a cupboard full of patterns and spare fabric, which always intrigued me. When I started working, it was economical to make my own clothes. From there, I taught myself new techniques until I could fairly confidently sew tailored suits to wear in the office,” Kerri said.

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Conserving resources – Majella Albion

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Majella Albion taught herself to sew as a teenager because there were no home economics classes at school. She learned by following the directions on patterns. Now Majella’s passion is for patchwork and quilting, which means her clothes’ making is usually limited mending.  We’re thrilled she has made an exception for The Slow Clothing Project.

Majella Albion wears the upcycled skirt she made for The Slow Clothing Project.

Toowoomba-based Majella Albion wears the upcycled skirt she made for The Slow Clothing Project.

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A sewing way of life – Miriam Gillham

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Slow clothing is way of life for Miriam Gillham. She says sewing is a wonderful means to express unique individual style, to create clothing that is considered, thoughtful, necessary and valuable. She’s made clothes for her family, altered men’s formal wear suits for a part-time job, designed and sewn special occasion gowns, dance and theatre costumes, curtains and soft furnishings. And she makes soft sculptures, textile art embellishment pieces and soft corsets which are embellished with embroidery, beading and fabric manipulation.

Miriam Gillham with the formerly supersized dress she repurposed for daughter for The Slow Clothing Project

Miriam Gillham with the supersized dress she repurposed for her daughter and The Slow Clothing Project

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Handing on skills – Fiona Saunders

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Fiona Saunders’ life has always included handmade, recycled and repurposed clothes. From a very early age her Mum taught Fiona to sew, sitting at the table with her, cutting out dolls clothes from scraps, using a needle and thread to sew them up. “When I was about eight, Mum she started to teach me how to use her new Pfaff machine with its decorative stitches. I have now started teaching my granddaughter to sew. She is only three but loves sitting next to me at the machine, passing me pins and sewing small scraps with a needle and thread into lovely lumps!,” Fiona said.

Fiona Saunders wears upcycled silk and lace garment she created for The Slow Clothing Project

Fiona Saunders wears upcycled silk and lace garment she created for The Slow Clothing Project

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Artful clothing – Libby Woodhams

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Dr Libby Woodhams began making clothes because she couldn’t buy anything she found sufficiently colourful and different. She doesn’t consider herself a dressmaker because she mostly sews straight lines and lacks patience for tailoring. Libby buys patterns with simple shapes and finds Kwik Sew patterns suit her skills and provide a good canvas for appliqué or fabric painting.

Textile artist Dr Libby Woodhams created this reversible wrap skirt for The Slow Clothing Project.

Dr Libby Woodhams created this reversible wrap skirt for The Slow Clothing Project

Some of Libby’s staple ‘makes’ are a patchwork skirt with elastic waistband and patchwork coats. “I like making them because coats cover a multitude of sins and the clothes underneath can be very simple and timeless. I try to wear as much merino as possible because I think wool is the best fabric for sub-tropical climates. I buy them as manufactured garments when I see something different that I like. These merino garments are a ‘walking teaching aide’ for the promotion of wool. At least 80% of my wardrobe is merino tops and skirts bought over the years. The fabric is so long-lasting that I don’t need to buy more but sometimes I just feel like something ‘new’ – whether I buy it new new or in an op shop,“ Libby said.  Continue Reading →

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