Monday, July 21, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Birthday blouse complete!
The blouse is complete!
The yellow highlights are from a t-shirt. Patti requested some asymmetrical features so I framed one sleeve with yellow and ran up the opposite side of the bodice.
The flounce/bow is removable.
In the back you can see the higher part of the waist is a sleeve cuff with the sleeve hanging down below.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Monday, July 7, 2014
Altered men's shirt to woman's blouse
I'm making a birthday present for my good friend Patti. We found this mandarin collar men's shirt that is a good fit at Goodwill.
In our area shirts are between $6.50 and S10.00.
We found a couple complementary shirts too.
We decided we wanted to make the back longer than the front so I made a vertical cut up the center back to just in front of the side seam.
I then let the cut piece fall forward and hang.
I cut it working up parallel to the side seam
I took the bottom section of one of the other shirts and seamed it to the cut I just made.
I started to drape it towards the back just overlapping the seam on the top half of the shirt.
I took some pleats as I went to allow for movement in the back.
It is still in process.
More to come later!
We found a couple complementary shirts too.
We decided we wanted to make the back longer than the front so I made a vertical cut up the center back to just in front of the side seam.
I then let the cut piece fall forward and hang.I cut it working up parallel to the side seam
I took the bottom section of one of the other shirts and seamed it to the cut I just made.
I started to drape it towards the back just overlapping the seam on the top half of the shirt.
I took some pleats as I went to allow for movement in the back.
It is still in process.
More to come later!
Saturday, July 5, 2014
Thrifted to Custom by Master Shoemaker Roberto Herrera
Sometime in 2012 I found this pair of red suede pointy toe flats in a second hand store. I fell in love. I have arthritic toes so can't wear heels anymore. I like to wear dresses and skirts that would look best with pumps, but no go so... the best substitute is flats with pointy toes giving a bit of an illusion that they are pumps.
And these were red to boot.
My magic shoes dressed up any outfit.
I wanted to clone them. I thought about how many pairs of shoes I've purchased and can't wear because they are too painful.
I thought about a master shoemaker I knew with a shop next to my favorite Goodwill. I decided to ask him to duplicate the shoes.
The great news was that he said yes, the bad news, he would need to take apart mine to make a pattern. I'd be without until he was done.
When he was ready to start I turned over my shoes. 2 years later (yes 2) he has almost finished them (he says you cannot rush an artist.)
As you can see this pair is red too, but leather not suede. They are truly custom, with shoe lasts (the wood mold) made to match my feet.
I've always promoted people supporting artists buy purchasing directly from the artist so I am happy to show you I am walking to talk. These are going to be expensive.
And I say that for the amount of wear I will get from them in the end they will be the best value I've ever had from shoes. Period.
Roberto is an expert in fit so I anticipate having the happiest feet I've had in years vs.hurting almost every day.
And I have a fantasy of throwing out all of my other shoes. (size 7.5 anyone?)
Monday, June 16, 2014
TGBM Tally 16Jun14
I've been experimenting with upcycling men's dress shirts.
This purposely oversized blouse is one of my favorites.
The top part of the original shirt is intact. The lower half was split at center back and then moved towards the front and pleated. Bust darts were created at the same time.
The lower half of the front was hemmed up to create a straight-across hem vs. the dip center-front in a man's shirt.
The back section was then replaced with new fabric (irish linen) and the seam created by these adjustments was covered by the ribbon. The hemline is lower in the back than the front.
The cuffs were cut off and the sleeves turned up and hemmed.
Thrifted Gifted Bought Made Tally
Thrifted & Upcycled:
Bought retail:
Made: Pants and earrings
This purposely oversized blouse is one of my favorites.
The top part of the original shirt is intact. The lower half was split at center back and then moved towards the front and pleated. Bust darts were created at the same time.The lower half of the front was hemmed up to create a straight-across hem vs. the dip center-front in a man's shirt.
The back section was then replaced with new fabric (irish linen) and the seam created by these adjustments was covered by the ribbon. The hemline is lower in the back than the front.
The cuffs were cut off and the sleeves turned up and hemmed.
Thrifted Gifted Bought Made Tally
Thrifted & Upcycled:
- Blouse: made from a man's dress shirt purchased from Goodwill
- Shoes: Painted with Lumiere paint. Instructions from Sassyfeet book
Bought retail:
- Upcycled blouse parts: Fabric lower back panel and ribbon (both from Britex)
- Necklace (2008?)
Made: Pants and earrings
Bonus - the original shirt (2am brand) already had a blue velvet ribbon
on the bottom half of the front placket.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Online thrifting - should have guessed!
http://www.shopgoodwill.com/
SearchFind items by title, category, or seller
SearchFind items by title, category, or seller
Item LookupFi
Holy smokes! I just found out that Goodwill has an online auction site that work like eBay.
Great news. for all thrifters and for serious upcyclers.
Great news. for all thrifters and for serious upcyclers.
They sell lots, I saw a lot of cashmere sweaters, another of watches, which means if you are
specializing in upcycled cashmere throws or watch face jewelry your sourcing just got easier.
specializing in upcycled cashmere throws or watch face jewelry your sourcing just got easier.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Jean Kimono Jacket - Boro inspired
I recently completed a garment for Canada College's upcycled denim contest.
I started with a thrifted foundation garment of a cotton waffle robe (Stanford logo) so I could build from scraps and parts of jeans.
Doing the work on my dress form allowed me to play with how I wanted to color block and the sizes of the pieces I wanted to use. I'll admit it would have been much easier to open the side seams and build the garment flat (next time maybe.)
My inspiration was the wonderful utilitarian mended japanese 'boro' garments I've been seeing on Pinterest.
I wanted a bit of drama as my garment is fairly plain so I took a man's leather belt and cut it into a closure and sewed it on. The sleeves are the bottoms of pant legs as-is. I can add some stitching for more character later. You can see I did a bit of machine quilting type stitches.
And on the back I added one reverse appliqué circle to replace an ugly grease stain, and a decorative center back section using a waistband bordered by belt loops. I like the way it turned out! I will wear this one.
I started with a thrifted foundation garment of a cotton waffle robe (Stanford logo) so I could build from scraps and parts of jeans.
Doing the work on my dress form allowed me to play with how I wanted to color block and the sizes of the pieces I wanted to use. I'll admit it would have been much easier to open the side seams and build the garment flat (next time maybe.)My inspiration was the wonderful utilitarian mended japanese 'boro' garments I've been seeing on Pinterest.
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| Boro Kimono |
 Updated post available here |
2017 update:
Since this original post I've created many upcycled garments and developed instructions/patterns so you can too! How does it work?
In the example below 3 dress shirts are transformed into a woman's blouse. The "Pattern" provides step-by-step illustrated instructions guiding you through the deconstruction and reconstruction process. No pattern pieces to pin and cut out and the tough bits are already sewn: collars, plackets, buttonholes, etc.
March 2018 update: Upcycling sewing instructions are now available for this jacket!! Make your own version. Start sewing your upcycled Jacket today!  More info about Paganoonoo instructions at: www.Paganoonoo.com Upcycle Sewing Made Simple       |
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Discarded to Divine Entry - on display at the deYoung
My friend and classmate Tatiana won the people's choice award with this complex garment:
And the glove scarf (made by a friend of a friend) won People's Choice for accessories. : >
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| Add caption |
Monday, February 3, 2014
Discarded to Divine 2014 Entry
I've just completed my entry for Discarded to Divine 2014!!
Here is an in-process teaser shot:
The free preview night at the DeYoung is on Friday April 4th, 2014, 5:30 - 8:30, please join me. The work of all the different artists is truly remarkable.
My garment from 2013
is seen briefly in a video about the event.
The video is located on this page: www.discardedtodivine.org
Here is an in-process teaser shot:
The free preview night at the DeYoung is on Friday April 4th, 2014, 5:30 - 8:30, please join me. The work of all the different artists is truly remarkable.
My garment from 2013
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The video is located on this page: www.discardedtodivine.org
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Mens wool sweater into cardigan, TGBM Tally 03Dec13
Thrifted: Upcycled sweater 2013, petticoat 2012, shoes 2012
Gifted: Scarf ~2008
Bought Retail: Buttons (from a button vendor at a quilt show), skirt ~2005
Made: Upcycling on the sweater
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I just finished converting a regular round necked men's lambswool sweater into a cardigan. Step 1) Wash the sweater in warm water and tumble dry. It shrinks and felts so it doesn't ravel when cut. Step 2) Cut off the waistband and cuffs. Sew them together to make one long band.
Step 3) Cut up the center of the sweater and cut out the shape of the neckline you want. Step 4) Place your long band on top of the right side of the sweater opening, raw edges on the raw edge of the garment. Sew a narrow seam. Press in place and then turn band towards opening and press pushing the seam toward the sweater body.Step 5) Choose your fastener for the front. In this case I chose to use oversized buttons because I plan to wear the sweater primarily with this skirt and I thought they went well together. I did not put in buttonholes (cheating!). I sewed the band closed so this is really a mock cardigan as it cannot be opened. I could do this as the neck opening is large so I can pull it on over my head.Step 6) I put the garment on inside out and pinned myself in on the outside seams, under the arms and on the sides. I took the garment in at the pinning. Because it will be paired with a full skirt I wanted it fitted.
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Bonus - I put on a lined cotton skirt on underneath to create volume (like a petticoat)Now I'm ready for our cold snap. It is going to freeze overnight, brrrrrr, happens very infrequently in San Jose, CA.
Gifted: Scarf ~2008
Bought Retail: Buttons (from a button vendor at a quilt show), skirt ~2005
Made: Upcycling on the sweater
.jpg)
I just finished converting a regular round necked men's lambswool sweater into a cardigan. Step 1) Wash the sweater in warm water and tumble dry. It shrinks and felts so it doesn't ravel when cut. Step 2) Cut off the waistband and cuffs. Sew them together to make one long band.
Step 3) Cut up the center of the sweater and cut out the shape of the neckline you want. Step 4) Place your long band on top of the right side of the sweater opening, raw edges on the raw edge of the garment. Sew a narrow seam. Press in place and then turn band towards opening and press pushing the seam toward the sweater body.Step 5) Choose your fastener for the front. In this case I chose to use oversized buttons because I plan to wear the sweater primarily with this skirt and I thought they went well together. I did not put in buttonholes (cheating!). I sewed the band closed so this is really a mock cardigan as it cannot be opened. I could do this as the neck opening is large so I can pull it on over my head.Step 6) I put the garment on inside out and pinned myself in on the outside seams, under the arms and on the sides. I took the garment in at the pinning. Because it will be paired with a full skirt I wanted it fitted..jpg)
Thursday, October 24, 2013
stylish lady in orange
I was at a seminar this weekend and one of the guests immediately caught my eye. She looks like someone who knows how to have fun and she has a very strong personal sense of style.
She agreed to be a guest on my blog!
She agreed to be a guest on my blog!
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| Doesn't all that color just make you want to smile? |
Friday, October 18, 2013
Winter is coming - scarfs as accessories
I just watched a great video that demonstrates 26 ways to wear a scarf. Watching this I think my whole winter wardrobe could be black T's and a variety of scarves.
25 ways to tie a scarf on youtube
25 ways to tie a scarf on youtube
Monday, October 7, 2013
Susan Khalje, fabulous instructor
I took a hand sewing class from Susan Khalje several years ago through the
Peninnsula Wearable Art Guild and have been a devoted hand sewer ever since.
Susan is not only a master teacher, she is one of the most gracious and poised people I've ever met. She is an instructor on Craftsy and has a lengthy and marvelous class on making a couture dress. It has to be one of the best online sewing classes available and very reasonably priced.
So... I've decided to register for a 2014 class Susan is giving in person at
The Sewing Workshop in San Francisco. Yahoo!!!!
There is nothing like having something wonderful to look forward to in the future. I can now officially start day dreaming about what I want to make under Susan's tutelage. : >
Peninnsula Wearable Art Guild and have been a devoted hand sewer ever since.
Susan is not only a master teacher, she is one of the most gracious and poised people I've ever met. She is an instructor on Craftsy and has a lengthy and marvelous class on making a couture dress. It has to be one of the best online sewing classes available and very reasonably priced.
So... I've decided to register for a 2014 class Susan is giving in person at
There is nothing like having something wonderful to look forward to in the future. I can now officially start day dreaming about what I want to make under Susan's tutelage. : >
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
update - modeling at 11:00 Saturday
I'll be modeling in the Saturday event mentioned in the past post at 11:00. It is the stylist show where they pull garments from the designer's booths and students model (that will be me.) Hope to see you there!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Canada college designer sale Saturday 9/28 and South Valley Quilt Association Show 9/28 &9/29 - join me!
This coming weekend I will be attending two amazing events. I invite you to join me if you can.
Event #1 -
Hours: Saturday 10:00-5:00pm; Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm
Where: Downtown Morgan Hill, Community & Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road at E. Dunne
Cost: Free Admission and Parking, however donations are always appreciated to support the show and scholarship funds.
Features: Beautiful Door Prize/Opportunity Quilt, Boutique Sales/Quilts and Handcrafted Items, Vendors selling Fabric, Patterns, Books and Machines.
I've heard there is a car show practically next door so you bring a car loving buddy along for the drive. This event is the fundraiser for next year's scholarship and I plan to apply again. : >
Hope to see you at one or both!
Event #1 -
Canada College in Redwood City, CA, USA (my fashion design school for the last 4 years) is hosting an annual local designer sale as a fundraiser, SATURDAY SEPT 28TH only, 10:00 - 4:00, details below:
WELCOME TO ARTISTRY IN FASHION
Since 1991, the Cañada College Fashion Department has hosted Artistry in Fashion, bringing together fashion lovers, students, faculty, and premier local designers and fabric artists for an exciting day of fashion and creativity, all for the benefit of student scholarships and materials.
Location: Cañada College, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, Redwood City, CA
Cost: $10 admission. Print this coupon for $1 off.
Cost: $10 admission. Print this coupon for $1 off.
Food: Featuring foods available for purchase from Sancho’s Taqueria, Slider Shack, Skylite Snowballs, and Pony Espresso
There will be about 50, yes 50, local bay area/CA fashion designers selling their goods.
One of my favorites is ANYASF who sells one-of-a-kind upcycled t-shirt garments like the dress below.
1:30 Fashion show - hosted by SANDRA ERICSON
Sandra Ericson is a leading educator in the Clothing and Textile field, having taught fashion design, fashion history, pattern cutting, draping, textile and clothing construction at City College of San Francisco for over 30 years. She holds both a BA and an MA Degree in Clothing and Textiles from San Jose State and San Francisco State Universities. Currently, she directs the Center for Pattern Design (CFPD), an online headquarters for the professional pattern designers in the US and abroad. Sandra’s personal research has lead her to become one of the few experts on the innovative work of Madeleine Vionnet, enabling her to apply the draping principles of Vionnet to create her own pattern designs for CFPD. She also continues to teach for universities and industry groups in the US and Canada and has written many articles forThreads Magazine about pattern design.
Join us as Sandra presents a fashion show featuring designs from her CFPD patterns, which feature pattern recreations of classic couture designs from Balenciaga and Vionnet.
P.S. - I've been told I'll be modeling - Michelle
Event #2 - This is the group that awarded me a scholarship this year that allowed me to get a dressform. I just completed my first fully draped dress which I plan to wear when I visit on Sunday.
South Valley Quilt Association
2013 Harvest Quilt & Fiber Arts Show:
Dates: September 28 & 29, 2013Hours: Saturday 10:00-5:00pm; Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm
Where: Downtown Morgan Hill, Community & Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road at E. Dunne
Cost: Free Admission and Parking, however donations are always appreciated to support the show and scholarship funds.
Features: Beautiful Door Prize/Opportunity Quilt, Boutique Sales/Quilts and Handcrafted Items, Vendors selling Fabric, Patterns, Books and Machines.
I've heard there is a car show practically next door so you bring a car loving buddy along for the drive. This event is the fundraiser for next year's scholarship and I plan to apply again. : >
Hope to see you at one or both!
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