Make-and-mend trend has future all sewn up

Libby Rose is helping to make do and mend our throwaway society. She is flying the flag for living a sustainable life and teaches others how to sew and make your own.

Australian-born Libby said: "The future is 'a simple life' - I want people to realise that just because its eco it doesn't mean it has to be boring. Have some fun and be green."

Confessions in the office revealed that I can't sew and I definitely can't iron - one of my colleagues doesn't even own an iron. I'm not sure if its a generation thing or the fact that modern women are too busy with their careers to learn such skills.

From making your own accessories to learning how to darn a sock, craft skills and make-your-own are now fashionable again.

This renewed interest in skills that modern women have for decades deemed old fashioned, ties in to the current make do and mend ethos brought back by the recession.

At the same time, we are tired of High Street fashions which means everyone looks the same. Vintage and handmade clothing has never been so en vogue.

Libby Rose is leading the way, running classes for people like me who are scared of a sewing machine.

She has launched beginners' sewing classes where people can learn to make everything from an eco shopping bag to hats, dresses and soft furnishings.

Libby moved to the UK 12 years ago and was taught to sew by her mother and sisters.

She said: "My mother was a seamstress and was sewing and designing in a workshop at home for as long as I can remember. I helped my mother with belts and ties, pulling them through and pressing them. I did button holes, and then moved on to helping hand stitch bits on to peach taffeta bridesmaids dresses which were always on the agenda.

"In my early teens I would make outfits for myself whether that be dresses, trousers or special occasion wear. In school home-economics classes I would help out my mates in the class threading up machines, sewing straight and curved seams for them when the teacher wasn't looking."

Times are not as bleak as the dark days of war but our current need for belt-tightening is an excuse to make things you'd normally buy and repair things you would normally bin.

Libby said: "Making your own clothes from scratch is such a lovely skill to have - I am loving the rise of make-it-yourself.

"This is not just a fad. The craft scene has always been around - it has just had a new lease of life over the last few years. It is continuously evolving and, whether it is in the mainstream or not, it is always around."

I headed for Surrey Docks Farm to Libby Rose's sewing hut which she opened in May.

I was greeted with a cup of peppermint tea with leaves picked from the farm and smiles from a passionate fashionista with wild pink hair and a workshop overflowing with material, ribbon, sewing machines and hand crafted garments.

The session lasted for about three hours and there were only three of us, which meant we got plenty of personal attention. At £25 per session, you have the choice of a range of fabrics and access to sewing machines and Libby's vast knowledge.

She said: "After many years, teaching and creating a more simple, eco and green life I have altered my main focus to life and business for myself, while still making clothing and accessories.

"I do it on a much smaller scale these days and work more from the heart and from my passion rather than from the pocket."

By the end of the session I had learned how to thread a sewing machine and created a beautiful floral eco shopping bag that is the envy of all my friends.

Christmas presents are sorted this year.

Go to miss-libby-rose.co.uk