Sunday, February 8, 2015

Home again.....and back to work

Well........I suppose it's back to the grind, if you can call hiding myself in my sunny sewing room, dreaming up and preparing stitching projects for my kiddos; work! Yes, it's back home again after experiencing the most pleasurable couple of weeks taking a voyeuristic journey through cyberspace, visiting many, many gorgeous blogs from all around the world, without having to move my gluteous maximus from the comfort of my rather cushy chair. If you are still in party mode and visiting, wanting to check out my li'l corner of the world, then my GYB party post is here.

Those of you who are new followers of my blog, a very warm welcome; you have truly inspired me with your own imaginative creativity! I look forward to visiting your lovely blogs over and over again and delight in all the goings on in your delightful posts.

But as with all things, parties must come to an end. The lights go out and we make our way back home to everyday normality......(not that life around here could ever be classified as normal). My head is spinning with sooooo many ideas! I do hope the arteries in my brain pan don't explode with all those imaginations!

School starts back this week after a 6 week break (can someone please tell me where that time went) and even though I should be preparing for the kiddos' lessons, I have been tarting up a few denim lovelies to flog at a market. I have had a few days grace before I put head down and derriere up and begin the begin.

But....before I could begin the process of tarting up some lovelies, I had to first visit my favourite op shop to acquire oodles of people's cast off denim garments. I need an oversupply of denim pieces as they can always be used in the kiddos' sewing lessons; and of course the children's pieces that are in great condition can be tarted up so that some other child can wear them for a while longer. I try to squeeze as many denim garments into a shopping bag as possible. The last time I bought 20 pairs of adult and kid's jeans, with a few other things thrown in for $10!! A bargain in anyone's language!







Oh and just to make you really, really pea green.....I squished these  pretties in as well!

 A gorgeous turquoise shrug, a perfectly as new, pure wool cream vest ('tis so, so soft) AND a lovely green and blue cardie with a smattering of beads and a li'l bling.....all my size! Aren't I a lucky gal, especially as I love blue and green sitting happily beside each other! Whomever said "blue and green should not be seen" really had no idea what they were talking about. Honestly, I don't think anyone has worn any of these garments; or if they have, only on the odd occasion.

Every kiddo that bursts through my bright pink door always seems to want to stitch a denim quilt...even the boys; hence my need for a constant supply of denim jeans. I cut out large 10 inch squares and my li'l prodigies stitch them together to make a quilt that they will snuggle under for a very long time. Most of the girls like to embellish their quilts with fabric flowers and butterflies to weave in and out of pockets.



But sometimes (the boys) only want to make a 'plain' quilt and in the case of Alysha, she wanted to make an "all things equestrian" quilt with her Arab filly, Courage smiling through the horseshoe. These quilts were stitched by the girls when they had only been coming to "The Kim Sharman School of Stitching Excellence" for a little while......they were all eight years old! I wrote about these clever girls way back when, here.


Not only do the kiddos fashion quilts from cast off jeans but I use different parts of the jeans in a plethora of projects; the pockets, the waistbands etc. Quite often I buy the jeans just because they have interesting pockets which can be used sometime in the future, down my yellow brick road of creativity.


Tarting up children denim pieces is the best fun as there are no restrictions on what I might add. A snippet of lace, a crochet flower or two, some free hand stitching.....it's carte blanche as to how I can embellish.

I have been playing with a smattering of triflings, making earth shattering decisions what to put where and on what.

This pair of jeans has oodles of patches from another pair of jeans, doilies, broderie anglaise, lace and the odd flower or two...oh...... and of course a pretty button trim. Can you feel the love??


A cute pair of Lee Cooper overalls with a pretty flower and lady bug.


Oodles of pretties on this pair of jeans.


A cute pair of denim shorts with just a few pretties added to them.




I really like this sweet little girl's vest.






With a crochet flower or two here, some lace, perhaps a snippet of a doily there, it will look oh so chic.







I carefully snipped little flowers and arranged them in a visually appealing arrangement and stitched them to the front on one side.


A pocket embellished with crochet flowers and button trim.


A pretty trim and ribbon trailing their way up one side of the vest, around the back of the neckline to the front. Oh........and of course a couple of flowers to finish the look.





I added a pretty doily at the neckline on the back.


Voila.....my new, pretty, upcycled girl's vest!




That's enough upcycling for me. That's enough of playing with crochet pretties, snippets of lace and a few triflings. There's 'work' to be done. I really, really must think about my kiddos' lessons. I really, really must put my head down and gluteous maximus up and begin lesson preparation.

I hope you have a great week, everyone! Toodles.


28 comments:

  1. I love your idea of upcycling jeans and embellishing them you are sooo creative! I've been saving my kids jeans over the years well those that were beyond being re-used by charities (my kiddos go through the knees of their jeans like water through a sieve!). My plan has always been to make them each a denim rag quilt for their teen years but having seen what your kiddos have created I think this summer I will be getting my girlies to make their own, not so sure my wee boy will be so keen though. I think a few trips to the charity shops is in order to extend my supplies! Thank you for a great and inspiring post. Ali x

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  2. I started to teach my 5 year old granddaughter to sew with her new sewing machine I bought her for Christmas. She and I managed a double sided cotton sheet for her doll's crib. I love the idea of a denim quilt. Hard wearing a great for sitting in the garden. I'm going to steal your idea, I hope you don't mind. It should not take her too long to make a lap sized quilt with my help. Great idea.

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  3. Love your denim upcycling - little girls will love the jeans and the vest is beautiful!! Good luck with your class preparation - if I had more time I would like to teach children creative things - but family comes first - maybe down the track if I am lucky!! Have a great 'creative' week kim!!

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  4. Oh Kim, another wonderous post. What you do with encouraging those young folks talents is Wondrous! What you come up with at the op shops (thrift shops as we call them) is wondrous and what you do to inspire me is wondrous!!!!!

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  5. Great vest! I love when a design moves around a piece of clothing like that.

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  6. Oh Kim what fun you are having with the kids...and I can see the pride in their faces. Love the use of denim!

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  7. You saved the best for last...the vest remake is amazing. Although I was as interested in all the denim pants as well. You really know where to shop for some good bargains. I sure wish I would have had a teacher such as yourself when I first started to learn to sew.

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  8. What a great idea. I love the jeans and vest!

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  9. I love what you do with old jeans and all those different types of embellishments!AriadnefromGreece!

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  10. Fantastic, wonderful creations!!!
    Have a great week.:*

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  11. Those clothes are so cute, lovely job

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  12. Wonderful post Lizzie - you are so creative … I love shopping in charity shops - there are so many treasures to be found …. Have a great week.

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  13. Hello there Kim, visiting your blog is always SUCH a treat ... there is so much visual gorgeousness that I just love to sit & absorb it all with my cuppa. I would so much love to join the Kim Sharman School of Stitching Excellence ... what fun those kids must have. Those denim quilts they have made are amazing works of art. I can just imagine their excitement at coming along to your lessons again. Isnt it great when you can "fill a bag" at the Opshops for a certain amount, its amazing what one can manage to shove in those bags. Your denim upcycling is pure works of art, I just adore that vest. Hope you have a wonderful week back at "work" Kim. Sending smiles & hugs across the miles x0x0

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  14. Oh Kim! I remember when you first wrote about those girlies. That little pair of shorts with the red trim......are they by chance an 8? haha
    Lovely lovely post as usual. So much pretty ; )

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  15. Miss Kim...you are beyond talented! I love the tarted up upcycled denim. Your kiddos are obviously learning a lot at the 'Kim Sharman School of Sewing Excellence'.

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  16. I Love all the Jazzed up jeans :) So creative and fun!

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  17. Loving your work once again, you make me feel like I should up up cycle the old school clothes that they wont accept at the second hand shop. mmm left me thinking again. Love the tarted up jacket/girls vest. Lucky kids for having such a progressive and imaginative teacher

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  18. Pritty! Pritty! Good luck with lessons!šŸ‘–šŸŒø

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  19. Hello Kim,

    The op shops must love you coming in to deplete their supply of denim.Blue and Green shouldn't be seen reminded me of the Colour Kittens Little Golden Book.
    Have fun with your students.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

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  20. You are a gifted bargain hunter and the transformations that ordinary clothes undergo in your house leaves me amazed! Such a cleverness and prettiness :)

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  21. Ooooo, so many pretties!! You have the best ideas for embellishments! I love the jeans and vest, beautiful, and the quilts looks so cute and cozy. I've been working on making an apron from overalls. I'll try to post it next week. You've probably already made one but I haven't seen too many on the 'net. I got my idea from a friend. Have a great week!

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  22. Oh boy do you ever know how to up cycle! The embellishments on the jeans and the vests are just darling! And what gorgeous denim quilts the kids made. Easy to see that your heart is in it and you love pretty things! Happy to be a new follower
    hugs,
    Jann

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  23. Those are so clever and pretty too!!! What wonderfully whimsical embellishments, Kim!! It's no wonder that the kids love it at your place.

    -Soma

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  24. Ohhh I LOVE how you up-cycled those jeans!! Gorgeous and joyful!! Hugs, Wendy

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  25. All this and a sense of humor! I love it! The tarting up has to be my favorite though because ainget to live the life of "all things pink" when I see your girls sewing and the way they love pretty-fying things. Always such incredible colors and so much to make me smile! I love your heart for your students and your life! Thank you!

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  26. I LOVE your blog!!! beautiful works!!!
    would you like to follow each other? let me know...
    Besos, desde EspaƱa, Marcela♥

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  27. You are filled with so many amazing ideas for 'tarting'. Each one is a beautiful. The vest is fantabulous - I love that you added the doily at the back.

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