Textiles student from Fairford transforms late grandfather's clothes

Keen sewer Issy Spurway, aged 21, said when her grandfather had a stroke and passed away suddenly in November 2020 sewing helped her with the grieving process.

She said that transforming his old clothes - which would have otherwise been thrown away - into stylish garments meant that she 'could wear and take a piece of him' with her.

So far, Issy has upcycled more than 100 garments and documents the transformations on TikTok.

The videos show her cropping, hemming, gathering and draping garments.

A still from one of Issy's TikTok videos (Image: SWNS)

She went to Farmor's School and Sixth Form and now studies at Loughborough University.

The textile student thinks that her videos became popular because they resonate with people.

Issy said: "When my grandad died I didn’t want to throw his clothes away and I didn’t want to wear them.

"So I made them into something I could wear and take a piece of him with me.

"I actually think helped with the grieving process as I know he would have loved it.

"The videos about upcycling my grandparents' clothes in particular did really well.

"I think because a lot of people love their grandparents and keep their clothes as sentimental pieces after they’ve passed."

Issy honed in her sewing skills during the pandemic in her spare time because it was cheap and shops were closed.

A still from one of her tutorial TikTok videos (Image: SWNS)

Handmade.byissy on TikTok currently has more than 230,000 followers and her videos have received more than five million likes altogether.

She said: "TikTok UK reached out to me and I worked on a few campaigns with them, doing sewing and upcycling tutorials.

"Once I got to university I had a lot to focus on so I stopped sewing for a couple of years.

"Although I was still learning lots of techniques as part of my course so my sewing was still improving."

Issy has now taken up employment with an upholstery company in Oxford - while finishing her degree.