Burdastyle Jacket in Linen

The snow has all but gone, washed away in an endless Antarctic downpour.  The grass has turned yellow and there are puddles everywhere.  It is bitterly cold, only around 8deg and the poor daffodils just waiting to open are the only sign that spring is on its way.  My evenings have been spent curled up on the couch in my slippers watching "The Block" and secretly planning all of my backed up sewing projects.  No matter though, they are promising us some sun by the weekend....yah!

When I was a kid, I came from a home where nothing was wasted.  My dad was creative and very much a hoarder because you just never know when you may have a use for something.  We had a fantastic vege garden and every vegetable we ate came from that garden.  My grandmother was also creative.  She was a professional dressmaker and used to make all of our clothes from leftovers from her customers orders.  It was always like Christmas when our new seasons clothing arrived all boxed up.  It was always colourful and stylish.  I was the oldest of three girls so enevitably my younger sisters all wore them when I grew out of them but finding my sisters dressed identically to me was not uncommon either, especially at church on Sunday.  Our evenings during the winter months were spent huddling around a ridiculously small heater and making granny square blankets out of the leftovers of my Mum's knitting projects.  I loved doing this.  I loved rummaging through and choosing the colours and seeing the whole thing come together.  I still have these fantastic blankets.  They weigh a ton and are rarely used but I would not part with them ever.

Given my upbringing then, it is really no great surprise that I also try to maintain a zero waste system where possible.  We have a vege garden, worm farm, and a compost bin alongside our curbside recycling.  We tend to live work and play in the same area so don't travel large distances and all of our appliances are energy efficient.    All of my childrens clothing is either repurposed, sold or handed on as is my own and my husbands.  Anything unsuitable for handing on I give to charity shops or rag collections.  So, this last week or two I have been busy sorting through my clothing and my kids and sorting out what needs replacing and making piles for sale, handing down, charity and rag collections.   This is also a process I enjoy, because I get quite a sense of accomplishment knowing that my trash is of some use to someone else.