ScrapHappy March 2022 : upcycled jeans

I found this idea somewhere on the interweb recently and there are loads of similar ideas out there. Here is my version:

My apologies for the lousy photos, it wasn’t easy taking a pic of myself in the skirt in the bathroom mirror while balancing on a wonky stool.

I loved the original jeans but they’d gone all baggy on me so, instead of passing them on to someone else, I decided to try this. Next time I’ll cut off more of the denim but I’m happy with my first effort. I still have to take the waist in a bit, but after all the fiddling around I’ve decided it’s worth spending some time on and doing it properly. Going to use this tutorial.

The fabric I’ve used really is scrappy stuff – some are smaller sample pieces from a textile importer that I’ve sewn together first, the zebra is from a top I made about 20 years ago, the groovy blue/purple was in a box of scraps from a neighbour, and the pretty pink blossoms were also left over from a top. The handstitching on the back was just something to keep my hands occupied while I was watching the last episode of Endeavour, Season 8. Devastated to have come to the end of young Morse, I just loved this series.

I’ve been inspired to write this ScrapHappy post by Kate at Tall Tales from Chiconia. On the fifteenth of every month lots of people often publish a ScrapHappy post: Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynn, Lynda, Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Tracy, Claire, Jan,  Moira, Sandra, Chris, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Bekki, Sue L, Sunny, Kjerstin, Vera, Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2 , Bear, Noreen, Preeti, Edith and Jule

If you fancy joining, contact Kate at Chiconia and she’ll add you to the list. Any use of any type of scrap material is welcome.

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nine west gone south

Yesterday I got my hands on a pair of stunning knee-length black leather Nine Wests, and for an excellent price. Man, are they nice. And flat. I can only wear flats now, because the old feet and legs won’t rise to the occasion any more (they’re very cross with me because I abused them in my 20s with too much wearing of platforms and/or kitten heels, so now they’re fighting back.)

Only problem is – and I’ve had this before with boots –  the calves aren’t wide enough for my legs and I can’t get the zips up all the way. NO – WAIT, dammit! Let me look at this from another angle – the boots have been cut extremely badly, designed by people who don’t have real women in mind. The problem thus lies with them, not me.

I must put these boots right.  I must unpick them down the back seam until they slip like butter over my calves.

I must insert a v-shaped piece of black corduroy and hold it in place with staples.

I must stitch down over the leather through the corduroy close to the edge (one needs an industrial sewing machine to do this), and trim the loose bits . I must dab black fabric paint over the stitching because I was too impatient to change the reel from cream to black.

And finally, I must stick a bit of black lace over the raw edges of the leather where I sliced it open, using fabric glue, to complete the job. I must peg it all in place to dry nice and smooth (the glue becomes colourless as it dries).

And there you have it – how not to take shit from boot designers :-)