About upcycling clothes fast and why I have to be my own model.
Most things worth wile need their time to be mastered.
And sewing clothes or photographing well are for sure no exceptions to that.
But let me go through the upcycling first...
Meanwhile there are thousands of DIY videos out on the internet, making you believe that it takes just a few minutes and no experience to create upcycle clothes yourself. Turn an old boring shirt into a fashionable crop top, reality often doesn’t look as expected.
What I am trying to say is, that everything that promises you to get to a result faster than it took you so far, or faster than it takes people experienced in the subject, usually doesn’t work great.
Fast ways lead to fast results, that might end up in the recycling bin faster than expected.
Does it have to be difficult and complicated to be good then?
Either.
Even though most of my upcycling projects take me days and long hours of thinking and making, I figured out a few little upcycling-tricks, that can be done in a very short time, without disappointment on the result.
One of them is turning (stretchy) trousers or leggings into a top.
Basically, all you must do is cut a hole in the part right between the legs. Finished.
A bit of extra care and some more dedication doesn’t hurt though.
Instead of only cutting the hole, you could unpick the seams.
Test and try from time to time how big or wide you want your new neckline.
Cut it into shape if necessary. Should the neckline be round or a V?
Finish the edges of nicely so they wouldn’t open up later on.
Your new neckline is between the legs of your old trousers and the arms replace the legs.
Why should you transform trousers into a top?
If the trousers have a pattern or fabric that you like but wouldn’t want to wear it as such. If they are too long, too short, and even too tight or too loose. Or just for the fun.
The result obviously warries a lot, weather the trousers are loose or tight, long or short.
In my case they were too tight, and the waist was to low, which I don’t like. But I love the fabric. Lately I am into gold, who knows why?
I was very close to abandone this Mondays post.
Why? A lot of cheap reasons, not to confront a part in my work I am not always comfortable with.
Self-portraits.
Meanwhile I love to imagine how and where I want my clothes to be worn, I feel very incapable to replicate those pictures in actual photos.
It is a goal I am working on though. Getting better at taking self portraits of me and my clothes.
For a long while I didn’t want to see myself in front of the camera. “I am sewing the clothes” was my excuse “I am not into modelling, that should be someone else’s part”.
Guess what, “someone else” isn’t always around ready to be photographed in some slow fashion pieces that I just finished designing and sewing.
“Someone else” is also very hard to guide when taking photos of them. They usually know their angles better than you, and if I am not completely sure of what I want it isn’t going very far.
I dropped the project of someone-else-in-my-clothes (since a while, as you might have noticed). It’s going to be me.
It might rain, there are people around who could watch me, I do not have a remote control… and so on, where wandering through my thoughts. Teasing me with the option to let the project go. I didn’t listen.
It didn’t rain and running back and forth with my phone worked just fine. And I am actually quite excited about the outcome…
…which one is your favourite?
Thank you 
And thank you all for passing by, have a lovely week.
All photos and words are mine, written and taken by me.