 What is that trend: Upcycling? Upcycling is a relatively new term and has been used since the late 1990s. It has only been known to the general public in recent years. The term is becoming increasingly popular. Recycling has long been known to all of us. We have been storing old paper for years because it can be used to make new paper. We collect glass, because it is used to make new glass. Environmentally conscious is the key word. Do not throw away anything that can be used again! Upcycling is actually the same as recycling. Old, worn or unused items are reused, and become more beautiful or have a different purpose. Examples; bicycle bags are made from inner tubes, garden furniture is made from pallets, bags, pillows, plaids or mobile covers are created from old worn clothing. Take a look at Etsy and see how resourceful creatives are among us today. Upcycling is actually something that seamstress have been doing for years. Why would you throw away something that just doesn't fit, is not comfortable or is heavily out of fashion. We just 'adjust' it! Take a shirt: cut the sleeves to pieces, make large power sleeves with other fabric or put a nice embroidery on it. Suddenly that boring blouse is hip and hotter than your daughter again ... (the latter only in 'chic' style, haha) Or suppose you have bought a beautiful dress but it is not comfortable or just does not look nice .... You do not throw that beautiful fabric away? Hops, scissors in and we just make something else out of it. And what about all those beautiful quilts and patchwork quilt? All made from scraps of fabric that might otherwise have been thrown away! We are upcyclinging for a while now, but recently we do it with more pleasure than ever! While testing the Veritas Florence embroidery machine, we found out how much fun embroidery is, and how cool it is to pimp up your clothes. And now the embroidery machine Bernette D70 Deco is being tested! Embroidery is boring? Well no! More fun, sustainable and chic than ever. Blog photo: a nice turquoise dress from the front page of the Bernette D70 Deco manual. The embroidery speaks for itself: after this 'update', a simple turquoise dress will look unique, chic, classy and more durable than ever. Book review: The Little Black Dress by Simon Henry  The little black dress, by Simon Henry
No woman in the world should be without a little black dress! And that's an understatement... The little black dress is always chic, classy and ideal for styling for different occasions: an evening party, a formal business-meeting or just a nice casual day. Add some accessories, handbags, a coat, shoes or boots or combine it with sneakers. Everything is possible and timeless beautiful. But where to find a little black dress that really fits? Here you have the answer: make one yourself! A tailor-made Little Black Dress ('LBD') could be yours. The backcover-page of the book promises it is possible even though you do not have any experience with sewing. Expert dressmaker Simon Henry will guide you through the process of making the perfect little black dress. Unfortunately we do not agree. It takes some knowledge of sewing and some experience in cutting the pattern, shaping it on a dressform and sewing your own tailor-made little black dress. But we agree on the great guide the book offers. The pictures are loud and clear. The drawings are perfect and the background-information is really very nice. The photographs are stunning and the layout of the whole book is really worth every penny. We definitely recommend this book. But make sure it will not be your first project, otherwise it probably won't work. Unless you are really very talented. And please, show us your little black dress ! Good luck with the project and good luck with this beautiful book. Chanel: The Making of a Collection |
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