Upcycled It with Embellishments!
Posted by Christen Brown on Jul 20th 2023
I love to rummage through the thrift stores and find garments, accessories, and linens that I can change-up, change-out, and Upcycle! I have found so many simple and inexpensive ways to change a garment or accessory to make it my own, and to fit my style.
I thought that it would be fun to create a lecture/class, so that you too could learn ways to do this for your own wardrobe. The course is called Upcycle It with Embellishments and you can find it on Creative Spark.
This is an example of a jean jacket that I just finished embellishing. The jacket already had one layer of hankies across the bottom edge, and one on the pocket, but I felt that it needed more. I added a second row of hankies and added in ribbons for details. I folded a few more hanky sections into butterflies and stitched these in place. I added in embroidery, buttons, and ribbonwork flowers.
Here is a jean purse that I show in the video. It was a purse that I just loved, but after too many washings the brass findings left rust spots as you can see in the first image. I decided to cover up all the rust spots with lace doilies, crochet flowers, buttons, and ribbonwork flowers. Voila, now I can use it again!
The class video shows you examples of ways that I embellished garments and accessories with lace, ribbons, and rickrack trims, with specific instructions given in the handout. I also give you examples of embellishing with appliqués, yo-yos and ribbonwork flowers, with instructions for making a yo-yo and a rosette, and how to take an old tie and make a corsage.
I also have a few examples of dyed pieces, with instructions for which dye to use in the course handout. There are many examples where I have embellished garments with buttons, charms, and recycled jewelry, with tips for which glue to use. Also included in the handout, is a list of the Basic Tools that you will need, and a Glossary of Hand-Sewn Stitch definitions.
This course was a lot of fun to put together! I hope that you check it out and join me at the thrift store and get hooked on the Upcycle IT trend!
Happy Stitching, ~Christen
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