Patchwork denim jacket from reused denim

This refashioned denim jacket began of the idea to use old, worn jeans, one thrifted denim skirt and one old Ikea bed linen. This jacket I sew in Delft, Netherland. There are feelings and thoughts sewn into this piece that can not be seen: early morning runs in Delft and the constant buzz of people coming and going in the city center.

All materials, including zippers and other small parts are reused and the total cost for the materials was about 20€. Sewing hours were several, made the jacket with no rush during early mornings and weekends, with a lot of coffee :)

Vintage fashion magazine dated 1991 I found a raglan sleeve jacket pattern that I used as a base.

From the old jeans I removed the back pockets and ripped open the hems on the bottom of the legs so I could reveal some lovely fades and washes.

The whole idea was to use miss-matched pieces and let the outcome and the colors to feel relaxed and easy. I did not plan to line the jacket but it is more wearable and easier to maintain when it has a lining.

I am pleased of the whole outcome of this jacket and the best of all it is one of a kind!

The photoshoot took place in Dusseldorf, in front of a cool graffiti wall. Peace!

Susanna in her diy denim quilt jacket and diy leather bag
Susanna in her diy denim quilt jacket

Susanoo design long cardigan with wool/alpaca scarf

This post is oldie but still goodie, I made it in Delft, Netherlands some years ago (2016).

My long cardigan is self-made from woolen blend jersey. It is a pattern from 1992 Burda which I altered by lenghtening it and also took away the collar. Rounded patch pockets has a lining inside them and pockets are big enough to create an eyecatching element in the front but also super comfy to keep your hands in. My back bag is made from old leather pants and decorated with studs.

I bought 8 rolls of Ambiente black wool/alpaca yarn (not cheap) and crocheted the scarf with 15 sized hook (made from bamboo). Reason why I spent so much for the materials were that I wanted a black basic scarf with quality material; alpaca mixed with virgin wool makes the scarf super soft and quite light to wear. The extra that makes the scarf pop are the tassels I made from the same yarn.  Susanoo remark: the yarn was bought in Delft from a nice, small yarn shop by the canal called Knotten.

Susanna with diy long cardigan and alpaca scarfSusanna with diy long cardigan and diy leather back bag in Delft Netherlands

Fall/winter is the time of the year when you can daringly play with your outfits- layering different materials and shapes takes the whole look into new dimensions. Why not layer a long cardigan with a short leather vest and experiment freely by mixing scarfs together with different sizes and colors.

cross stitch bag “Gypsy Lady” with #

work in process, trying out different ways to decorate

This is a circa 1960s-70s cross stitch of a painting by “Torino” – Little is known about Torino other than he was prevalent from around the 50s to the 70s and there are a few versions (poses) of this “Gypsy Lady” print.

Came across this cross stitch work at second hand store. There it was lying amongst other finished and half finished needle works just for 3€. I knew at once what I wanted to do from it certainly something that will not go unnoticed. First I was playing around with the idea to really make the gypsy lady fierce with tattoos and make-up but after a few try outs I skipped that idea. The cross stitch work is beautifully done and it would be a shame to hide it. I needed a piece of fabric to go with it and choose checkered black and white, to make the whole look more contemporary. When the two pieces were joined it felt like the bag needs a message. Something to do with gypsy way of life, for example fortune telling, freedom and spiritual things. So I came up with the hashtag sign. Under the # one can imagine these words.

Back part of the bag is done out of recycled leather and handles are from old thrifted bag. The leather pieces that hold the handles are parts from a belt and the black rings curtain parts. So again 100% recycled, remake and zero waste.

handles from old bag, leather parts to hold handle old belt

diy gypsy lady cross stitch bag with # decoration

diy gypsy lady cross stitch bag with # decoration

striped clutch

diy striped leather and suede clutch made out of old trousers

diy striped leather and suede clutch made out of old trousers

Zero waste clutch bag; made out of old suede trousers and a white leather vest into my all time favourite clean and graphic pattern stripes. Pattern that looks good with almost any outfit you choose. Triangle decorations on the sides add interest and more body to the clutch. By adding the option that I can wear this bag also on my shoulder makes it more versatile, although the solid purpose is clutch in which only the necessary items fits in, such as lipstick, keys and my phone.

Tämä laukku sai alkunsa inventoidessani nahkavarastojani. Löysin palan hiekanväristä nahkaa ja mustaa mokkaa joista leikkasin samanlevyisiä, suorakaiteen muotoisia paloja. Ompelin palat yhteen värejä vuorotellen ja aikani valmista nahkapintaa katsellessani päätin tehdä siitä kädessä kannettavan laukun, clutchin. Laukun sivuihin ompelin tehokeinoksi “kolmio”nahkasomisteen, näin laukku sai myös yksilöllisen ilmeen. Lisäsin laukkuun olkahihnan joka näin muuntaa kädessä kannettavan myös olalla pidettäväksi. Olkahihnaa vaihtamalla laukun saa myös nopeasti päivitettyä asukokonaisuuteen sopivaksi. Irrotettava metallinen olkahihna löytyi kirpparilta mutta hihnaksi käy myös vaikka ohut vyö. Clutch ei ole tilaihme mutta mukaan mahtuu kätevästi kuitenkin kaikki tarpeellinen.

 

flash! bang!

Jersey fabric from the golden 90´s with some bold statements on. The words were so cool and graffitilike so I cut them out and sew them on denim. I have a pro camerabag for my Canon but it is quite big and boring and often I just want to carry with me only the camera when I go on a photoshoot- so why not carry it in a cool and funny bag! I padded the bag with foam to secure the camera from getting any hits. Shoulderstrap is long enough to carry the bag across shoulder to hip and it is made from an old canvasbelt. The denim tassel was originally created for another project but by adding a wooden pearl to it tassel was a perfect match with my new bag.

diy camera bag out of 90`s print fabric and denim tassel

diy camera bag out of 90´s print fabric and denim tassel

spirit away

Homemade clay pendant painted silver gray. This freehand shaped necklace clay pendant I paired with geometric shapes. With a black, diamond shaped and a silver coloured rectangle one. Every piece of the big “clay family” pendants that I did have had an unique outcome and some are still under process. The spark to create something out of these pendants can come everywhere…just looking at a flower, urban shapes and colors in the city, fashion editorials…and I am sponging up the ideas and formulating my own creative outcome.

Spirit away: To carry someone or something off mysteriously or secretly.

 

words in a bag

diy denim bag with quilt technique

Recycling and zero waste! This bag was a made to order to a friend who wanted to carry her working clothes in a stylish bag instead of a plastic one. It is made out of second hand denim with quilting technique and lining is a leftover IKEA fabric from older project.

Vanhoista denim kankaista tilkkutekniikalla yhdistelemällä syntyi monikäyttöinen kassi.  Aina ei tarvitse mennä kangaskauppaan etsiäkseen materiaaleja; tälläkin kertaa kaikki materiaalit löytyivät omasta kaapista. Parit vanhat farkut ja ylijäämäpala kangasta vanhasta tuunausprojektista saivat uuden elämän kauppa- tai salikassina, sisustuselementtinä tai vaikka vaan muovikassin korvikkeena. Kassin koko määrätyi tällä kertaa lähinnä kankaiden mukaan ja kädessä kannettavana kassina hihnan pituus on hyvä mitata sellaiseksi että kassi ei kosketa maata kun sitä kantaa.

diy denim bag with quilt technique

campingbag

diy denim round bag with removable handles

diy denim round bag with removable handles

diy denim round bag with removable handles

This denim bag is the first one I did in really big size from second hand jeans. Bottom part is round to give the bag kind of a “hiking” feeling…like a sleeping bag. Lining is made out of checkered linen fabric, pretty white and red checks. Handles are removable so it is also possible to change the look of the bag…maybe a pair of nice looking belts to carry the bag from?