Fashion Upcycling, Part 3

Another week has flown by, and I am excited to be sharing my third project from the fashion upcycling class! In previous posts, I explained that I have been taking a class which specifically focuses on creating a fashion collection, using only upcycling fashion methods. Over the past 6 months, I have been working on my pieces (off and on) and have absolutely loved this class. I will be sharing the projects and fashion line that I created in separate posts.

Incase you are new to fashion upcycling, it focuses on making new fashion from existing materials. This includes cutting up and re-sewing items you already have or using items found second hand - nothing brand new, or taking details from an existing garment and adding them to create a new piece. Really, anything that is made out fabric could be conceptualized into a new garment. In the past, I have used vintage sheets, towels and even curtains. It also includes dying, painting, stenciling and drawing on fabric, embroidery and other details.

For the line I created, I chose to make pieces for myself that I will love and wear for many years to come. As a reminder, my inspiration for this line was Avatar: Legend of Korra, specifically the Metalbenders aesthetic. All pieces for this collection are done in shades of green with accent colors.

Below is the original drawing and the color rendering I did for this third project. With these pieces, I wanted to re-create a hoodie with interesting details so that it felt more special than the original garment intended. In this drawing I am showing a hooded sweatshirt with a buttoned, off-center front, bell sleeves and a patch/ decal design on the back. I also drew a mid-length skirt that I imagined to be made of two different polka dot patterns. My intention was also to be able to wear these two pieces as separates and mix them with other pieces in my closet.

I had drawn the idea for these pieces but did not already have the materials to create them. After I found my fabric and pieces to work with the skirt changed and I reflected this in my rendering.

I found the hoodie first and started working on the decal design for the back. Also, working to remove the zipper and the front pockets from the hoodie. I cut the sleeves and then used the material from the pockets to help create the bell shape I wanted in the sleeve.

The design for the back is a character from Avatar: Legend of Korra who lives in the spirit world. I loved the way this little character was drawn, the dots it has and how it looks like a plant. Once I found the fabric for the skirt, I knew what colors I would use for the decal.

This is how the hoodie started.

These pictures are showing how I sewed on the character.

I used Wonder-Under, which is a fusible type of interfacing, to attach the pieces to the back of the hoodie. Then, using my machine, I sewed a zig-zag stitch around all of the edges. The eyes were hand embroidered. This project was my favorite of the entire line. I love how it turned out!

Once the back of the hoodie was complete, I moved on to finish up the front. While placing the buttons, I realized that I needed to create more stability with the fabric, otherwise the buttons would pull and it would look like a mess. My solution was to continue with the felt and create a design to add to the front, coordinating with the style of the back decal. I went with an organic kind of plant shape, and I am so pleased with how it worked out. It slightly peeks out on the edge and I love it even more than my original design! I also added a strip of bias tape to the front edge to finish it and again give more stability.

Here are some close up shots of the front detail.

The skirt is made from a dress I found at the thrift store. I was immediately drawn to the colors and pattern. The dress was cut very straight to fit loose, had no darts and minimal seams so it was perfect to make into a skirt. It also had a high-low hem, which I was not planning on, but decided to keep.

Here is the original dress. I simply cut straight across the arms to remove the top and create the waist for my skirt. I made an elastic waist and used the fabric I cut off to add a pocket on one side of the skirt.

This is the completed outfit and below is how it fits me.

Thank you for being here and following along!