Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Time to Vote! The Refashion Challenge

Paisley Roots: Zip-a-dee-doo-dah
I am so excited to be here another week!!  This weeks look all started with me throwing my upcycle stash all over the floor to see what I could find to go together.  This is what I found: 2 sheets (polka dot and solid grey). A couple pairs of my husband's worn out khaki pants.  A v-neck knit shirt that my dad accidentally lost at our house and I thought was an upcycle shirt cause my husband wont wear v-necks.....I did a little happy dance when I found that the colors of the stripes matched perfectly to the colors of the polka dots!
For Judes look I made a zip up shirt and a belt using the sheets. I cut out a pair of pants from one of the khaki pants, reusing the zipper and button from the original pair and dying them to a dark blue color. I made a short sleeved hoodie to go under the zip up shirt cause I love layering and I just adore that look on little boys.  For Paisley's look I drafted the dress and used the sheets to make it, along with the sash and hair band. I made her a crop jacket out of another pair of khaki pants, but again dyed it to match the dress better.  Since these were more "Spring" looks and because of the zippers, the song "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" got stuck in my head. And what would tie it all together better then a blue bird? Instead of putting it on Paisley's shoulder though, I embroidered it on the front of her jacket.

To get all the details, patterns modified and made, how I found out that I accidentally used my dad's shirt...along with more pictures, head on over to my blog.
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, Zip-a-dee-ay....

Begin With B: Mae Seop
Easily the week I was most excited about!  Refashion is what I love.  I strive to make boy clothes that are on-trend with current fashion but still practical. Pieces my boys can wear everyday because they're comfy and allows them the ability to play (run-jump-tackle-etc...). And most of all clothes they will love- personalized just for them- and then worn until the seams are frayed and the knees have holes. So for this week I set forward to really challenge myself and create something unique, pieces I hadn't done before. Something that my oldest, Maeson Seop, would love and be eager to wear.

The pants were first. The fabric began as a pair of women's tan corduroys. After two rounds of a yellow dye bath, I paid extra attention to the direction of the wale, turning it horizontal for the knees, pockets, and back yoke. I redrafted the knees to include a gathered panel and if you look closely on the back right side there are actually two pockets. Mae loves pockets and was stoked on the extra to carry his ninja turtles. And then a hand covered button to match the lining of the adjustable waist and pockets. Next up was the top half of the look. After quilting last week for a girl I really wanted to do a similar effect on a boy garment. So I cut up an old hoodie and a layer of batting and quilted the diamond pattern. Added green epaulets on the shoulders and green snaps to make the vest completely reversible. For a pop of color I used an old work vest in neon yellow, which with Mae fell in love and hasn't taken off because it doubles as his garbage man uniform. The most time consuming part? The bias binding that was hand stitched to avoid the stitches being seen.  The track jacket fabric started as a long sleeve tee and a jacket that belonged to my husband. After much seam ripping, I had a zipper with a bird pull, teal knit ribbing, and yellow banding that I used to add color on the welt pockets. My favorite piece of the jacket is the detachable hood, Mae doesn't go anywhere without a hood. I crocheted the hood to match the sleeves of the jacket and then added buttons to the neck band, giving the option of a hood or not. The last piece for the top was a boom box tee up cycled from an old tank and a long sleeve tee. Perfect for my boy who is fascinated by all things retro.


Come on over to BEGINwithB for specific details and of course more pictures.



Frances Suzanne: Precisely Pantone
Upcycling is to Fashion as Recycling is to Printing.  And the common "thread" to both? None other than PANTONE.  This week, we challenged ourselves to find outdated items and upcycle them to include the latest fashion colors AND trends by using the 2014 Spring PANTONE Color Palette. We took 7 garments, 5 fabric types {denim, linen, sweater, knits, and felted wool}, 10 DMC skeins, and 10 spools of thread to create a "Precisely PANTONE Refashion" for the girls. Four of the six completed garments showcase ALL 10 spring PANTONE colors, while the other two garments focus solely on "Radiant Orchid," the color of the year {as seen in CL's outfit}. For her look, we upcycled two shirts to create a LouBee Clothing, Bimaa sweater, and added a self-drafted, felted wool skirt - complete with hand embroidery, showcasing each spring PANTONE color. The accessory leg warmers brought the entire look together - utilizing the sleeve cuffs and waistband piece of another sweater. 
EA's outfit was all about the rest of the spring PANTONE color palette, with pops of radiant orchid seen throughout! Her infinity scarf was designed and digitized to mimic PANTONE color swatches, printed on linen through a copier, and backed with none other than....the radiant orchid fabric of CL's leg warmers. What originally began as an Oliver and S, Sailboat Top is more than meets the eye, including: cayenne buttons from our button stash, cayenne French knots, sand top-stitching, radiant orchid braiding through a "crochet trim" along each sleeve {matching her hair ties}, and a combination of top-stitching and hand embroidery around the hem. We designed a pair of Shwin Designs, Lovely Rita Skinnies to also incorporate the entire spring PANTONE color palette on both back pockets.
We welcome you to visit us over at Frances Suzanne for more photos, the details for each upcycled garment, an educationally FUN photoshoot of PANTONES and recycled printing, and pattern modifications of our "Precisely PANTONE" inspired outfits!!



Froo and Boo: A Dress for 3 Generations
I am incredibly happy to be participating in this week's challenge! Repurposing clothing is such a great way for clothing to breathe new life and live on through the generations. For this challenge, I wanted to use my mom's vintage dress--so many of my childhood memories are hidden within the folds of this dress. I've had the dress in my closet for about a half-decade, wearing it occasionally, but trying to preserve it, since it had some broken seams and areas that needed repair. I was surprised at how emotional I was, cutting into my mom's old dress. A piece of her clothing gave me a sense of gratitude and love for the amazing mom that I have been blessed with. I can only hope to provide my kids with the same kind of comfort and love.
The original dress had a cross-over v-neck bodice, but I reversed it, giving it an open v-back bodice. The print on the skirt was originally asymmetrical, so I shifted the entire skirt to align the floral print in the middle of the back. I wanted all of the details to come alive in the back, paying homage to the past. The dress is accessorized with my dad's necktie-turned-bowtie belt and a shortened, cowl scarf. The scarf is lined with leftover quilted sherpa from the vest I made for my Winter Wonderland collection. I found a pair of the hubs' old jeans and used my drafted blazer from last week's challenge to make a fitted, denim jacket. I cut off a leg from a pair of my old jeans to make the trim for a ruffled edge. The buttons on the jacket and scarf are from Our Social Fabric, a non-profit organization in Vancouver, Canada, that collects donated fabric and sewing notions to sell, keeping them out of landfills! How perfect for this challenge! I feel a deep sense of accomplishment for repurposing what I already had, without having to purchase additional fabric. I know this will be a practice that I will continue to pursue!
Every time I see this dress, I miss my mom and feel the need to call her. At the same time, I love it on Froo. She is so full of life and youthful joy. I would love for you to come and visit Froo & Boo for oodles of details and photos of my mom wearing the original dress!

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14 comments :

  1. Well done, designers! Amazing outfits! Very hard to choose. The denim blazer by Froo and Boo is just incredibly gorgeous!

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  2. Well done, everyone! I had a hard time choosing my favorite. I love to see newly learned skills put into place!

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  3. Another week of great sewing! Congrats ladies!

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  4. Oh wow. What an incredibly hard choice! I think made even harder by the fact that there are emotions attached to this kind of clothing, more than any other. Well done, all of you!

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  5. dude - you ladies make this harder and harder every week!!!!!!! So impressed ;o)

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  6. Oh, so glad I noticed the voting was going on from Facebook. I just looove Begin With B's work!!

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  7. Would you ladies have a little compassion already and STOP MAKING IT SO HARD TO VOTE?! Yeesh. But seriously - all these looks are incredible and there is some serious talent here!
    Amy

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  8. Another amazing week! I am blown away by all the details in these outfits. Fabulous job - every one of you!

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  9. Everyone is a winner here. If you don't win the competition I am sure all will continue to do the most fabulous cloths design. Never give up!!

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  10. Wow, wow, wow.....everyone is still going strong!! Looks to be another close week in the polls....

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  11. Love Froo & Boo's denim blazer!

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  12. I love the refashion challenge idea and Begin with B got it just right! The scope of her project is huge. I'm really impressed by her attention to details that make it all work.

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  13. They are all fantastic but I was very impressed with the detail in the outfits by Frances Suzanne. Not to mention I'm in love with radiant orchid color!

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