I have been rubbish at blogging recently - and although I do not make New Year resolutions I will TRY to keep this page - more or less - up to date. With the arrival of the cold weather comes my annual production of coats. Joining the traditional pixie style numbers (see multi-coloured insert) was my take on a grey 60s Mod 'parka' complete with fur lined hood and 'fish tails' - great fun but took ages to make. Made from the usual stock of 'felted' woollies with the addition of an old fur cushion cover. Sold the first day I got it into the shop - success!
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Fabulous creations by staff and students from Queen Anne's and Valley Primary, schools Busy,Busy, two weeks. We have a number of projects on the go at Reworked. We are taking part in the second Rags to Runway fashion show in conjunction with Leigton Park school - on Thursday April 3rd. Tickets will be available soon.
The reworked volunteers are hard at work creating fabulous catwalk pieces. The Valley Primary school , Henley will also be taking part in the fashion show. They have been producing spring themed tee shirts and other garments which they will display. I have had the priviledge of working with this fabulous group of year six students. I have helped with some of their creations - using my sewing machine when hand sewing proves just too time consuming and the glue gun just will not work! On Saturday 29th March there will be a Reworked for Oxfam stall at the spring fayre at Queen Anne's school, Caversham. Students who have designed and made their own Reworked outfits at a Saturday club will showcase their beautiful creations at a small scale fashion show for the benefit of the visitors at the fayre. What fun. Home again and back in the shop and reworked workshop. It's spring and inspired by that and some lovely clothes I saw in the south of France I have started to produce my Spring collection. Strictly speaking I made the pink and black top in week 49 - but who is going to quibble?
Spring has also inspired me to resurrect some disasters I started last year and gave up on. Because I hate waste and I hate to be beaten. The major rescue work will be on a light weight pixie coat I began in the summer. It is old tee shirt fabric and bits of stretch jersey. Nice colours but a pig to construct. I thought my fab new overlocker would be able to cope where the shop machine had choked and spat it out. I was wrong. It is still in pieces and causing me and my precious machines grief. I will not, however, give up on it this time. Week 50 will see the coat finished. I may have been over optimistic as I have just broken a needle on my overlocker. Usually pixie coats are time consuming and a bit fiddly but once you have assembled the correct colour combinations and collected sufficient felted jumpers they are not that difficult - not so with man made fabrics - this coat has been an absolute brute to make and it is still not finished. I have lost count of the hours I have put into it. Ok so it is finally finished. In the best tradition of haut couture I resorted to hand sewing the last bits. It looks ok - but was more a sow's ear than a silk purse to make. Still it will be on sale in the shop from Thursday. This place is amazing the 81st Fete de Citron has just finished. The theme was 20000 leagues under the sea. I have picked up so many clever little ideas for the under the sea section of our up and coming Rags to Runway fashion show - check out the floating jellyfish! No good to wear but great for the show. Look at the tentacles on the costume AND THEY MOVE. I will have to re-think my mermaid idea. It now seems quite tame
How sad am I sitting on my balcony in France looking at the fabulous mimosa and writing a blog no one will read!!!!!
I am going to spend some of my holiday planning and beginning to make a mermaid inspired piece for our up and coming Rags to Runway - Oxfam/Leighton Park Fashion show. Thursday 3rd April. Watch out for future blogs. I brought out a small sewing machine as hand luggage - yes now you know how very sad I am. This is, by the way, week one of Fairtrade fortnight 2014. Ok the focus this year is on bananas - but still everything we do in Reworked for Oxfam follows the principles of fair trade especially sustainability and cutting out waste - so I will still celebrate the event. In France I always get loads of ideas of things to rework - all the photos this week are of things I have seen 'en Menton'. And a little image of a mermaid skirt to inspire me.. This is my feeling guilty week. I have finished a reworked needlecord coat with swags and tucks and red ribbon details - but this was a reworking of a garment that had already been reworked! Jess B a great reworker - the speediest producer of us all - had made a dress of the skirt section of this coat - which sadly would not fit a human being. Even more sadly Jess B is no longer able to volunteer so I dismantled the piece and used it to create a less extraordinary but probably more practical piece - sorry Jess. I did learn a new skill - the twisted fabric rose (see detail). The second area of guilt is to be found on the new stock in this week page. I was given loads of fantastic hand assembled jewelry by Penny - before Christmas and it has taken me this long to untangle the necklaces - all are displayed on the New Stock for Week 47 page and will be in the shop from Thursday. Sorry Penny. I am able to admit these 'crimes' as I am sure no one actually reads this blog. I will be away for the next two weeks so if you do follow what I am up to the next will be week 50 which I have a feeling becomes week1- go figure!!!!
So it was back to what I know best this week. Bits of shrunken/felted wool overlocked into a quirky little sweater jacket. This one has a feature back insert of little sheep and clouds - it turned out very small - but cute.
Good news - we had two new volunteers joining the team this week. Welcome Emma and Kate 2. Really it is week 45 - but these titles are getting so boring I have to ring the changes. This week I have carried on with the unstructured reverse seam look in a jacket. I have really enjoyed working with synthetic fabrics which do not fray. Quite a departure from my normal mantra of natural is best. but as my production rate had slowed down recently I needed something which was comparatively quick to make. I experimented with unfinished reverse seams on the little jacket I created last week which I am delighted to report sold. The method is actually not that quick. It is a departure from my usual work in that it uses new (donated) but none the less new fabric and a pattern. I have found quite a few free patterns on line - but printing these out and sticking them together t6akes ages! I also miss the actual re working of other things so I am not going to make anything from scratch. for a few weeks, I shall return to my quirky jumpers and accessories from the pile of shrunken and partially used sweaters. I have already started - pictures next week of the finished articles.
Another week of admin! I have spent an entire day translating our fabulous, unique and creative items into boring little entries in an excel spread sheet. But I have discovered the mildly interesting fact that since we started recording the stock we make in Reworked for Oxfam - which was in January 2013 - I have created 93 items - 78 of which have sold which by my very dodgy reckoning is an 84% sales record. Other Reworkers have also created and sold loads of stuff as well but this is my blog and if I want to be selfish and gloat a little I will! Quite a selection of my work can be seen on the archive page above - items we have made and sold.
I am in the process of re'q'working a cute little jacket based on an idea I picked up in Manchester - see my last blog- it will be finished (it is finished and pictured in this post!) and in the shop this week - as will loads of other lovely thing created by others - get along to Caversham and pick up a treat. My personal creation has hit an all time low. However I did have an inspirational visit to the Gallery of Costume in Manchester last week. Check it out http://www.manchestergalleries.org/our-other-venues/platt-hall-gallery-of-costume/
There was a brilliant display of vintage very chic clothes by Christian Dior. Oh to be young again - and elegant- never was - elegant that is - never will be! Ossie Clark is the current featured designer - much more me. The standard display is brilliant featuring fashion from 16th century through to today. There is also an awesome collection of buttons and the fairtrade coffee is not bad either. I may not have created much but my fellow reworkers have been very busy. Visit the current reworked stock weeks 41,42 & 43 itemspageshttp://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php Or even better visit the shop to see our new stock. Followers of the work of, my friend and talented reworker, Estelle will be delighted to know that she has been prolific recently. Her style is pretty and sassy and always extremely well made!!!!. Check it out |