Into the Breach

For my first trick, I hope to turn an old coat into a new bag. I've had this coat for at least ten years, and it's been sitting in storage for the past five. Even though it's old, a little raggedy, and at least four sizes too small I've never quite found the heart to throw it away. To be honest, I even find that the thought of taking a pair of scissors to it sends a shiver down my spine.

But why? Surely it's just fabric? Fabric that's currently being wasted? I think that the problem is that, to me, the coat represents a different time in my life. It cost me £60 ten years ago which, even then in the times before recession, was rather an extravagance for me. I know that to some people £60 is nothing, but to me it is, and always has been, a lot of money. Today, £60 would be an unspeakable amount of spend on any one garment, in truth it probably represents my clothing budget for an entire year.

Anyway, that's quite enough nostalgia. The truth is that this coat is no use to me the way it is right now. I do realise that choosing to make a bag for my first project may be a little over-ambitious. Oh well, nothing venture, nothing gained.

Mostly, I love the design on the back of the coat, so that will be the main component of the bag. The plan is to use the zipper as the strap. Other than that I'm pretty much going to wing it. Oh dear, oh dear what have I let myself in for?

The Plan of Attack

It appears to me that we live in the age of the disposable. In these times of recession, can we really afford to continue with this throw-away attitude? My answer is simply this...no. With affordable, mass produced fashion it would be easy for us all to become products of the assembly line; carbon copies of one another all mindlessly following zeitgeist because it's easy. But where's the identity? Where's the heart? It seems that gone are the days when women had the ability or the inclination to rip down the curtains and make a new party dress a la Scarlett O'Hara. The rise in feminism has meant that girls are no longer getting taught to sew in school. When did this skill become a luxury rather than the necessity it once was?

I am the same as most of you. My sewing skills are, at best, negligible and my budget is virtually zero. Even though I have no skills or cash to speak of, I dread those futuristic days that we see in the sci fi movies, with everybody wearing identical silver jumpsuits. This is why I vow to make a change. I plan to teach myself to sew. I'm not planning on becoming the next great fashion designer, far from it. I would just like a few pieces in my wardrobe that are entirely mine, and I'm not going to walk down the street and see the same thing on somebody else. Will I become a virtuoso? Unlikely. Will I have fun? Most definitely.

With a very limited fund (using things I already have wherever possible), self-taught sewing skills, and a mannequin I managed to blag for free I intend to revamp my wardrobe one laborious project at a time. There will be nothing wasted, nothing thrown away. Whatever is unsuitable for clothing I will try to find another job for wherever possible.

The joys of creativity and imagination await. Here goes....