Three Sheets to the Wind: Upcycling Old Linens

I am a BIG fan of vintage, needless to say this includes vintage sheets. I especially adore the plethora of old floral print sheets that continually beckon to me from the thrift shop's linens section, and I'm always on the look-out for quality items to reclaim and upcycle. On a recent scavenging trip, I found the remnants of someone else's attempts to upcycle these lovely, nostalgic textiles of yore. They had cut sheets (and some other fabrics) into long strips and sewn the strips together at the end to create a sort of yarn or cordage. I was instantly drawn to the tattered, shabby look. 

Once the sheet strips are cut and sewn into lengths, they can be used for all sorts of creative applications. One thing I did was use some long strips to tie around the tissue wrapped packages I ship from my Furious Designs shop. You use it as you would a normal ribbon, and it adds a cute, shabby, decorative yet eco touch to packages and gifts. 

I also knew that I wanted crochet some of the ribbon-like cordage. It crochets up quickly and easily into braid-like chains. If you leave enough length on each end so you can tie it, these work great as headbands. The crochet work has a bit of stretch, which makes if super comfy and the tie closure makes it really adjustable. So cute! This can also be worn as a chunky fabric necklace, which I think looks pretty adorable too!

Thinking about wearing the crochet chain as a necklace made my mind wander and it went to some beautiful places. I wondered how it would work to incorporate one of the crochet chains into a dress or shirt, and I'm really pleased with the results of my prototypes. 

Suddenly Spring: Fresh Designs From Furious

The time has been whizzing by and....suddenly, spring is unfurling itself all over the place. As soon as the weather starts getting nice, I start thinking about 1) summer and 2) beaches, cookouts, festivals and fairs....and all the delightful clothing that comes out with the warmer months. We have been having a gorgeous, although disturbingly dry (again) spring here in the valley, and all the sun has motivated me to start working full force on my Spring/Summer 2014 designs. Take a look at what I've been working on:

These open back halter tie shirts are so flattering and fun! Funky and fresh! A super comfortable, carefree way to celebrate the sun, whether you're at the beach, frolicking about town, or in full on festival mode.

The hi lo look has always been a favorite of mine. These high lo crop tops are sewn from sheer, reclaimed, vintage poly stretch knits. The cut and design of this top makes it flattering on all sorts of body types. So cute and casual!

I love the bold look of color block fashion. And I also love the look of combining contrasting patterns and textures. Flowers and polka dots is a classic combination. Adding a handwoven panel to the bodice of a shirt turns it into an artsy, one of a kind garment!

Everything from Furious Designs is designed and sewn by me using the most quality reclaimed and upcycled materials. Stop by my shop to check out what else is new! 

Creative Advertising

I've been messing around a bit lately with a bit of super simple, creative advertising for my Furious Designs. Below are some of the results:

It is fun (and time-consuming) to work on the graphic designing and promotional aspects of product marketing...it can be overwhelming sometimes, especially when you are also the sole person designing and manufacturing the goods. Fotor is a free and super convenient photo-editing website, and I used it to make the above Furious Design's promos. 

I've also started messing about a bit with the free photo-editing program, GIMP. It is a lot more complicated to use than Fotor, and so not as user-friendly. But unlike Fotor, you can continually edit and change your picture, using layers. A few examples I made using GIMP are below:

GIMP is free but very close to Adobe in its photo-editing capabilities. However, this makes GIMP a little more complicated to master. I'm sure I'll get better as I continue to explore the possibilities and learn GIMP better.