This shirt is Illegal, reconstruction from the past #2

Here's another t-shirt reconstruction I did this past summer. My hubby got it from a VOM conference held in my church. VOM stands for The Voice of the Martyrs. The following is taken from their website, http://www.persecution.com/. "The Voice of the Martyrs is a non-profit, inter-denominational Christian organization dedicated to assisting the persecuted church worldwide. VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned 14 years in Communist Romania for his faith in Christ. His wife, Sabina, was imprisoned for three years. In the 1960s, Richard, Sabina, and their son, Mihai, were ransomed out of Romania and came to the United States. Through their travels, the Wurmbrands spread the message of the atrocities that Christians face in restricted nations, while establishing a network of offices dedicated to assisting the persecuted church." When people see my website, some might think that I am a communist and atheist. I am neither. In fact, I am a Christian who loves Jesus. To me, He's the most powerful revolutionary of all because he spoke of revolution within. Just because I am a Christian doesn't mean that I can't be inspired by Che, Angela or Pedro (some of the people I screenprint). These people were passionate and risked their lives for the poor and disenfranchised. They weren't perfect, just passionate and that is what I celebrate. One day, when I find an image that does Jesus justice, I'll print it on a t-shirt. For now, I like my collection of cultural/revolutionary people and look forward to adding more.

Without further ado, here is this too big t-shirt transformed into a perfect, chic summer top. And yes, this shirt is illegal in 52 countries.

Reconstruction from the Past

In keeping with my targeted posts, I am showing you one of my past t-shirt transformations that I never posted. I forgot who gave me this t-shirt but it was clearly too big. I added subtle flutter sleeves and a slit neckline.

Happy New Year!!! Blog and Nelesc Designs goals for 2010.

My first blog post of the year!!! So sorry it took this long. I am really hoping that this year I can post more consistently. I know I said that last year, and although I improved from the year before, I still was not as steady as I wanted to be. I do want to do some new things with this blog which I hope will keep me motivated. As well as posting newly listed items from my shop, I would like to feature other Etsy shops, write about my creative process, interview other creative people and find out about their process, review books about art, fashion, spirituality, and motherhood, and feature contemporary, modern and historical people who have made a difference in the world. I know, I know, for someone who is not a consistent blogger, these are lofty plans but hey, at least I have a goal!

I also decided to focus my attention on three key elements concerning my shop. I will offer more ready made tops with my cultural icon screenprints in multiple sizes and colors. This has been a major request from my clients and I listened! I also plan to create more screens, particularly of men since I only have two males featured in my collection, and, in order to feed my love for design and reconstruction, I would like to do do more t-shirt reconstructions from pre-printed t-shirts and t-shirts I print myself. Not to mention, I still plan to be available for custom orders. I know I will probably vear a bit from this plan but again, a girl has to have a plan to vear from. LOL!! No, really, I really want to stick to this for 2010. When my smallest boy starts school in September, I will be able to do more, but right now I need to focus!!!

So, here's a little taste of some of my newly listed tops in multiple sizes and colors!!! Go to http://www.nelesc.etsy.com/ for more information on sizing. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think!!!

In Memory of Bryson Ross

I was so saddened to hear that the son of a fellow mom blogger, Shellie Ross’s (@military_mom on twitter), drowned in her backyard pool. He was only 2.5 years old. That is the same age as my little Dan. I have no words except those that come from the Bible in Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit..."

Please join me in praying for this mom and her family in this time of suffering.

New Sweatshirt Jackets in my Etsy Store

This is soooo long overdue! I apologize for not posting my new sweatshirt jacket pics. These are now up in my etsy store and have been getting some orders for them. Let me know what you think.

Sweatshirt jackets

I am so excited! Yesterday I started on my sweatshirt jacket collection. A lot of people have given me positive feedback on these and I really enjoyed making them. Last year I got a late start and only sold a couple before the warm weather arrived so when saw a great deal on sweatshirts last week, I grabbed them and ran (well, of course, I paid for them first!) . D took a long nap yesterday, so I decided to plow away. I am going to start by making multiples of one design and then go from there. Can't wait to list them on my shop. Will update you soon!

Ladies and Gentleman, Introducing Leather Cuffs!

I can't believe it has been almost two months since my last post. I like blogging about my projects but the irony is that if I don't sew, I have nothing to blog about. So I don't blog as often so I can give the time to sewing. So I think that until my youngest goes to school, I will always have this dance between sewing and blogging. I actually should be sewing right now! LOL! However, I felt compelled to tell you all about my newest addition to my shop, wallet leather cuffs featuring my customary cultural icons.

These were really fun to make. I first became interested in leather cuffs when I read about Bunny Lang in the January/February issue of Belle Armoire magazine (www.bunnylang.com). I filed the idea in my head for later use. Later on, I noticed my friend Shavon from church wearing leather cuffs all the time. This sweet girl was all of a sudden transformed into this tough chick. It really made any outfit mean business, she looked more serious in a rocker chic way. But again, I decided to file the idea. I didn’t have any leather and the thought of purchasing it didn't intrigue me.

It was months later, after tiring of constantly fixing the heel of my leather boots, that this idea once again popped in my head. The boots were too busted to give away so I decided to cut them up and begin on my first leather cuff.

I really liked it but how could I incorporate my passion for cultural icons on leather? This process made me realize that I really liked making cuffs and so perhaps, I thought, I could make fabric cuffs and include the icons there. I had been trying to find a craftier way to play with fabric and this was it!!! Thus, my fabric cuffs were born.

At first, these concentrated on family photos, I then incorporated the cultural icons. They were so much fun to make and I have sold quite a few. Then my friend Yesenia asked if I could make them more useful, like add a zipper, etc... I sat on this idea a while. I didn't know how the fabric would stand to yet another addition. I was already adding images, loop closures, buttons. Would they look too thick to wear? So again I simply pondered the idea while i continued to make the cuffs. Then Shavon showed me the inside of her leather cuff and I thought, "hey, with leather and snap closures, the zipper might work!" When part of my hubby' leather coat got ruined in the trunk of our car, I immediately asked him if I could keep the remaining good portion of it. he said yes (as long as i agree to make him a cuff) and I began snipping away.

Making the cuffs has been a tinkering process. I realized I had to buy thicker needles for my sewing machine as it would not sew through the leather at first. I also had to decide whether I wanted to leave the raw edges of the leather or bind them. At first I tried to bind the edges but it made some of the cuffs look bulkier. At the end I decided to leave the raw edge on most of the cuffs and sew around it. They look a bit rustic but I really like the way they came out. When using recycled materials you sometimes want the audience not to realize what it’s made of but in this instance it’s like I’m being true to where they came from. These are essentially strips of leather from a coat with snaps, a picture and a zipper. I like that. Hope you do too. Check them out at www.nelesc.etsy.com and tell me what you think. I love feedback!