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Sewing Bee winner Annie Phillips’ guide to upcycling clothes: from patching to quilting
If you’re a Great British Sewing Bee fan, you might remember my face. I’m Annie Phillips. I won the 2022 series of the show and now I sew for a living. I divide my time between running my own fashion house (Made by Annie) and leading upcycling workshops to breathe new life back into your wardrobe. I’ve even written a book on the subject called Upcycle: A Modern Maker’s Guide to Sewing and Mending a Preloved Wardrobe.
Some of the people who sign up for my classes have never used a sewing machine before, while others are more experienced, but most are coming for the same reason. They’ve fallen out of love with their wardrobe, but they can’t bring themselves to buy new clothes when their old ones still have so much wear.
If that sounds like you, then you should try your hand at upcycling. It’s just another word for the “make do and mend” ethos that has inspired generations of sewers. Here are my top tips for first-timers. You can see all the garments behind my advice in this short video: