Making the clothes you love last
Have you ever accidentally put a loved wool or cashmere sweater through the washer and dryer? Other than gifting it to your child because it’s so small, this shrunken garment might be destined for the compost bin unless you can find a way to upcycle it. For this very reason, I have designed a beautiful way to upcycle a sweater into a scarf. Here’s the tutorial
I’m excited to share with you my latest design: The Perfect Upcycled Denim Skirt which is now available to purchase in my Etsy shop. This piece is a classic for a reason. For decades, the denim skirt has been a great essential piece in any stylish wardrobe. This design allows you to be not only on trend but also sustainable.
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I love patched jeans.
Every time I see a pair of torn jeans, I feel it’s an opportunity waiting to for me to give them new life. In the past I’ve shown you the best way to patch skinny jeans, but what do you do when you have loose fitting jeans that need fixing? Let me introduce to you two beautiful ways to add multi patches to your jeans.
“Repair is completely about slowing it down. It’s about saying, ‘I’m going to have this item for 20, 30 years, and we’re enabling you to do that.” This quote comes from a market leader during a round table at Copenhagen Fashion Week 2023 which was hosted by the Business Of Fashion magazine.
This quote sums up perfectly my motivation why I mend my family’s and my client’s wardrobe. Yes it’s time consuming and should be seen as an investment. It adds years to clothes that might otherwise be discarded because they are no longer wearable.
Over the past few years, patching has become an art form in itself. I’m happy to share with you a few of my favourite tips to create a successful upcycle so you can artfully repair your jeans, or know what your preferred look is when you come to me with your mending needs.
Some of my favourite inspirations comes from designers who have used various types of textiles as patches. I love combining denim with other patterned textiles for a more eclectic look. Here’s an example of a pair of jeans I patched for my son using the following fabrics: 2 tones of denim, polka dot blouse, stripe from a bed skirt, and floral jacquard from upholstery swatch.
I love unpicking and using the hem of jeans as patches. The colour fading always makes for interesting textures.
The second option keeps the holes of the jeans visible yet adds depth by using various types of fabric under the jeans. Below is an example of this type of patch, using various shades of denim and printed linen.
For a different look, you can also use the same colour denim to cover all the holes.
If you look closely, I topstitched the larger fabric panel around the edges to keep the fabric secure and also to add a beautiful stylish detail to the front. I like using a combination of straight stitch around the holes, as well a large zigzag stitching over frayed holes in order to keep the threads in place.
When it comes to choosing the best types of materials for patches, I strongly recommend going with your personal tastes. That said, I love using a few colors of denim as the base patches and then giving a pop of color with two or tree different textures such as stripes, florals or plaids.
If you’re a thrifter, keep an eye out for upholstery fabric, and especially sample squares. There’s just enough fabric in a sample square to make at least 4 to 6 patches. Upholstery fabrics are sturdy and usually are either a textured jacquard or brocade which adds a beautiful contrast with the denim. Here’s an example of a few swatches I found in my local thrift store which I’m keeping for future repairs.
If you have a favourite pair of jeans that could do with being creatively patched, contact me for a quote.
With the holidays approaching, I’m thinking I want to offer gifts that are personalized and hand made. I thought I’d share with you one of my favourite ways to make a home made gift that is easy, quick and very affordable. I’m going to teach you how to hand embroider a t-shirt using this free moon & stars design.
A few years ago I found this very cute Ralph Lauren sweatshirt in a thrift shop. Although it was a bit small for me, I fell in love with the print and decided to buy it with the intention of upcycling it into an oversized piece. The business of life forced me to shelve the idea until this week when I took a bit of time in my studio to work on the design and transform it into a beautiful upcycled hoodie. I thought it would be fun to share with you the design process that went into this transformation.
A few seasons ago, I found this cute pair of Citizen of Humanity jeans in my local second hand shop, however I wasn’t a fan of the giant holes at the knees. I figured they would be the ideal jeans to test out a new patch design that I have developed with the intention that they could work on loose fitting jeans. In the following blog post, I will show you a step by step tutorial on how to sew a knee patch by hand over a large hole by using this floral patch.
I’m delighted to share with you one of the designs I have developed which I am most proud of. An old pair of jeans which I have upcycled into an apron.
I’m delighted to introduce you to my latest pattern which is a beautiful lace inspired floral embroidery. It’s the perfect design to embellish a plain t-shirt or as I did for the piece here, embroider on a different colored fabric and then use as a large patch to cover an old print or stain.
Continue reading “Introducing The Love Floral Embroidery Pattern”
A few years ago we experienced the very unfortunate outcome of having a moth infestation in our home. I’m sad to say that we lost many beautiful sweaters to the little critters. Sadly, I was so overwhelmed at the damage they caused that I didn’t even consider the option of mending the damaged pieces. After much cleaning and changing our caring habits, I’m happy to say that we have freed ourselves of the moths. Since sweater season has officially arrived, and in order to prevent this unfortunate event from happening to you, here is my guide to caring for your wool sweaters, coats and accessories.
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A few weeks ago, a friend who works as a Nurse at Vancouver General Hospital contacted me to see if I could make her some ponytail scrub caps to prevent the protective glasses and masks that are now mandatory from irritating her skin. Happy to do my part in helping a friend on the front line, I set about to do a bit of research on how these caps are made and developed a pattern and prototype which I felt could be comfortable, durable and just as importantly, pretty.
Continue reading “Making Ponytail Scrub Caps For Nurses On The Front Line”