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Simple Living | Sustainability
I Started Recycling Clothes at Age 5
From trash to treasure — lessons from my family.
Growing up we didn’t have a lot. And we kept everything. It was repurposed or stored for the future.
My Gran used to take the collars off of my Grandad’s shirt, turn them around and sew them back on. When the cuffs were worn out, she’d cut them off, save the buttons and give him back a short-sleeved shirt.
When our sheets were threadbare my mum cut them in half, sewed the edges together and re-hemmed them. Have you ever tried sleeping on a seam down the middle of your bed?
Gran and Mum would make all our clothes, knit our socks, and use up every scrap of fabric. I remember waiting patiently one night with my brother as Mum finished sewing up some new pyjamas for us.
We were standing in the kitchen holding hands listening to the growl of the industrial machine as she sewed away. It was bit chilly standing there in our pants, but flannelette pj’s were soon upon us and we could go and snuggle up in bed.
