ToDo/NewDo: Ethnic, Up-cycle, and Surface Design with Anna Walden

Getting It Done! Completing Projects

Anna Walden, Point Loma, California

Anna has been completing projects. Here are a few recent ones.

First is a pair of Harem Pants made in plaid cotton flannel according to the instructions in the diagram.  I made them smaller because my fabric was narrower but it turned out to be a good decision as they would have been too large on me.

Second is the Sweatshirt Dress, a up-cycle project. I cropped the sweatshirt, added a skirt in a Liberty knit borrowed from a dress pattern, made the collar from the leftovers, again borrowed.  I drafted the sleeves in Garment Designer and appliquéd the lace using HeatBond and sewing machine.  

The top below is from the Garment Designer pattern I made for the Kuba top project I made this past Fall in a Textile Design class at Mesa College in San Diego. When I made that project, I incorporated fabric that I had dyed using an Ice Dye method. When cleaning up recently,I found the extra fabric, and I sewed it up.  I love this top.  

 A Little About Anna
Anna is a Psychologist and an active textile artist. Most of her creative time is spent sewing or knitting, and ow she has thrown in various forms of surface design. She has published numerous knitting patterns and was part-owner of a yarn company in years past.

ToDo/NewDo Project: Up-cycled Phone Bag Purse from a Retired Sweater

From Sweater to Phone Bag Purse

by Mary Ann Newton, Seattle Washington

Mary Ann Shares

Two years ago, I finished a cotton sweater that bagged and sagged, no matter what alterations I did to make it fit. This week, I took off the sleeves, sewed them together, joined at bottom, embroidered and embellished, lined, made a finger cord, and Voila! Now, what to do with the front and back of the sweater.

A little bit about Mary Ann
Mary Ann is a retired landscape designer living in the Seattle areas. She loves having the time to express herself in all kinds of fiber art.

ToDo/NewDo Project: Lisbeth Wahl, Up-cycled top

Upcycled Top

by Lisbeth Wahl, Peschiera del Garda, Italy

Materials available: 

• A nice quality wool sweater, which got in the wrong program and shrank in the washing machine. 
• Woven velvet fabric, with a little stretch. Odd size leftovers from the making of a dress to my daughter.
• All stuff that has been laying around for a while, until I finally turned it into this

 Unfortunately I didn’t think about taking before and after pictures.

Process:

• I cut away the sleeves and the body part, making them as long as possible.
• Then I used a pattern I had previously made in Garment Designer (A sleeveless tunic), adjusting the curve under the arm and the length of the shoulder to fit the sweater sleeve.
• Round neckline with an opening in the front. In the neckline I added a sweater “fish”form. About 1/8 smaller than the neckline circumference measurements, to make it stay nicely flat.

 Note:A weak point, which I might redo, is the uniting of the two materials in the breast-line. (the firmer fabric with the more elastic knitted sweater). Special care should be taken there to not stretch the various fabrics in the making.

About Lisbeth

Lisbeth is a world-renown felter who lives in Peschiera del Garda, near Verona, Italy.

Born in Denmark, She trained as a tailor and pursued her career in costuming and pattern making, most notably the costume department of Teatro alla Scala (Milan). She became interested in felting, and has taken her talents on to new realms. In 2016, she won the top award at the Australian Common Threads Wearable Art Showcase with her felt piece called Set Your Light Free, which combined felt with fiber optics.

Instagram: @ lisbeth.wahl.fiberart

https://www.facebook.com/lisbeth.wahl

ToDo/NewDo Project: Barbara Kerr's Necktie Change Purse

The Change Purse in process

Creative Necktie Change Purse

by Barbara Kerr, Seattle Washington

Here is our first Todo/NewDo share. Barbara says:

In these uncertain times the very best thing to do is to focus our mind on something pleasurable. This little change purse is made from a vintage man’s silk tie.  A friend at a recent embroidery guild meeting taught us how to do it.

 General Info 

• The 9 inches for the bag are cut from the wide end, and 9 inches from another tie is for the flower 
• The flower's 9 inches are cut from the other end of the tie- 
• The interfacing from the bag is left in and is removed for the flower 
• The button was the last one on a card and was so perfect
• It is hand stitched and takes about 2 hours to make

The finished piece in use

A little bit about Barbara

Barbara is a retired Social Work Supervisor from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYCShe moved to Seattle in 2012 where she lives with her daughter in a nice little house in West Seattle. 

Barbara shares her past...

When I was about 7 my friend and I learned to hand sew from her 2 young aunts. My aunt taught me to stitch on a machine and I sewed my wedding dress. I made all my clothes , my children’s clothes  and my husband’s sport shirts. 

I taught myself to knit when I was 17 and have knit almost every day since. I started to teach knitting, crochet, embroidery and English Paper Piecing in 2001 and taught at the Stitches Knitting Convention for the following 11 years. I still teach at Pacific Fabrics in Seattle (closing today for the next 2 weeks).

I belong to the Evergreen chapter of the Embroiders Guild of America, the Pacific Northwest Needle Arts Guild, and a knit /crochet  group that meets in a Community Center. I have 3 gals who come to my house every Monday for Embroidery and socialization.

Thank you Barbara for sharing your NewDo project. This is also an upcycle and sustainable item. Congrats to you and your creativity!