An Eltham seamstress is teaching people to revitalise their old clothes and reduce waste.
Mrs Stitchery owner-operator Barbara Andrew hosted an upcycling clothing workshop over the weekend.
"As a seamstress I know there's a lot of good fabric in clothes and rather than throwing out old clothes, they can be reinvented."
Barbara taught attendees how to make their own patterns and the benefits of upcycling clothing.
"It was about helping people and guiding them to utilise their wardrobe for themselves. When I upcycle and create my own clothing, I get a sense of satisfaction knowing I've created something exclusively for me, and I'm sure other people would get that feeling as well."
She says the course has generated a lot of interest.
"Initially, I put my feelers out to see how many people will be interested in something like this and I had a good response. People have been really supportive of this. It shows that there's an interest in upcycling old clothes and helping our environment. I hope it grows and grows so more people are aware of the benefits of upcycling their old clothing."
Barbara came up with the idea for the workshop when she researched fabric waste.
"I was shocked by the amount of fabric wasted in clothing. I wanted to teach people they don't need to throw out their old clothes and spend money on more, they can revitalise what they have. Clothing and fabrics can be very expensive so why not be resourceful and create our own by reusing fabric, buttons, and zips."
She says it's important to recycle and reuse.
"It stops so much waste going to the landfill which is good for our environment. I want to encourage people to reduce, reuse, recycle, and eliminate a whole lot of waste."
■ For more information on the workshop, visit the Mrs Stitchery Facebook page.