Hi ho and hello, all! How does this find everyone? Good days behind, good days ahead and all that? I hope so.
Things have been rather significantly better for me since recovering from my 10-day bout of that hellish virus, Covid, and I’m happy to write this from a coffee shop while my car gets a smog check. A cup of freshly brewed coffee steams to my left, and I’ve just finished a lovely bowl of overnight oats. C’est assez doux.
This week “Look” returns to its fashion-oriented origins, with a preview of an Aug. 14 workshop at Fibershed Learning Center in Point Reyes. Led by clothing-maker and momma Gynna Clemes, this workshop is all about taking the unworn clothing items from our closets and transforming them into something wearable. Yes, please!
Using the acronym SMART, Clemes teaches Sorting and sourcing fabric and pattern ideas; Making decisions about the clothing or pattern inspiration; Affordably refashioning the clothing; Reimagining the garment or fabric and rerendering it as such; before Trying it on and enjoying it!
The hands-on class teaches participants the upcycling process from item selection to patterning to cutting to sewing tips and tricks. Expect to leave feeling tremendously accomplished and sporting some reimagined fashion.
With the state of our environment so tenuous, changing our relationship to fashion is hugely important. Little changes we make can have a tremendous impact over time—things like thrifting and reimagining our existing clothing might feel small, but if we all made those decisions, countless tons of fast-fashion waste could be diverted from ending up in landfills with the rest of our inexplicable detritus. Let’s give it a try, shall we?
To sign up for this Fibershed workshop—which runs from 10am to 4pm—visit www.fibershed.org. For more inspiration on thrifting and upcycled fashion, follow @kristalavrusik on TikTok and Instagram—the woman has a capacity for thrifting that might just save us all from ever buying fast-fashion items again. Miraculous.
Until next week, special people!
Love always and to the best of my abilities,
Jane
