I’ve been surrounded by creativity and resourcefulness since I can remember. My mother sewed our clothes when we were young. Even our school uniforms! My father made our Christmas presents and he built one of our homes.
When I reached teenage years, I so badly wanted “bought’ clothes. I got a job and spent my wages on factory made clothing.
But you can’t fight your DNA. It didn’t take long before I was wanting to make my own clothes. My school grades were never all that, but the one subject I did excel at was Home Economics.
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The strong desire to make clothes and accessories out of anything from old sheets, food packaging or electrical cable must border on a bit of a compulsion. I cannot bear to waste. It distresses me no end to see what is happening to our planet due to our endless and mindless consumption. Or how we support women and children in sweat shops by buying the latest “Must Have” fashion items at rock bottom prices. Making your own clothes alleviates that guilt.
DIY fashion is a way to live a greener lifestyle. This blog is not about me posing in a zillion outfits. I have absolutley zero desire to put myself out there. But I do want to share how to make fashionable items to those who may not know how.
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| Wearing my tapestry top – find the FREE pattern |
People would ask where I bought an item of clothing – and of course – very often I made it. I decided to start this blog so I could share patterns and tutorials. My aim is to show how easy it is to make your own, recycle or up-cycle and hopefully inspire other people to try it. Nothing I make is difficult or complicated. Anyone can make what I make.
You may notice that apart from neutrals, the only colour I ever wear is green. Many years ago someone told me that green is an excellent colour to heal a broken heart and to keep a heart happy. I took that on board and now the only colour I wear is green. Making my own fashion means I can choose to have as much green as I want and not be limited to the colours in shops or in fashion.
Turns out I had a latent a green fetish. I don’t see only green. Green comes in shades like olive, apple, lime, mint, grass, emerald, jade, chartreuse, forest, avocado, teal, fern, forest, shamrock, military, bottle, malachite and a bunch more.
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| I added a side stripe to these pants |
My other half and I live in Green Point, Cape Town, South Africa. Our commitment to a greener lifestyle extends further. We went vegan in 2012, ride our scooters or walk and our home is as eco friendly as we can make it.
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| My mother getting crafty with a table |
Size: –
I was a UK dress size 10 in the early days of this blog but I’m now a 12 If my patterns don’t allow you to take your own measurements then they have been made to fit me. Most of the garments I make are loose comfy fit items so should fit someone a size or two either way. If your size is significantly larger or smaller then you will have to adjust the pattern to fit.
Find Greenie Dresses for Less on – Google+, Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.
Contact me: –
I love hearing from you. Nothing makes me happier than hearing about something you made as a result of this blog. Suggestions are also always welcome.
Or contact me direct at – kfletch@mweb.co.za – or – fletcherkarenlouise18@gmail.com.
We’ve been travelling on a boat on the inland waterways of Europe. I write about our travels in my other blog – Green Point Greenie. And we’ve been doing vegan pop up dining in our and you can see how we do it on this link – Green & Vegan.