Skip to main content

First Challenge: Recycled Challenge

Wow! What a first challenge! 
We are impressed with the way our designers took on this challenge.

The theme for this week's challenge was using recycled materials to create a look. We let the door wide open on this challenge to see what our designers could really do! We told them they could use materials that would otherwise be thrown away, such as scraps from their sewing room. Or reinvent old pieces of clothing to create a new fashion forward look. 

Take a look at what they created! 
Make sure you vote for your favorite below!


Kathy from Kathy Sews
I cut up, dyed and reconstructed my wedding dress into a new garment.  I was married over 6 years ago and this champagne colored dress has been locked away in my closet since.  You can see me in my dress on my wedding day back in 2007... and then moments before I took a pair of scissors to them last week!  After a few days of  hand sewing,  ironing, machine sewing and more ironing yet, I ended up with a hand dyed, flamingo pink, fully lined 1950s classic inspired satin party dress with some couture elements added in.  I mashed up a couple commercial patterns along with adding some self-drafted elements to get what I wanted. I was able to cut the entire main fabric on grain from my satin!!  I used the organza overlay from my wedding dress to hand sew an underlining into the bodice to give it more structure.  I added a really bright, fun robin's egg blue pongee to line it.  This is the only element of my garment that wasn't recycled from my wedding dress or a vintage notion.  I included a vintage lace hem tape I happened to have, which was an exact match!  I took the time to hand prick the zipper to the lining as well as hand sew a blind hem.  To see loads more detail of my process go to my blog Kathy Sews.




 I am an Air Force veteran and chose to cut up my old, obsolete uniform for this challenge.  I used the material from the uniform top to create these new high-waisted style shorts that are all the rage right now.  (I did not use the pants of my uniform to create the shorts!)
For the pocket lining I used a scrap of black cotton that I had from a previous project.
I took apart the uniform blouse completely and then used McCall's 5857 as a base, and then added the pockets to the back and made a higher waisted short.  This was a really fun project!  I have made a diaper bag and tote bag for friends out of old uniforms before, but never into another garment.  I hope you like it!





This challenge was so much fun and I was able to use all fabrics from my remnant pile, including several that I bought at Fabric Mart!  I used a version of Vogue pattern 1316 which had 39 pieces---had to alter it a lot to fit the fabric I had and my figure, but also learned a lot from this project. I also made some distinctive jewelry  from curtain rod accessories to wear with the outfit. Read More about this project on my blog, deconstruct, alter, create.




Audrey from Sew Tawdry
I made a short sleeved, bomber jacket with zipper front and ribbed bands at waist, sleeves and neck edges.  Front and sleeves are made from fabric created by weaving sewing room fabric scraps through polypropylene mesh fruit bags. The contrast back and separating zipper were harvested from an old suit jacket.




Shannon from Shanni Loves
My top is a recycle from my Thrift store pile.  I made it more fashionable by cutting a high-low hem and cutting out the shoulders.  I trimmed the shoulder cut outs with lace trim from my stash and replaced the boring buttons with some white rose buttons that would stand out.
My jeans are also from my thrift pile and I gave them some personality by cutting out some hearts and patching them up with scraps and embroidery thread.
My accessories consist of :
A belt made of plastic grocery bags crocheted together, a bracelet made of fabric scraps and pop tabs, a fabric scrap flower ring, fabric scrap necklace and earrings made from the shirt's original buttons.
My shoes are also recycled from flip flops that almost made it to the trash can.  I refashioned the straps using and old cardigan that was on it's way to the Goodwill and some O-rings from my junk drawer.
Read more about my project on my blog, Shanni Loves.




I had a bounty of riches to choose from. I have many bags of fabric scraps, including some bags I haven't yet located. (I have more wool scraps somewhere!) I had a large bag of failed sewing projects, wadded up. After canvassing the contents of several garbage bags, I pulled out the bag that contained two failed projects. I decided to mix the fabrics together, along with some leftover fabrics from several other projects. I used 8 fabrics in all. Part of the challenge was to "utilize unconventional items to add accessories and embellishments". For this part of the challenge, I made a necklace. I got the idea for the construction of the necklace from a necklace I'd seen in a boutique. My twist on the original idea was to use the boiled wool, with the raw edges exposed. Read more about my project on my blog, Communing with Fabric.




Diane from Gator Bunny
I rummaged through all of the "give away" clothes and found treasure!  I love when menswear fabrics and details are used in women's fashion and with this challenge I had the pleasure of gathering from the boys and making it girly for a girl.  I used old ugly aesthetically challenged culottes (yep, wool culottes), an old jumper I had from the early 90's and some worn out men's dress shirts (yes, I cut out the stains) and came out with a high-waisted 6 gore skirt with a men's dress shirt placket inset at the bottom.  I used every last bit of the jumper and was able to refashion the  "v" waistband from the culottes reusing the original stitching, lining and buttons.  And of course an outfit isn't complete without accessories….upcycled pumps using a shirt sleeve and shirt buttons and a "dress shirt" for the sweetest accessory of all….my dog Jack.




Meghan from Made by Meg
For this challenge, I used discarded Christmas placemats to make a lightweight quilted jacket. Each piece was cut from a different placemat using the polka dotted side, and the jacket was finished with a hong kong bound seam, a back ruffle with leather detail (also from a scrap), and includes two front pockets and a rounded collar. The binding, buttons, and thread all came from my stash as well. I was a bit skeptical that I could make anything wearable from scrap, but I have already worn this out once and love it!




Tanya from Mrs. Hughes
My recycled garment is made entirely of recycled and reused materials, except for the thread and the water soluble stabilizer I used to make part of the bodice with.  I used fabric scraps for the entirety of the garment.  The top of the bodice is scrap lace and is a technique using fabric scraps between two pieces of water soluble stabilizer that is pinned together and then "quilted".  The stabilizer is then put in water and dissolves.  I sewed it to my main fabric which is also made of fabric scraps.  It's a poly "dupioni" in emerald green.  It is all underlined with purple china silk from Fabric Mart.  The china silk is a bit of a "franken-fabric" as it's all fabric scraps sewn together like a scrap quilt.  The buttons are from my grandma's button box.  This pattern is a 1940s peplum blouse (Simplicity 1590).  I also made the denim skirt to go with this blouse, but it is not made out of fabric scraps (cotton denim I just bought from Fabric Mart).




Tina from Glamspoon
I took a wool pleated skirt from the 80's and turned it into a keyhole tunic with a flared hem.

Now it is time to vote for your favorite!
(Use the survey below)
Hurry! Voting ends this Wednesday at Midnight and the winner will be announced on Thursday.
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Comments

  1. Your shirt/jacket is so much my style that I might try to make a similar one. I love it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. So many awesome garments! It will be difficult to choose who to vote for. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. So much creativity it is hard to choose!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am *extremely* impressed by the creative entries!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Some amazing projects, but my favorite is Sharon's.

    ReplyDelete
  6. They have all done a remarkable job!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow! Incredibly creative sewing! Very talented seamstress. Thank you so sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That was a great first challenge, everyone did a wonderful job with being creative. My choice though had a lot to do with fit. Sharon looked sharp.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sharon used real creativity to refashion a truly wonderful arty garment. In addition it fits extremely well.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I had a hard time deciding between Audrey and Meghan!

    ReplyDelete
  11. So many great choices - I wish we could pick our top three!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the challenge entries but....why eliminate anyone? It would be so fun to see what each of these creatives come up with each week! I'd like to vote to change the rules!

    Ceci

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow, you ladies sure created some awesome entries! I love the variety in how you all chose to repurpose items--very inspiring!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh what fun this is and so hard to pick my favorite,there are so many great and creative pieces .Can't wait for the next challenge.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ladies! Wonderful recreations! The creative ways that you made a new garment is simply amazing! All of you inspire me!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow! I was very impressed with the creativity of everyone. Actually very inspiring! It was hard to make a decision on just one creation. Good job from everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Loved this project! Super idea!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sharon has done a wonderful job!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm blown away by some of these ideas! Great job, everyone!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Workwear Ready

I'm excited for my first post in 2023! At the beginning of the year, I recently went back to working in person so now I am looking to make and wear pieces that I can wear to work.  The goal is to be functional but also very fashionable since I am a fashion design professor. I saw this blue denim fabric and knew I wanted to make some pants; I just wasn’t sure what kind.  I decided to make Mimi G x Simplicity S8985 View B pants.  I liked the oversized flare look, I just made one slight modification to them by adding a pintuck along the front.  This was easy to add since the waistline was called to be slightly gathered to fit.  The fabric had a hand closer to linen and was very lightweight which was great and very satisfying to sew.  I lengthened the pants by 3” and finished with a 2” hem. The top I used Simplicity S9707.  It’s an oversized partial button down top.  I decided to create a high low hem by combining two different views.   I loved the print of the fabric but honestly as s

Made By A Fabricista: Spring into 2023 with Liberty of London!

Hi Fabricista Fans! I'm excited to be back with my first FabricMart project of 2023 and my second with Liberty of London Tana Lawn ! This fabric is so luxurious and wonderful to work with, I just can't pass it up whenever I see it come on sale! With such a high thread count, Liberty of London doesn't easily crush, and although it's 100% cotton, it's so flowy that it's perfect for billowy dresses, blouses, and skirts. With my $50 budget this month, I purchased 2 yards of Tana Lawn and made a Peony Patterns Rosemary Dress with inseam pockets for my youngest daughter. This is a gorgeous button down dress with long and short puff sleeve options. After cutting it out, I realized I had plenty leftover for a skirt for my eldest, so I whipped up the FREE Peony Patterns Apple Berry Skirt for her. Since she needed a top to go with it, I raided my stash for some additional fabric, and found a lovely eggshell Fabric Mart Rayon Lycra hidden away. (Don't worry, I still ha

Made By A Fabricista: A Denim Set for Spring

Happy Friday All! I am ecstatic to share my latest make that I had on my to make list for a while.  My goal for the month of February was to sew a mini vacation capsule for a trip, but unfortunately I did not get a chance to. I was able to make 3 of the 6 pieces including this denim set. When this beautiful denim fabric arrived, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I have been wanting to recreate a linen look I made a few years ago using the Montoya coat pattern with a few adjustments.  I created VIEW A without the peplum and lengthened it by 6 inches. Instead of sewing the tie inside the seam of the top like I did here, I wanted to make it separate so that it looks like a jumpsuit. (Read the blogpost here ). Moreover, my body has changed and I needed to cut a size larger so that I can rock it as an open vest or a top tucked in. I love the way it turned out but wish I had extended it by 8 inches instead of 6. For the pants, I went to my tried and true simplicity 8605 pants pattern and