Monday, July 27, 2015

Easy DIY Jumpsuit

Sometimes I like to take a break from reconstructing existing garments and sew from scratch. This is a very easy DIY jumpsuit that I wore to work the other day. Super comfy!

I apologize for the crazy curl that has a mind of its own.

I made the pants from scratch using this beautiful, earth-toned fabric given to me by Gloria ( we call her Bennie), a wonderful lady from my church who used to be a factory seamstress and eventually worked her way up to being a manager, traveling for the company and overseeing production. Bennie has given me lots of fabric over the years and I have made some great outfits with them. She is amazing at 90 years young! I mentioned Bennie in this post from 2013 and also in this one from 2014.

Anywho, I made the pants and also the top part of the jumpsuit with the same fabric. However, after trying it on, before stitching the top and bottom together, I felt that the overall pattern of the material was too overpowering for a one piece garment. It needed to be broken up, but I still wanted a jumpsuit, so I decided to buy a black shirt and attach it to the pants. 


The trick was to find a top that was stretchy and had a wide enough neck that could fit over my butt when I put it on!  I found this great black top with this cool back detail. 

So I attached the store-bought top to the pants and voila! Instant jumpsuit. No elastic necessary. You could even make this even easier to make by buying a pair of elastic pants and a stretchy top from a second hand store and just stitch them together. 

I also love the way it looks with a belt. It would look even better with a fab necklace but I didn't have time to accessorize as I took these pics five minutes before the school bus was due. 


I did manage to accessorize here with my ID tag, lol
I love jumpsuits because they are so comfortable and give great coverage. At my museum job,  I often sit on the floor  while discussing artworks, I wore it the other day for a tour and workshop and felt so at ease the whole time. I think jumpsuits are going to be my new work uniform. 

Do you like jumpsuits? I would love to know either way. I am thinking of designing some jumpsuit patterns and would appreciate your feedback. 

Monday, July 13, 2015

"I Need Pets Like You Need Art"



I have had the pets discussion on lock down for a while now. Whenever my beloved brought up pets, I would reply with, “I cannot fathom taking care of one more living creature!” There is a lot involved in caring for a special needs child, let alone two. I can't even care very well for a plant these days, lol. 


However, today I heard him.  I listened and really heard my husband loud and clear. He continued to tell me how he grew up with pets, how much caring for God's creatures helped him to be a better person, to learn about himself, how wonderful it will be for the kids to care of another living creature, etc. This all helped me to understand. 

But really, what really got me to listen was the above quote. Whenever you tell me you need something like I need art, well, I’m all ears. He finally spoke my language! 

He and my older son came home with a pet today... a snake! I'm fine with it. It's in it's own tank and I don't have to do a thing to care for it. 

Since the purchase, some have questioned why I would rather say yes to a snake, a pet that requires live mice feedings once a week, rather than a cute, cuddly dog?" Good question. My answer? A snake won't jump on top of me and lick me, I already have one of those and it's not a dog. I also don't have to walk the snake or feed it, I made sure my husband and son agreed to that term. So having the snake works for all of us. Perfect compromise...and I got my husband off my back for at least a month until he starts asking for another pet.   


Thursday, July 9, 2015

T-Shirt Refashion: Regular "El Bar Rio" T-Shirt to Bat-Wing Draped Pocket Top

My latest t-shirt refashion!

The "El Bar Rio" (El Barrio) t-shirt started out like this. It is designed by Luis Cordero, Founder of PRIDA. Cordero is a graphic artist and photographer, among other things. He also designs, produces, and sells his own line of t-shirts with Native American Taíno and other Puerto Rican cultural icons. You can purchase his tees here

PRIDA stands for Puerto Rican Institute for the Development of the Arts, a Project of Comité Noviembre. Their mission is to promote and provide support for the Puerto Rican artist and the arts. I happen to be a proud member. You can find out more about PRIDA here


Okay, now back to how I redesigned the tee. The first thing I did was to separate the front from the back, sleeves and all.  


 Next, I separated the graphic and cut it into this shape. This is all that I used of the t-shirt itself. 

I had this long black 2X dress which I used for fabric.


I used the fabric from the dress for the sides, back, and pockets  of the new top. There are no side seams, just one single seam in the back middle.  

 I then added the pockets on the sides and professionally hemmed the neckline, bottom, and sleeve openings with my handy dandy hem machine (did I just say handy dandy? lol)

 And here it is. The neck line is wide enough that I could also use it as an off the shoulder top. 


I really love it and so glad I decided to add pockets.


 Here's a side view




I love these tunic-like tops and the "El Bar Rio" (El Barrio) graphic really pops. What do you think? Would you have done anything differently? As always, I appreciate feedback and respond to all comments. 

Have a great day!