Bookmark from a shirt cuff

Sometimes you see things differently.

I was looking at an old shirt and I couldn't decide what to do with it.  I turned it around and nothing but nothing was jumping out at me.

Then I had a thought.  Surely I can use that cuff to make a bookmark??

Easy peasy, right?

Cut off the cuff, insert something to make it more rigid and then sew it all up, right?

Actually, it was a bit more of a challenge than I thought it would be.  There was an awful lot of unpicking to do to remove the sleeve itself.

Then I had to figure out how to insert the stiffener between the buttonhole and the button.  Once that was done, I tucked everything back in and then sewed it all up again.

Added a ribbon and ta-dah - it was done!

Next...

Military shirt de-blinging (un-blinging?)

I bought a rather snazzy military shirt because I loved the colour and just knew that I could do something with it to make it look 'me'.

Here it is in its full 'before' glory:

A little on the 'riotous' side for me!

So I set about de-blinging it (or should that be un-blinging?!)

I removed all the ornamentation from the breast pockets (and there was a lot of that!)

 

 

 

And added one of the spare buttons from the inside of the shirt.

 

 

Then I looked at the epaulettes.  That had to be doctored too.  So I removed the jewel.

 

 

And added yet another button to the shoulder.

 



 

I am so much happier wearing it now!

Next...

Patriotic appliqued cushion cover

I love it when I get inspired!

I was looking through my fabric stash the other day wondering what I could make next - don't worry, there are a million and one projects that I *plan* to make, it really just depends on the order!

So I find a preloved denim skirt to upcycle.  Then I spotted a red shirt with the dinkiest little daisies all over it.  Hmmm.  It's looking rather British to me.  So I add a preloved tablecloth and the idea is beginning to form.

I have enough denim to make a cushion cover, thinks I, and I haven't appliqued anything in a while.

Yes, I will make a cushion cover with the Union Jack on it.

It was great fun seeing it all come together, even though the tablecloth fabric did begin to look like an octopus before I had appliqued it to the denim - there were 'arms' everywhere!

The back was made with a tuck-in design.  I did consider adding Velcro (not quite the look I was after) and/or a button, but thought that that might be a bit uncomfortable in the middle of the back!

And this is the skirt that the main fabric came from.  Just so you know!

I do love a fun project!!

Next...

Thai silk adventures

I discovered a really gorgeous irridescent orange silky shirt (not sure of the technical name!) recently.

Because I love to know how things are constructed, I was looking at the seams and thinking how beautifully it was made.

I then spotted the name tag - Mike & Co Tailor - a company that I'd never heard of before. I googled it and it was made in a bespoke tailor in Hua Hin in Thailand where they use only the most sumptuous of fabrics including silk.

I checked out Thai silk and you can tell how 'pure' it is by burning a few threads.  If it burns and smells like pork scratchings then it's pure silk LOL!  So I tested it out and it is definitely the real thing.

And it's not orange silk; it's a combination of pink and yellow threads which makes it look like orange.  How do I know?  I pulled a small portion of it apart :)

I don't know as I have the heart to cut it up and make it into a lining for a clutch bag now - I do love the history behind these items of clothing though - where has it been, who ordered it, how did it end up in my town?

I think that's why I like working with preloved fabric so much - they are not off a bolt in a fabric shop, so you can pretty much make unique items with them.