Dealing with stains - A Paganoonoo Patti blouse with a trick

These two starting garments may not look like much, but both are beautifully soft.  The embroidered one is linen and the other cotton. The linen has a slightly iridescent quality.  The cotton one simply will not wrinkle. 

One of the things I love about upcycling is that you know exactly how the fabric will behave because it's already been cleaned many times. 

The color combination is a subtle play on this one shade of green.  

I liked the combination so much that I broke my three fabrics rule and just used these two starting garments.  

I decided to upcycle the garments using the Paganoonoo Patti Pattern as I wanted to show off the embroidered linen in the back panel. 

  What you don't see is the stains on the linen garment, grease spots and slight bleaching in some parts. I decided to make a feature out of the problems. 

   

I decided to embroider a running stitch around the lighter spots. The shapes are organic and I really like them as a "feature". 

The color of embroidery thread is deliberately chosen from the other side of the color wheel to create excitement. I added a couple non-functional buttons for interest.  

I also used fabric pens to add in dots, making it more like a patterned fabric. 

The same (upcycled) buttons are on the front.  I did not have the smaller size buttons (collar) so I used new thread on those buttons to tie in the color. I also repeated the dots down the placket.

The grease spots are hidden in plain sight by wide circular bands around the stains using the fabric pen. Looking closely it is really impossible to see the difference in color between the stained parts and the rest of the fabric. 

Overall I think I ended up with a much more interesting garment than it would have been without the stains as features.  Plus I really ended up with a third fabric through the embellishment. 

Happy Halloween!

P.S. - Check out Paganoonoo upcycling clothing patterns here.

Sedona and the color wheel

We are in Sedona, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.  The soil is a luscious orange/red and the plants lean towards a sage green. 

I've been reminded as I look at the landscape what a powerful combination colors on the opposite side of the color wheel make.  The landscape practically vibrates. 

George, as usual, has been taking stunning shots so I can share this amazing phenomena with you.


























When planning a color blocked upcycle garment you'd like to be an attention grabber, use colors from the opposite side of the color wheel.  

 These photos barely do justice to seeing the colors in person.  I've seen southwest color combinations many times but feel like I've never really understood them until now.  

This fall colored beauty is from the Patti Pattern.
The front is straight off the pattern design.

In the back I could not resist a bit of Origami-like work incorporating a tie (pre-washed of course).  Note on the far left there is a collar point sticking up.  I really love the overall effect.

 A Judy Flower adds a bit of interest to the front. 

 

This particular version was made for a very tall friend, over 6 ft., who has a difficult time finding clothing on the right scale. The back is dramatically long on this version.  It is also purposely asymmetrical.

The pattern gives instructions for how to modify the length of the drop in the back to short, medium, long or in-between.  

Seasons changing!

We are in the middle of a terrible drought in California.  Trees are in distress, lawns are brown and it's been very, very hot.  

So...when it rained for a short time a couple days ago I shouted YAHOO!  And now the weather finally feels like there is a bit of Fall in the air. 

So today I have on a flannel shirt (yummy) and lentil soup on the stove (double yummy).  I'm thinking about what pattern to work on next.

I don't know about you but flannel has been catching my eye lately. I've been dreaming of a nice comfy calf length dress, a variation on the Peggy pattern, done up in red flannels.  With a pair of boots I'd be all set for football games, holiday events, and running errands in style.  At home with slippers - perfect for TV and hand stitching.

So, that is my target.  A dress with the upper part like a Peggy blouse and a special twist on the bottom.