New Indie Interview

I’m the featured Indie Designer today on Stylelist.com’s blog! Come check out my interview HERE.

The site is pretty awesome, it’s got so many great fashion links… hours of perusing! Enjoy.

Reconstructed T-shirt Ideas

Do you reconstruct your own t-shirts? T-shirts are probably one of the most popular reconstruction projects for sewers of all levels. EVERYONE has got a t-shirt in their drawer that they don’t wear anymore, so why not put it back to good use? I know that there are many books already on t-shirt reconstruction, but, just in case you’re not one of the owners of them, I thought I’d give you a few of my favorite reconstructed t-shirt ideas.

• Do you hang your laundry on the line to dry? When I started doing this, I had a dilema of sorts regarding where to keep my clothes pins in my reach. I opened up one of those forgotten t-shirts into a rectangle, cut slits around all sides to make strips that I could tie around the holes in the basket so my clothes pins wouldn’t fall through, and voila… new again!
• Tube tops… now who doesn’t like a great tube top to throw over your bathing suit during the summer? This one is very simple… just cut straight across at the underarms, then hem the top. Now, if you’re wanting a tube top out of a baggy t-shirt, there are a couple of ways to go about it. First, same as above instructions but add a strip of elastic that measures slightly smaller than your pit to pit measurement and sew that into the hem (this creates a nice flowy tube that’s not too constricting). Or, you could simply start with the cutting at the underarms, then try the top on inside out and pinning it down the sides to make it fit more snuggly, sew sides and hem top. Instant summer!
• You’re not still using plastic grocery bags are you? Well, if you’ve got those spare t-shirts on hand and are thinking of making the switch to reuseable bags, here’s your answer. Cut arms off, cut collar off and cut it down a bit longer on the back of the shirt to match the front, sew the hem (bottom) of the t-shirt together, and there you have it… reuseable bag with handles!

No matter your level of craftiness, t-shirt reconstruction is definitely attainable. Here are a few of my favorites available on Etsy just in case you’re not feeling too outrageously crafty. The first one is from Kdottie and looks to be one of the most comfortable skirts I have ever seen, and the second is from HaschenDesign; I just love the color of this one!

New Tag Lines & Logo

I’ve been working with a professional graphic designer on a new logo and am very excited to get a new look! In the process of proofing she also sent some tag lines over for me to check out. What do you think of the following tag lines?

“reclaimed fashion”, “bringing new life to yesterday’s fashions”, “recycled.reworked.remarkable”

I think they’re all pretty awesome! I’m looking forward to showing off my new logo and new look! In the mean time, here’s a few of my current reconstructed favorites on Etsy for you to enjoy. The first one is called dollhouse jumper by NENEE. Isn’t it just adorable? She made it out of a maternity dress! The second reconstruction is called ‘candy suckle dress’ by heidiandseek. I really love the classic uniqueness of this dress; it’s just a bit funky but still really cute without going over the top!

Easy Eco Tip

Do you work at an office that provides coffee, tea or water? Or, do you travel for your work and often stop for drinks? Bring a mug! It’s such an easy eco-tip that I almost feel embarrassed to post about it. I personally go through about 4 mugs of water and 1 or 2 cups of tea a day while sitting at my desk. That would be at least 2 disposables every day of both plastic and styrofoam. Yikes! It’s so easy to just throw my tea mug in my lunch bag and use my personal mug all day. Besides, isn’t your favorite mug WAY more exciting to look at than that red plastic cup or the small white styrofoam cup? And for those of you who travel, almost every coffee/tee shop out there will gladly fill your travel mug for you; some even offer discounts! So… drink up and go green!

Do the Mash…

…the Monster Mash!!!

Don’t you just want to keep singing? Or maybe, dawn your favorite Halloween costume, head to the barnyard party and dance until the bats fly from the rafters? Ok, maybe not all that nonsense with the bats

The Etsy Trashion Street Teamhas an event called Monster Mash that is in full swing. Here’s what we trashionistas are doing in this event:

• trading materials and other notions with our assigned partner
• creating fabulous plushies (monsters will probably be the predominate theme)
• promoting the upcycled manners in which these monsters are born
• and, listing them on our Etsy sites to share their therapuic values with others

I know what you’re thinking, “do adults really need plushies?” The simle answer is YES! Well ok, we may not ‘need’ them, but they do bring much joy into whomever’s life they enter. And, coming from the Trashion group, you can assure your eco-conscience that no new waste was created in the process; in fact, scraps of otherwise ‘abandoned’ materials and such were saved from the landfill to create these cutie pies! I’ll leave you with a couple of the already available plushies at buttercupbloom and peggradyart. Stick around to see the Monster Mash results! I know you’re curious

Story Behind the Reconstruction

The story behind this fabulous red reconstructed halter is a short but sweet one.

My husband works for a cellular phone company, and every now-and-then they have some new marketing scheme for a product that they are introducing to the public. The latest trend has been a flurry of tshirts that the employees are required to wear instead of the normal button shirt and tie combo. Although much more comfortable, my husband says it takes the formality out of sales, and customers take him less seriously, and hence he’s finding himself working a bit harder for the same amount of respect and sales. Every time they decide that the date has come to put the previous tshirt to rest, it immediately ends up in my sewing studio for reconstruction. The first one I did went very fast and he was so happy to see it go, that I was excited to introduce the next one in what appears to be an ongoing series of promotional tshirts needing a new purpose in life!

Mounds of Second-Hand Clothing

Wow! Jackpot!

Most of my friends and family love to be able to hand off their once loved clothing items to me, as I will often put them to great use. So, this last week I was given this fabulous treasure trove of clothing that should keep me busy for a while! Not only is this an enormously huge donation, all of the items have already produced little images in my head of what they want to become for their third-life as they are all in great shape! I’m going to have to make this family something special and useful out of their forgotten clothing

Stay tuned for the treasures to come out of this stash!

Time is sooo not on my side!

I often wonder why there was ever a song about time being on my side… hmmm…

With not a whole lot of time to create lately, I’ve been feeling a bit stressed. For me, creating my handmade items is really like therapy. I put my heart into my creations and absolutely love to marvel at the finished product! Creating makes me feel whole everytime I get to do it.

At least there’s Etsy for me to peruse while I’m at my 9 hour per day non-creative zone day job!

This is ‘pippin the crayon eater’, a plushie made by LiLMonsters on Etsy. He’s made out of a repurposed/reconstructed scarf, and apparently likes to go shopping!

No reconstructed fashion wardrobe is complete without a rockin’ pair of earings… right? These ‘recycled record vinyl flower earings’ by misscourageous on Etsy are such a great find, and a great idea! Cute and eco-friendly.

Keep creating everyone… so I can live vicariously through your work

Monday’s Easy Eco-Tip

Composting your food waste is a very easy way to save the earth as there are many benefits. Plus, it is so inexpensive and easy that there really isn’t a reason not to compost!

1. Less waste is sent to landfill, therefore less fossil fuels are burnt up sending our waste to landfill.
2. Although compost is not very expensive to buy, you can use your composted soil on your own garden. Home-made compost benefits virtually all garden plants as it acts as a natural fertilizer.
3. Some people even sell their excess compost, so a simple way to earn a few extra pennies (gardening groups are good for buying it).

Friday’s Reconstructed Finds on Etsy

This Friday I’ve gone for reconstructed fashion items from fellow Trashion Team members… enjoy!

How cute is this tunic top from fisheye? I absolutely love tunics… they always seem to portray a put-together look while still giving you plenty of room to breathe, relax & be comfy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, I know that summer is ending soon & mini’s will get put on the back burner, but this one from RunzwithScissors is too cute to store away for a whole season! What a fabulously rich chocolate brown! Pair with some cute cream colored leggings & some boots… voila… fall attire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one will probably throw you off a bit. It’s an unattached hood! How cool is that! Fairytalefibers makes these great hoods out of upcycled wool that are the perfect fall accessory. Who wouldn’t want a warm, eco-friendly, non-bulky hood for those drizzly days?

 

So, don’t be shy… give reconstruction a try!  HAHAHA  I had to! But seriously, these are just many of the unique fashion statements available out there that will help lessen our impact on the environment just by doing what we love already… SHOPPING!