here’s a sneak peak at the vest i’m working on right now. hopefully i’ll finish it today!
Posts Tagged ‘upcycle’
work in progress
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009when i’m not sewing…
Monday, July 20th, 2009i 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.
i hold the key…
Saturday, June 27th, 2009
finally, i’ve made these new chokers that i’ve had stewing in my head for a while…i got a hold of some really cool, vintage keys that came from england with the intention of incorporating them with my current upcycled necktie trend. upcycling at it’s best, i say! it took me a while to collect the pieces needed to assemble these chokers, mostly because i’ve been so busy fulfilling retail commitments. but also, i’ve been treasure hunting many times, looking for old necklace chain to use and couldn’t really find what i needed. i ended up going to Michael’s and finding some antiqued silver chain that they were discontinuing. sew i bought it all. i have no self control. but now that i have the supplies needed for construction, look out! here’s a peek at one of the chokers, i plan on making a handful of them for my upcoming trunk show (details on that soon). i made it with two snaps on the back sew it will fit a wider range of sizes. here’s the story that comes with the keys:
These keys came from England almost 30 years ago. “Blue Peter,” the long-running BBC children’s program has often promoted fund raisers for various charities. In this instance, the program encouraged children from ‘throughout the land’ to send in their parents’ no-longer used keys. They received keys of every kind, from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. These were sold to an antique dealer in Seattle, with the proceeds presented to Oxfam, the charitable organization.
pretty cool! look for them in my artfire store soon.
reduce, reuse, recycle!
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
wow, the last three weeks have been insane for me! i worked sew hard to prepare for the Divisadero Art Walk that i didn’t really have time to think of anything else. the Art Walk was a huge success. i had such a great night and i owe it all to my boyfriend for helping me set up, the wonderful strangers who expressed their interest in my work, and my wonderful friends who showed up, bought stuff, and hung around all night. i am truly blessed.
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!
versatility
Sunday, May 3rd, 2009
i love the versatility of this collar! as you may have seen it in the previous post, it wears much like a shirt collar. or you can wear it upside down, as pictured here. i can’t stop wearing this thing! i’m sure i’m gonna wear it out in a month, it’s my favorite accessory right now. lucky for me (and possibly you!) i made 15 more today, i just need to set the snaps and line up a photo shoot. busy busy busy!
not your grandfathers neckties!
Friday, May 1st, 2009
here are my latest renditions of wearable tie art. i’ve created three different necklaces: one is a collar, one is a choker, and one is a mini tie of sorts that can be worn two ways. the collar behaves much like a shirt collar except it’s far more fashionable and fun to wear. two vintage neckties are used here, one of them folded down over the other. the top tie is a pink and blue paisley with a light brown background while the bottom tie is a gunmetal silver with a stitched pattern on it. 
the stitch work that holds them together is an heirloom stitch that i like to call the chicken foot stitch, due to it’s shape. on one side the thread shows as a sparkly blue and, on the other side it’s a silky burgundy. a shiny, silver snap holds this collar firmly in place. the choker is made of one vintage necktie and is held together by a shiny silver snap. 
the pattern on the tie is a blue background with beige and cream outlining repeating circles. the chain holding the key is a scrap that i got from a key chain that was on it’s way to the dump…the key is an authentic antique called a “Saturn” or “Flying Saucer” design that came from England 30 years ago and is estimated to be from the 18th, 19th, or 20th Century. all i know is that it’s a really fun shape and kinda rusty…the third necklace wears a bit like an unaltered tie would, except that it snaps together in the front.
it is made from one shiny silver vintage tie and the pattern is of diagonal stripes of different colors and patterns. it can be snapped in two places, thus changing the look. i enjoy each one for different reasons and the only drawback is that i can’t wear them all at once!
these one’s are for me but i’ll be offering them to you very soon!
if you want to see more, click on any of the photos.
i love sock pockets!
Friday, April 24th, 2009
i have a firm belief that within every outfit i wear, there should be at least one pocket! even if it’s in my socks. during the recent heat wave, i didn’t really feel up for sewing but i managed to crank out these two different styles of pockets. for the black pocket, i used black and white felt with silver thread. i free handed the skull and cross bones, cut it out, glued it to the felt, then hand sewed it down with a metallic black/silver thread. in doing sew, i created the outline of the teeth. 
it is the perfect size for business cards, credit cards and a drivers license. perfect for when you’re out clubbing or hooping but don’t have any pockets. you can slip this slender pocket into your boot or sock to hold a few necessities. pretty cute! the black and red pocket is made from the wider end of a necktie. the funny thing about neckties is that they are by no means exact. the point isn’t exactly in the middle like you would expect. 
but not to worry, when used for a pocket it gives the finished product more personality and a true one-of-a-kind look. to make this pocket, i serged the raw end of the tie together and folded it into the inside before sewing all around the edges with a sparkly silver thread. then i added a snap to make it secure.
looks pretty good i think. this pocket is slightly bigger than the other and can easily hold a house key, id, credit cards, and money all at the same time. maybe even more. it also fits into my sock or boot and works well as a change holder in my purse. i could make a longer tie pocket and use it for an iphone or ipod cover. the possibilities seem endless. who wouldn’t love a cute homemade pocket that is also keeping an old necktie from ending up in a landfill? i love upcycling, everyone wins.
more = better
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
Originally uploaded by evilbendy13
i couldn’t decide which one to wear, sew i’m wearing all three. i really like the way they all look together, even if they don’t match. they add a really fun element to any outfit!
i finally made myself a few tie bracelets
Thursday, April 9th, 2009
the last week in sewing…
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
i’ve been sew busy sewing and celebrating that i haven’t had a chance to share what i’ve been creating this past week! i’ll start with the commissioned birthday outfit. my dear friend asked me if i could make him something to wear while hooping on his birthday.
it sounded like fun and i needed to practice sewing for other people sew, i said yes. he was a big part of the design process which i absolutely loved. we decided on a masculine shirt and loin cloth type cover up, to be worn over black pants. 
he requested the outfit to be different shades of blue and black to match the color of his hoop. we had planned a trip to the fabric store but first, we wanted to sift through his goodwill pile and fabric scraps. we ended up finding everything we needed from what he already had. 
the shirt was made from a size large tee shirt that was way too big for him to wear as is. the loin cloth was made from another tee shirt (straight out of his closet) and fabric scraps that he had been saving. we spent no money. i didn’t get any pictures of my friend wearing it (was too busy hooping!) but i did photograph it before i gave it to him. it was fun to make and ended up fitting him well, what more could i ask for? 
next, i needed to make something for me to wear to his birthday-hoop-fest! i decided on an entire outfit. i wanted an outfit that flowed nicely and that wouldn’t affect my ability to hoop. 
the first thing i did was to make a flowy, skirt type garment that can be worn a few different ways. i copied this from a garment i borrowed from a friend, but made it from scratch. since it is wide open on the sides i needed a pair of comfy pants to wear under it. 
i had been to the thrift store recently and picked up some items to practice on. i found these homemade pants and only paid $1.99 for them. they happened to be the right color but boy, were they awful! very high waisted and made for a short person with a huge belly and skinny legs. i altered them by lowering the rise, taking them in at the top, inserting a new elastic waist, and serging the bottom of the pants to uneven points. much better. 
then i rummaged through my own clothes and found a nice, long, gray tank top to sacrifice. i serged the front and back of the bottom half to match the lines of the skirt. i also used the same color thread to make a more cohesive color combination. i figured i may get cold sew i decided to add one more layer. 
i used a pull over that i had also purchased previously from the thrift store for $2.99. it was a medium size and hung a little loosely, sew i knew it would hang a certain way after i altered it. i serged the front and back lower portion of the pullover in the same pointy shape as the tank top, skirt, and pants. 
lastly, i tightened up the sleeves by serging them all the way from the shoulder to the end of the sleeve. it’s a really cute outfit and i love the way all of the points flow. to see more photos of the complete outfit, click one of the pictures. ok…one last outfit. (i’m addicted to sewing, can you tell?) 
here, i took another pair of pants that i got from the thrift store for $1.99 and again, lowered the rise and added an elastic waist band. they were already high waters on me, sew i decided to make them more of a mid calf length. i then hand-gathered two ruffles that i made from my skull & crossbone printed cotton material. 
i love that material. i cut off the pants, leaving a seam allowance and serged the ruffles in place. this was my first attempt at adding ruffles and other than the gathering, it was easier than expected. in fact, my serger eats ruffles for breakfast! anyway, i then picked out a pink shirt from my closet that i got for free from a friend. 
my friend Lauren inspired me to cut it up! i saw her wearing her own cut up shirt that she made and was totally motivated to do the same. sew i did. i used a rotary cutter to make the first round of cuts. i was a little conservative and ended up lengthening the cuts with scissors after the shirt was constructed. 
the tee shirt has skull & crossbones on the front sew it now matches the ruffle on the pants. viola! i now have another cute, hoop worthy outfit =) now, i’m going to go sew some more clothes! i am determined to make or alter 80 percent of my own wardrobe by the end of the summer. then i’ll be good enough to make clothes for you too!