Sewing machines have played an important role in the history of women's empowerment. Before the invention of sewing machines, the process of sewing was an incredibly time-consuming and laborious task that required a lot of manual effort. Women, in particular, were often responsible for producing clothing for their families, and the invention of sewing machines made this task much easier and more efficient.

Are you looking for a unique way to make your wedding day more sustainable? Upcycling vintage wedding dresses is a great option to consider! Not only is it environmentally friendly, but it also adds a touch of history to your special day.

Upcycling at Christmas isn’t a new phenomenon. Who hasn’t made an angel out of a toilet roll tube, or used scrap paper to make a paper chain before when they were at school? Your choice of Christmas decorations might be more sophisticated these days, but there are more ways to upcycle at Christmas than finding uses for old toilet rolls!

Most people take up crafting as a simple hobby, something to occupy their free time. A few will take up a craft because it's relaxing. Everyone has their own reasons for taking up a new hobby. But few of us begin crafting with the intention of addressing mental health issues such as anxiety or depression, and yet, as you may have discovered already, that’s one of the biggest benefits of giving yourself the opportunity to be creative.

Do you know how to sew? How to fix a fuse? The basic chemistry involved in cooking? 

I imagine you have heard of recycling, but what is upcycling? It's a trendy word for what people have been doing for centuries - making use of what they have rather than throwing something away and buying a new one. The fashion for buying new things rather than repairing or reusing old ones is a new trend and only really took off in the last 20 years or so. It's part of the reason for the environmental crisis - the burden that constantly producing new stuff places on the earth is extremely high. That's why I started making stuff from secondhand fabric - the textile industry is the second most polluting industry on earth.  

I know upcycling is a bit of buzzword at the moment, and that people have used second hand furniture forever. But recently, in the last 20 years or so, there has been a shift towards a lot of societal pressure to buy everything new, because secondhand or used means it must be damaged or defective in some way. But in the last few years there has been a big rise in people upcycling furniture and buying secondhand as a conscious choice, and not just out of need.

Have you ever thought about turning your old clothes and textiles into new stuff?