upcycling & reinvention

lemonade

emily loved the hannah andersson lemon king duvet set to pieces and it had taken on a wonderfully soft hand from years of laundering. i created a classic semi-circle skirt with just enough swish and a swingy trapeze tank blouse so it could be worn either together or as separates. (alas, the skirt photo of the skirt is a close-up, showing the dotty bias tape chevrons.)

vintage tablecloth = bohemian maxi-dress/caftan

one of my instagram followers, who coincidentally lives in fountain hills as well, messaged me with an offer to adopt three vintage hand-embroidered tablecloths that she had rescued from a local estate sale.

yes, please!

below is the happy outcome from what i thought was the prettiest table covering within the bunch. oh, i love it so much! the bodice and sleeve trims were in my stash just waiting for the right project and this became it. i love that this dress can be worn with different shoes to get a different vibe and that the heavier weight of the fabric means it isn’t relegated to exclusively warm weather.

fearless kitty rescue “wet your whiskers” fundraiser

my silent auction donation, “havasu” handmade pin from wool felt and hand embroidery.

mr. havasu, now an officially adopted fkr alumnai, was kittyville's free roaming mascot with a big personality for nearly two years.

reincarnation duster coat

it’s first life was as a king size duvet and shams from target. it’s best life is now a one-of-a-kind duster coat!

a 1960’s vintage coat pattern was used as a launching point. the duvet was a soft pink ikat on the front and had a soft muslin back, which ended up working out perfectly for being repurposed as the coats facings, garment labels and the hand-painted and distressed appliques. a vintage button at the top of the front, side pockets, locally made tassels and sequin embellishment makes this a real show stopper whether coming or going. looks great dressed up or down and the ikat fabric is super soft against the skin.

roadrunner moto jacket

a second-hand linen duvet cover found for $11 becomes a soft and relaxed moto jacket!

the linen was so soft, thin and gauzy, it required all the pattern pieces needing to being doubled up. the roadrunner was created for left over fabric scraps (from darlings earlier fountain hills fountain skirt and reversible bolero jacket artwear) and embellished with bits of leftover trims and laces. hand embroidery further defined the features. the jacket collar and cuffs have been machine quilted for additional texture and interest. vintage rick-rac trims and vintage laces get used for creative effect and vintage zippers in shades of beige and cream get used up as well. the contrast print fabric for the inside neck facing, bottom jacket band and sleeve cuff insets was taken from darlings first version of what was to become her gateway dress, way back in 2015. in 2026, the dress was fully deconstructed and the larger pieces of fabrics upcycled into the moto jacket.

napkin blouses

two oldies but goodies!

i fell in love with the floral linen napkins on clearance at my local cost plus world market back when we were living in portland. the napkins were on red tag clearance with an additional percentage off, so the store basically paid me to take them away. i bought all they had available, which was about six napkins, if i recall correctly. when i got home, i decided to make a summer blouse out of them. i used a full napkin for each of the front and back panels, then cut one napkin up to make the sides and split two more in half to help make the bottom flounce. i still wear this blouse all these years later, either sleeveless as originally intended or layered over a short or long-sleeved t-shirt. it remains one of my favorite reinventions!

the “dodge” blouse were created using three of four linen napkins purchased at an outlet shop at the now defunct state line, a very, very long time ago (2000!) during the early years when i was living in las vegas. there were three “dodge” town napkins and then one of the horse, “trigger,” available and i snapped them all up. i’ve never tired in the humor of the images! finally, in 2019, i used three of the four to make the blouse front and utilized some inherited coral red linen for the remaining construction. this doesn’t get worn as frequently as the floral linen napkin blouse, but it does get some love every couple of years…