Changing colour: customising clothes

Dyeing brings a new look, and new life, to clothes. I loved the shape of the linen top in the middle – A-line, three-pleat neckline, patch pockets – but I loathed the colour. Pale pink is possibly my least favourite colour.

Having bought my Dylon Machine Dye
in Jeans Blue and read the super-easy instructions, I realised there was enough dye to do 500g of fabric.

So to make up the weight I picked the linen jumper on the left, a paler pink, but really insipid, like a bra that's been washed a few too many times. And on the right, a long-sleeved mauve T-shirt.

Dyeing with machine dye couldn't be easier. You just tip the contents of the pouch into the drum, add the clothes, wash at 40°, remove clothes and do a wash with the machine empty.

Points to watch
• Check the fabric. Natural fabrics, eg linen and cotton, take dye well. Synthetics don't. Be aware that stitching may be nylon, hence the contrast stitching on my newly blue T-shirt.
• Check the colour. Pale shades will dye deeper, but not the other way round.
• Don't spill the dye! It's very easy to accidentally sprinkle a little of the powder as you're putting it in the washing machine.
• You need to dry the newly dyed clothes away from the sun.

Read more on Dylon's machine dyes

For Love Your Clothes

I've always been a keen customiser: sewing fringing on to the hems of trousers, feather trim around the neck and cuffs of a velvet dress, sewing braiding around the neck of a moth-chewed jumper. Why am I so keen? I'm a creative person - I love to make things. I'm also a bit of a hoarder, so I don't like to get rid of things, AND I hold on to ribbons, haberdashery and all kinds of bits and bobs. And, of course, I like the idea that what I make is unique... And now Love Your Clothes wants ideas on how to avoid waste by keeping your clothes for longer. As a journalist writing about crafting, among other things, I have lots of ideas but they're spread over various places online, including this blog. So I've brought everything I want to share together in this post, so that I can submit it to Love Your Clothes. Click on the links for words and pix. (And there's plenty more where these have come from...)

How to take in trousers You don't need to get rid of clothing when you lose weight; just refit it!

Colourful contrast: moth-repellent lavender bag with colourful language. (Incidentally, when I used these offcuts, they were from a skirt I made. The skirt was a terrible fit, but I loved the fabric, so a couple of months ago I turned the skirt into a top.)

Roll out the ribbon
Add matching collar and cuffs to a T-shirt
















Upcycling out of necessity
How I had to rework my first handknitted (by me) jumper, turning it into a bag. If only I'd read the advice on Love Your Clothes about hand washing...

Creating a top to dye for
How I transformed a wishy-washy pastel peach top into a wearable denim-esque shade

How to customise shoes: add fabric heels

I think this project – giving a pair of shoes an update with new fabric-covered heels – was inspired by Gok Wan on TV a while ago...

Make a template for the heel shape (which is very different to how you might imagine it, I promise) by sticking on layers of sticky tape.

When you've got a thick layer, draw a line around the edges of the heels.

Now peel off the sticky tape, and cut around the line.

On your fabric, draw around the sticky-tape shape and cut out. Stick it on the heel with fabric glue.

Customise a T-shirt: ribbon collar and cuffs

I'll come clean: I love ribbon. I hoard it. I spend lunchtimes gazingat it in VV Rouleaux, Liberty and MacCulloch & Wallis. And now and then, I actually make something with it. I took a basic navy V-neck T-shirt from Uniqlo, and sewed on some toning striped ribbon from Jane Means around the cuffs and the collar. I started sewing on the ribbon at work, carried on with it on the train home, and finished it off at home. The T-shirt has been uplifted into a whole new fashion class and best of all, it's unique.

How to customise a denim jacket - no sewing needed

A denim jacket is such a classic, but even an old favourite can do with an update. And with a bit of customising, you get one-of-a-kind fashion. And it's also a great way to use up fabric offcuts left over from something else.

Lisa Brown, creative stylist, shows you how to add pzazz to a plain denim jacket, ensuring you'll stand out from the crowd.

Lisa says: 'Adding stylish trim to pockets, cuffs and the base of a denim jacket, can make a plain denim jacket instantly unique. This pretty Tana lawn fabric from Liberty is perfect with its modern take on a traditional floral pattern.'

You will need

● denim jacket
● Bostik Sew Simple (£3.99, from most major retailers. For stockist details, call 01785 272727)
● 30cm patterned fabric, we used Kinnear Tana Lawn £5.99, (£19.95 a metre) from Liberty
● dressmaker's tissue paper
● pencil
● scissors
● iron

Step 1
For the cuffs; using tissue paper and a pencil, trace off the shape of the pocket top and the button position. Roughly cut out this shape and pin to fabric, choosing the best part of the pattern on the fabric.

Step 2
Cut the fabric and tissue around the traced shape, leaving 5mm all round for the hem. Cut out a hole for the button.

Step 3 
Iron the 5mm hem down all around the shape. Apply a fine line of Sew Simple, smear and glue hem in place. Apply Sew Simple around button hole in the same way to stop the fabric fraying.

Project and photos from Bostik