The Tauko Magazine Edition 21 Make and Share was released whilst I was at home but the official launch was happening whilst I was away, so I knew I needed to get a wriggle on. This is an edition which is right up my street as it’s all about Redesign, and there are some very clever ideas in this edition.

I chose the Reigny by Cristina Tatar as it’s actually designed for upcycling denim, but couldn’t face unpicking any more denim at that point, with summer on its way, so looked in my stash and found some very old cotton lace which I thought would make a lovely spring/summer jacket.

Note that it can be a jacket or a dress. I will make the dress at some point as I love the style lines.

Here is one made from denim, which is a lot of fun with the heart cutouts.

It was still quite chilly when I made my jacket so I played about with styling it. First up with jeans and a raw silk shirt I had made for my husband.

The pattern actually calls for a separating zip down the front, but I didn’t like the thought with the lace, so secured mine with a couple of frogs. I’ve styled it here with red Stokx Play Pants, made from a dyed sheet, and a really old red tee shirt, pattern long forgotten.

The jacket has princess seams which works really nicely with the lace.

I feel as though the jacket is quite wide across the back, although not the front! I wasn’t sure that I would like seeing the back facing and considered binding the neck instead, but it is attached to the front facings and I thought it might get tricky. In the end I don’t mind it too much.

The sleeves are quite wide at the cuff, and in the pattern, the jacket has elasticated cuffs. which I will do if they get annoying.

You can see the front facing and the shape of the front hem.

I tried it with a calico shirt, which shrinks every time I wear it, and zero waste trousers. I really like it as a layered item. I think it will be a perfect spring jacket.

The big question for me is whether I should go down a size. I would also love to make one from a tablecloth, and of course I have an upcycled denim one planned for winter, both of which I will send to Repatched for sale. If I think this is too big, I shall pass it on as well.

Tauko also had a pincushion pattern called Bloom, so I decided to make it. It’s designed by Keiko Oboshi, a textile artist who combines Japanese handicraft traditions with contemporarytextile practices in her work. Bloom is a flower-shaped pincushion designedt o make thoughtful use of fabric scraps and leftover textiles. I love the belief that every piece of fabric has value, no matter how small, including leftover thread, and transforming these into something useful and beautiful.

The design is based on a traditional Japanese pincushion, which Keiko modified in size to create a version that is practical to use.

I used some linen which I had ice dyed, filled it with raw wool and then sewed a covered button through the middle to finish it off. It’s not the neatest job in the world and I had intended to make another one, but ran out of time. There will be more though!