Miles Frode, Artist

I had the pleasure of meeting Miles Frode, Diane Ericson's son while at a DOL retreat in Ashland, Ore.  

Miles is charming, talented, playful and a true artist.  He came and showed us an amazing variety of work, paintings, textiles and more.

Here is Miles holding my experimental stamping and silkscreening sample from the Design Outside the Lines (DOL) workshop.

I had so much fun that I invested in some hand carved Indian fabric stamps, more about that in another post.

I contacted Miles recently and did something really fun for me and for him.  I sent money and then asked him to pick a variety of his textile work to send back to me.  

Kind of like when I do this with florists, call and say "here's the budget, go crazy", I know I get the biggest bang for my buck by putting the expert in charge. 

Miles went all out and exceeded my expectations, starting with the beautifully adorned shipping box!

Wow!!! and I hadn't even begun to check out the treasures in the box. 

Grinning ear-to-ear I opened the box and found a small work of art a.k.a. a thank you card!

And the Fabric!!!!! The only request I made was colorful with a bit of black and white...

 

Item #1

 Item #2

 Item #3

And three shots of one larger piece, #4. I adore the colors!

 Item #4, the

pièce de résistance:

 

 I think this spectacular piece is raw silk.  Goodness, how will I ever decide how to use it?  So many delicious bits but the piece as a whole is especially wonderful.  

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, Miles! 

Contact Miles: milesfrode@gmail.com

Diane's website: http://www.dianeericson.com 

And if you are into upcycling clothing, mine: 

www.paganoonoo.com.  I sell sewing instructions so that others can duplicate my upcycled designs.

Happy creating!!  

Michelle

The Paganoonoo Ashlee blouse by Jeannine Bould, The Knitress

A long time fiber artist, Jeannine has a fantastic eye for color combinations. She chose a light green mini check paired with buttercup yellow, accented with a whimsical flower trim.

Thank you Jeannine for the inspiration! 

The style is the Paganoonoo Ashlee pattern with the following alterations: 

1) Jeannine used cuffs for the waistband instead of plackets

2) The lower back is in three color blocks: yellow print, green (with a placket running down the center back), then yellow print again

3) The addition of the whimsical flower trim wandering on and off the waistband 

4) Fuller pleating (more fabric) in the lower part of the shirt

5) Sleeves are left long and the addition of a contrasting cuff

I adore this summery version. Check out how beautifully her espadrilles complete the outfit!

Jeannine tells me that she went on a Paganoonoo sewing spree for days so there are more blouses to share in the future.  We see each other periodically at a series of events we both attend and she promised to wear them so I can share with you.

Jeannine happened to find a matching shirt for her husband Alex. They made quite a smashing pair. 

Start upcycling your own garment today! The Paganoonoo Ashlee upcycling instruction booklet/pattern available at the Paganoonoo store. 

Please send photos of your finished garments so we can

 all be inspired by your creations!

Happy Upcycling,

Michelle

If you would like to see new example garments, get links to my video tips, hear about sales, new patterns and events, please click here to be added to the Paganoonoo mailing list, never sold or shared.

Rebecca Dress Release? Paganoonoo Progress

You may be among the folks wondering why the Rebecca Dress pattern has not been published yet. I worked on prototypes last year, loved it, couldn't get it done in time for Puyallup, hoped to get it out last month and did not.

Work has been in progress and the pattern is close. There have been  a number of contributing factors to the missed deadline.  One is that our extremely talented illustrator, Jessica, left Paganoonoo to take on a movie illustration assignment. Good for Jessica, not good for Paganoonoo illustrations. 

I've been speaking with some possible illustrators as well as folks to help with pattern writing.  I can see that my design capacity far outstrips my pattern development capacities.  And like most artists the part I want to do most is design.  

Which also brings me to Paganoonoo as a business. The last 1.5 years has answered the question of "Do I have a business?"  Most certainly yes!!!!  We've reached some amazing milestones:

Published: Threads Magazine, Issue #177

"Paganoonoo.com" Website Launched

Patterns: 6 garment and 2 accessory patterns published

Etsy and Craftsy online stores launched and doing great

Talks/Workshops Given: PenWAG,  Haute Couture Societe Frenso, ASG Santa Rosa, Sewing/ Stitchery Expo, Puyallup, WA!!! (3 sold out sessions),  Canada College Fashion Dept.

Fashion Shows: EcoFashion LA, Haute Couture Societe Fresno, PenWAG, Canada College, Facebook Farmer's Market

Sales Events / Venues: Sewing+Stitchery Expo, Puyallup, WA, 

Artistry in Fashion, Canada College Redwood City, San Jose Quilt and Textiles Museum

Exhibits: San Jose Quilt and Textile Museum: Fast Fashion, Slow Fashion

Social Media:  Blog at 95K page views, Pinterest 11.8K followers

Nancy's Notions is now selling 2 Paganoonoo patterns.

There is much more I could mention, including all the wonderful people I've met.  It's been amazing, rewarding, fulfilling, a dream come true, and I can envision so much beyond what's already been done. Just about every day I wish I'd accomplished more.

Sometimes I have to remind myself to take the time to breathe and that growth strategies and directions don't need to be decided this very moment.  Patterns will be released, even if not today.

Thank you for being great customers, friends, mentors, support (especially George and Jessica), and inspiration.  Stay tuned and Happy Upcycling!

Michelle

Collaboration with OnceUponAStitch - Machine Embroidery and Sandy Blouse Pattern

I met Stephani Knutson, the creative genius behind OnceUponAStitch.net at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo this year. She stopped by the Paganoonoo booth wearing the most remarkable embroidered birds I have ever seen.  

  

It turns out the Stephani has worked with birds for years and she's talented enough to translate her extensive knowledge about birds into these incredible machine embroidery patterns. 

See the bird patterns here.  I was enthralled!

She and some other customers mentioned that the Sandy Pattern was perfect for showing off machine embroidery.  Hmmmmm. 

Stephani and I started to discuss a possible collaboration.  We agreed that the pattern and embroidery designs would be likely to make an excellent match.  We will both make a test version.

Stephani just sent these stunning pieces.  I am very excited to make a Sandy blouse featuring these OnceUponAStitch designs.  Of course I will be sharing the results right here!

Make your own version of the Sandy featuring machine embroidery. Purchase the pattern here and please send photos as we all want to see the results!

Happy Upcycling!  Michelle

Review of Free Upcycling Guide by EcoFashionSewing's Mariana Kirova

I ran across Mariana Kirov's ecofashionsewing.com site while surfing on the web for upcycled fashion. 

The tag line on the site is: "We inspire with methods and techniques that turn unused clothing and materials into alluring fashionable pieces!"

Mariana follows up on that promise with the offer of a free guide on upcycling, a generous 55 pages of guide! 

http://www.ecofashionsewing.com/create-designer-clothing-eguide/

I signed up for the mailing list and immediately received the e-guide as a PDF. I read the guide and am very impressed with the range of what is presented.

Mariana spends a good portion covering the basics of design principles such as color theory, fabric texture, line direction and silhouette, all handy when you are inventing your own new design. 

She follows up with various upcycling techniques coupled with examples from upcycle designers you'll know from Pinterest such as Jam Fashion and Broken Ghost Clothing. 

The booklet ends with "3 Simple Steps to Start Your Own Upcycling Project" and links and resources.  

Wow - what a generous gift!  I recommend reading it if you have any interest in upcycling.

In addition to the free guide Mariana also developed this amazing graphic, follow the link to see the whole thing. 

39-terms-definitions-diy-sewing-and-sustainable-fashion 

What a delight to find such a kindred and generous soul!  

Thank you Mariana!!!
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P.S. I've developed beautiful and flattering upcycled fashions with instructions that you can use to duplicate the garments and get a custom fit. The brand name is "Paganoonoo" and the instruction booklets are sold on Etsy.  

The reason I created Paganoonoo is that I want all sewists to have successful upcycling experiences!  Upcycling is great for the planet and kind on our budgets. Check out my upcycling article in Threads magazine issue #177!

Happy Upcycling! 

No Thigh Gap LOL

I had my DNA tested recently to find out my ancestry and some inherited traits.  They did not test any marker related to thigh gap but if they had I know what the answer would have been - 0% chance of thigh gap, LOL.  

Well I recently bought a pair of NMDJ skinny jeans at the thrift store, obviously originally owned by someone with a similar genetic make up as the inner thigh was worn out.  The thing is otherwise they were a perfect fit and length, so..... time to use my mending skills.

Worn out inner thigh on skinny jeans

Solution to worn out inner thigh - use a bit of the yoke from a dress shirt, already in double layers, and almost the right shape.

The trick was to find a dress shirt with a similar color blue.  The best match in my scraps was not a solid, but the print is subtle.

Both sides have been zig zagged in place.  None of the wear showed in a normal standing position so for a spilt second I considered not repairing them and then I remembered how much I bend over gardening.  P.S. I used a zig-zag stitch because I believe it will provide a bit more stability and less stress on the fabric so it doesn't tear again soon.

The fabric was part synthetic and had a bit of a prickly feel so I opted to remove the pieces under the patch.   I pinked the edges and left enough fabric inside the zig-zag to account for future fraying. 

There was some wear just above the back of the heels so I decided to patch that too.  As you can see in the photo I used a bit of the front placket and adjacent fabric.

I know the patch looks a different color here - just the way the photo turned out.  In this case I left the edges raw/pinked again. I  did a bit of quilting over the patch as I though it would sag otherwise.

All set to wear my mending proudly!

Happy Upcycling,  

Michelle