i love working with used and salvaged materials. upcycling the old into fun and fabulous new is so fun.  i absolutely adore how old neckties look all mismatched together so i took a handful of necktie scraps and used a wide zig zag stitch to sew them together into a panel.

then i cut out my stocking. 1 piece from the necktie panel, 1 piece from a black twill for the back, 2 pieces from a thin cotton for the lining. i also cut the cuff from the black twill.

i did this all quick and dirty because i wasn’t sure if i was going to like the style and really, this was just a test piece. i laid the front and back together with right sides facing. then i sandwiched them with the lining pieces on the outside, wrong sides facing. i serged it all together in a stack with one seam all the way around but leaving the top open. i turned the stocking and then attached the vintage lace to the cuff, sewed the cuff to the stocking, hemmed it and turned it down. last, i sewed on a piece of vintage black ribbon to hang the stocking from the fireplace. done!

i think it turned out pretty cute for a test stocking. it’s still hanging above my fireplace, waiting for christmas to arrive! i like the cute pointy toe style but i think i’m going to try a rounder toe. you know, so more gifts will fit in them! it will be fun to make these for the whole family as keepsakes and reuse them every year. they can be personalized by using glitter glue to write names on the cuffs.

things i will do different next time: since this was a test piece, i only used the neckties for one side. when i make them for my family, i will use ties for the front and back. i’ll also insert the ribbon into the seam of the cuff so that it’s sturdier. i think i will make them with round toes or make the whole stocking BIGGER to fit more goodies in them. i’ll post again when i make round two!

what have you been working on?

i made the pants i’m wearing out of a house robe that i acquired from a thrift store. i am also wearing one of my upcycled collars and a bracelet, both made from neckties.

during my mad dash to complete everything, i managed to knock out a couple of vests made from neckties.  everyone seems to be excited about them and i have two stores waiting for me to create more to leave with them.  they’ve been labeled “perfect for burningman”.  i’m really excited about them to, i think they look awesome and i would wear them on and off the playa!

the first vest i made is a women’s size small (or size 4).  i had a momentary lapse of reason when i decided to patchwork all the pieces together to make the yardage before cutting out the pieces.  i say this because i used a different stitch for every piece and it took me 12 hours to complete the vest from start to finish!  i plowed through five bobbins which really translates to ten bobbins worth of thread (top and bottom thread).  i don’t know how much thread that really equates to but i’ve never used sew much on one garment before.  which is funny because the garment is relatively small.  it definitely looks incredible and now i know what my machine is capable of, that’s for sure.  i know, i’m a nut.  i don’t think i’ll use that method again in the future because it’s way too labor intensive.  too bad it doesn’t fit me (i’m an extra small) cuz if it did, i’d wear it to death…if you happen to be a size 4 or size small, you can purchase the vest here.

after spending sew much time on that garment, i decided that there’s got to be an easier way to construct them, but have it look just as amazing.  the second vest i made is a men’s size medium.  i used a total of 16 ties and the pieces i chose were much bigger this time.  i also decided to use only two stitches: a feather stitch to quilt the ties together and a fun, criss cross in the shape of a boxy X to go around all of the edges.  well, three if you count the serged seams during construction.  it turned out fantastic!  i couldn’t be more pleased with how it looks.  i lost track of time but i’m guessing that this garment took somewhere between three and five hours to construct from start to finish.  that is waaaaaaay better than 12 hours!  i think i can now streamline the process and get it done in three hours tops.  this one’s not for sale yet, i’m using it as a show piece to sell the stores on my idea.  but, i will be working on a men’s size large next, and they will be available for sale shortly thereafter sew stay tuned!