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Why I don't buy new jeans

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scraps of denim in a patchwork pattern on cardstock

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“With Radha’s spirit and cool sense of style - I knew making her pattern while upcycling the denim would be the bag of my dreams!”

- @samscreativeside

THE TOTEPACK PATTERN

HI I'M RADHA

I’m a textile artist, sustainability educator and small business strategist based in San Francisco. But don't worry, I balance all that serious stuff with a fair bit of silliness, and I share my work without judgement.

My unique expertise and passion for sustainability was fueled by a 15-year career in the apparel industry where I travelled the world, visited denim factories in China and Bangladesh, and unfortunately had a front seat to the rise of fast fashion. I used to create new jeans but now at Sewing through Fog I help keep those same jeans out of a landfill through classes and patterns to help you Quilt Your Jeans.

LECTURES

Upcycled Greeting Cards: Turn Fabric Scraps into Handmade Gifts

Looking for a fun way to use up the tiniest scraps of fabric? Upcycled greeting cards are one of my favorite little scrap-busting...

An upcycled denim and leather quilt at QuiltCon 2025

QuiltCon 2025 Upcycled & Repurposed

My goal for QuiltCon 2025 was to shine a light on all things upcycled at the show. In this post I'm sharing the quilts I found, and some sto

Helping you Quilt your Jeans with QuiltInk!

Want to experiment with quilting with Jeans in a fun and easy way? I teamed up with QuiltInk to create a special denim palette!

THE TOTEPACK

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Pattern & Upcycling Guide

It’s finally happening! I just opened up FeelGood Fibers to new categories: Notions & Tools, Yarn & Needle Arts, Vintage Quilts and Books. Comment “SELL” and I’ll send you a link to get set up on the site so you can start your destash!

If you are already set up as a vendor, you can start to list those items right now. And if you have any friends who embroider, knit, or have a sewing room filled with notions, please send them over!

For those looking to buy, you will need to have a little bit of patience as things start to get added to the site, and if you are just here for the fabric, don’t worry, that will always be the focus of the site. But I know that our sewing rooms are stuffed with more than just fabric! And my goal is to make all secondhand sewing and crafting supplies more accessible to everyone, and keep them out of the landfill.

#fabricdestash

I’ve had a couple different versions of a design wall for my quilts (I just keep making it bigger and sturdier 😂), this version is really a winner.

The whole thing cost me less than $50, the biggest expense was the foam insulation board. I had the batting and muslin already (and the duct tape), but if not I would have gotten fabric at Scrap of course!

#sewingroomorganization #designwall

I went to wear this jacket the other day and was reminded of two things I wanted to share. [it’s my Cosmic Waterfall Mini pattern, if you want to try it out comment “MINI” and I’ll send you the link. It’s not easy, but there is a video tutorial ☺️]

#1: quilting is pretty cool. 😂. No seriously, what I mean is you can create so much texture and dimension just by quilting some smooshy layers together. I tend to get so caught up in the piecing, that sometimes I forgot how powerful quilting can be by itself.

You might be thinking “duh, that’s why I’m a quilter”. But, um, 🤷🏻‍♀️. I love the inside of this jacket so much, it makes me want to reverse quilt everything.

#2: I’ve been making things more complicated since the very beginning. I mentioned recently how I keep trying to make simple block based quilts but then I get bored and have to make them harder. I totally forgot about Cosmic Waterfall!

This was the first pattern I ever designed and it started as a simple block-based pattern but then I offset the middle row of blocks, and on the full size I did this complicated ombré thing, and then I decided to make a mini version with completely different construction instructions so it had to be its own pattern, but then I had to make video tutorials because it was so complicated.

My point being… some things never change? 🤷🏻‍♀️

#denimjacket #quiltjacket

The struggle (that I create for myself) is real. I want to make a simple quilt. I love simple, minimalist designs, maybe 2 colors, a single block. But I don’t love me making them.

I had an epiphany the other day, why I’m not suited to making quilts. It’s because I make stuff to either fill a specific need, or to try something new. Those are my motivations.

I don’t need a quilt. And once I’ve made a block or sewn two specific fabrics together, it’s done, I tried it and don’t need to do it again. I know that for many quilters, the process, the repetition, are soothing and satisfying, but I can’t find those feelings.

The obvious solution is I hire a team of assistants and I make the first block and then they do all the rest. And then I quilt one corner and they quilt the rest. 😁😂

I’m kidding… there is no solution because there is no problem. I don’t have to make quilts. But I love simple, minimalist block-based quilts with 1 to 2 colors… A blue and white 9-patch maybe.

I think my next quilt is going to be a simple blue and white 9-patch. But the blue will be denim. And it will have an ombré effect from light to dark. No wait, what if the whole quilt is white silk and (I have these silk paints I’ve never used) what if I paint the blue parts?? 🫠

Sigh…

Status update on these 501’s. I have a couple patches done and am also starting to add just stitching over some areas to reinforce them. That’s about it.

I really like how clean and simple the denim patches are with the embroidery floss I dyed with indigo. It’s kind of like visible/invisible mending. Also I got new (to me) pliers at Scrap, so that’s helping the process for sure.

#visiblemending #invisiblemend

Big thanks to Jeanna over at @thepeoplesmending for her actually helpful video you should be watching instead of mine 😂. Although, I stand behind the importance of doing things badly on the internet, and I plan to keep doing it.

Everyone on the internet is an expert these days, so I try to mix it up by being a fairly knowledgable person who sometimes doesn’t know what they are doing. Unless it’s being able to tell the fabric weight/content of a Jean in someone else’s video (I’m guessing 11oz, 98/2 cotton/spandex).

But seriously I’m into this technique, I just need to wait until the perfect pair of pliers get donated to Scrap. I’m going to keep trying with my current pliers but they are just too heavy and awkward…

#mending #visiblemending #denimrepair

I mean, everything could totally be blue and white… but when I was redoing the @feelgoodfibers site this summer I kind of became obsessed with putting chartreuse (favorite color since I was a kid) with violet and I thought it would make a cute quilt.

But then, and some of you might look at this as a pain, because I don’t buy new fabric, I waited for fabric to come into Scrap that was those colors. It was fun, like a scavenger hunt. Seriously, hear me out. The creativity that comes with the hunt, with searching for an item secondhand, is a special thing.

I know we have become used to the convenience of choosing from 10 shades of purple, any size we need, get it delivered in a day. But sometimes the opposite is so much more rewarding. Seeing a scrap of white fabric that someone tie-dyed with yellow/green and pink/purple, magically show up when you never planned to use tie-dye, it’s like fate brought you together!

I also really appreciate that my @olisohome iron matches this quilt 😅.

#sustainablesewing #creativereuse #scrapquilt

After mending the huge holes on these 501’s, I’m now reinforcing and patching some of the smaller rips and areas that need some help.

I could have done these repairs invisible also, but I’ve wanted to do simple denim patches for a while (rather than my usual overcomplicated creations 😅). And I like where these are headed. Medium blue denim patches and embroidery thread that I lightly dyed with indigo.

I do have to say though, hand-sewing through 2-3 layers of heavyweight denim is no joke. I’m having to do this in little bits because my hand gets really tired.

#visiblemending #upcycledjeans #repairdontreplace #501s

I met Amber thanks to @zakfoster.quilts Quilty Nook, and I’ve watched in awe as her art has grown and evolved over the last couple years. The textures and stories she tells with her hand-dyed fabrics are stunning. If you plan to be on Oahu any time soon, check out her exhibit!

From Amber:
My motivation as an artist is greatly influenced by my training in art therapy. Consequently, my artistic practice explores themes of healing and growth both personal and communal. Along those lines, I shifted to using natural dyes for my textile art after a decade of using synthetic dye to align my values and my practice. This provided a path to researching indigenous natural dyestuffs and rediscovering personal and ancestral connections to plants.

My work in my current exhibition, “from the dirt and back to the breath”, includes childhood inspired colors made from walnut husks and marigold flowers, as well as those grown and foraged from where I live now in Honolulu. The blended color palette of the sewn silk organza contains layers of time, memory, and place that offers a chance of new interpretations of personal history and narrative. The exhibition is open M-F 8am-4pm at First Hawaiian Center, 999 Bishop Street in Downtown Honolulu.

#sustainabledyeing #plantdyed #textileart

These 501’s came into Scrap looking a hot mess. The holes were so big and there were scribbled drawings all over them. But they were 501’s and they were my size(ish) so I had to try to rescue them.

Most of the drawings came out in the wash, but left some odd stains, which I don’t really mind. The mends aren’t perfect, but the jeans are wearable now, and I’m probably going to add a couple patches to cover up a couple holes and a stain or two.

Not bad for an hour or two of work!

#visiblemending #repairdontreplace #jeansrepair

After finishing my cityscape quilt I really needed a fun mini project I could do in a couple hours, and I just happened to spot this vintage knitting basket at Scrap and thought aha!

Is it super practical storage? Not really! But I realized I can use it as a mending caddy and leave my hand-sewing in there with my mending kit and carry it into the living room to hand sew while I watch crappy reality TV! Whoops, I mean while I meditate and contemplate the meaning of life 👀.

These projects are so fun because there is only upside. You find something someone else gave away, you give it a bit of love, you have something custom that you made. And if it doesn’t work out, you learned something and the object isn’t any worse than when you found it.

What would you like to rescue?

#sustainablesewing #upcycledhome #vintageknitting

If you were to invite me to a Halloween party, I wouldn’t go because I’m an introvert, but if I did go I’d probably wear this Workout Tiger (also Hobbes) costume I made in 2002. Because when you make something with love and care, it can last forever.

I’m not going to lecture you about how wasteful Halloween has become, I’m just going to passive aggressively share how wonderful and sustainable a handmade Halloween costume is 😂.

That’s all I have for you today. Stay safe and eat candy if you want!

#diyhalloween #couplescostume #sustainablesewing

No joke, this was the beginning of my cityscapes quilt. There was no city, just strips and circles. I still like the first version that kind of looks like a giant pill 😂.

And then it morphed into something I thought was going to be an american(ish) flag. And then it was just going to be squares of strips… but then it became a city! And then the circles came back and got eyes, and then and then…

Nothing is ever a straight line for me. Which is what keeps me interested and excited about making. Sometimes (but rarely) I have a very clear idea of what I want the outcome to be, but even then, I don’t know the path to get there and I have to search and experiment along the way.

#upcycledjeans #denimart

There’s one week left to get your bids in for Scrap’s Annual fundraising auction!!

What could be better? Supporting an amazing nonprofit AND local artists?! It’s basically the opposite of giving your money to billionaires ☺️.

Here are just a couple of my favorite listings, (I had to sneak mine in at the end 😅) but there are so many more! Check them out.

#creativereuse

You might be thinking “wouldn’t it be easier to just buy a new exercise top?” And you wouldn’t be wrong, but this was one of the most fun and rewarding projects I’ve done in a long time.

Those shorts had been sitting in the back of a drawer (they were too small but I loved the dark tie-dye print) and I knew if I donated them they would just end up in a landfill. And up until this year I didn’t have a machine that could execute the transformation I wanted.

Now, having my BERNINA L890, I was way more confident to do the upcycle (especially with the coverstitch) and it was such a great feeling to wear this top for the first time and realize I made something I love out of something that could have been trash.

It’s such an amazing feeling to wear something you made. It might not be as convenient as buying something, but the time you spend making it is part of what makes it special.

#sustainablesewing #upcycledfashion #berninausa #berninaambassador

I’ve never started a quilt thinking about it hanging in a future show. Actually, most of my quilts don’t even start with the goal of making a quilt 😂. They usually start with an experiment, a curiosity about a technique or a material.

So at the end of the day, if an experiment ends up as a finished quilt, and I decide to submit it to a show, I’m generally stumped by which category it should go in. It doesn’t make it easier that my quilts don’t follow a lot of rules or fit in other quilters styles.

This one is especially tricky because it has so many different elements and techniques; improvisation and technical piecing in the cityscape, appliqué for the faces and a ton of different hand stitching techniques but the quilt is mostly machine quilted.

This is obviously just a silly reel, but I wanted to share this to remind everyone it’s actually pretty cool to not fit perfectly in a category. And for everyone stressing out about the submission deadline, I’m not going to say it’s not important, but I’d suggest trying to find some humor or lightness in the process.

#upcycledjeans #quiltcon2026 #sustainablesewing

It’s SCRAP SF’s annual fundraiser auction and I’m super excited to be donating one of my original Totepacks!! No really, I’m not having a very hard time letting this go and am definitely not considering bidding on it to get it back 😂😅.

I chose this specific item because it was made with almost 100% materials from @scrapsf and you can’t go wrong with woven denim.

This years fundraiser is extra important because SCRAP is raising funds to move to a new home when their lease expires next year, and if they can get a bigger and more accessible space that means more events, more classes, more amazing art supplies saved from landfills and more help for San Francisco students and teachers.

So check it out!

#upcycledjeans #creativereuse

Sneak peak 👀… I’m starting a new project that I plan to slowly build over the next year – Sue in San Francisco 🌁. After seeing all the amazing vintage Sue’s that have been donated to Scrap recently, I decided I wanted to make my own modern Sue quilt, reflecting the uniqueness of my home city.

I was going to wait to share it until I had a bit more progress, but with the recent comments by the unhinged doofus in charge of this country about how SF may be the next place he sends the national guard to address crime rates (which are actually at record lows both in SF and Oakland).

The point isn’t just that homicide rates are the lowest they have been in 70 years, it’s that we don’t want or need that idiot anywhere near California and he can F off and take ice with him. ☺️

And look how cute those little shoes are using the denim selvedge and those little laces!

#craftivism

A couple months ago I had a discouraging conversation with someone in the quilting world. I was offering to help them celebrate sustainability in a bigger way, and they weren’t willing.

They felt like it was too hard to define, too messy, with too many unknowns. And they were 100% correct. Well, they were correct it was all those things, where we disagreed was that those things were too much.

This post is not a criticism of them, I completely understand why someone would feel that way. Not only is sustainability an almost meaningless word these days, but with the gotcha culture online, people are just waiting to tear you apart if you make the smallest mistake.

I guess what I’m hoping, is that if I keep sharing this message, and I keep putting myself out there, willing to make mistakes, that other people will also. And at some point it won’t be an option anymore, for people to say no.

If this message resonates with you, I’d just ask that you keep the conversation going with your friends, with other quilters, with your guild. Because we can make change together.

#textileart #sustainablecrafting

Between loosing my needle I’m quilting my cityscape quilt with little French knots. Like little droplets of indigo falling down from the city into the caverns below.

Is that part of the very complicated and slightly silly story I’ve made up to go along with this quilt?? Why, yes it is.

And I’ve decided to start the artist statement with “it was a dark and stormy night” because I’ve been obsessed with the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for ages and I just think it would be appropriate ☺️.

#denimart #slowstitching

Fail week continues here at Sewing through Fog. Or more accurately: things that can be perceived as fails but are actually not. Like getting judges’ feedback that feels like it missed the point.

This is NOT a post saying that quilt judges should only say nice things, I think constructive criticism is super important. This is a post saying that you need to take their feedback with many grains of salt. Especially if you are trying to do something… outside of the usual.

Quilting, like any art form, has endless styles—and we’re all drawn to different things. Judges have their own values too, so your work might not speak to them. But it might speak deeply to someone else (like me!). Don’t let one person’s opinions shake your confidence.

Now, just to be clear, this judge was absolutely correct that some of my leather strips could have matched up in a more precise way. The word “accurate” is what got to me because it implied I fell short or failed to deliver what I wanted. And that’s false. My intent was never to have “perfect” points. I accurately executed what I wanted to.

Ok, now I’m just whining 😂. Because just like many of you, I let a judge’s feedback get under my skin. But I definitely didn’t let it shake my confidence (I have plenty of that). ☺️

#denimart #upcycledjeans

Since the theme of this week randomly became “fails”, I thought it was the perfect time to share this part of my cityscape quilt process.

This is the part of my process where I’m completely stumped, but know that the quilt needs to be more “silly”, so of course I freehand cut out a large bird (not big!) but then he gets eaten by a giant denim PacPerson (not man!).

Why was this a fail? It wasn’t, it was pure genius, maybe my favorite thing I’ve ever made. But… I’m not using it and now the bits of Large Bird are lost in my sewing room, never to come together again.

Some might view this as a waste or fail, because it didn’t make the cut, and won’t be used. But it was an important part of the process. Doing this work helped me decide that denim faces were the level of silly I wanted, but denim face eating a large bird was a bit too silly.

#imperfectart #denimart

Along this week’s theme of fails… 😂

No really, I started to record myself hand-sewing my little denim faces onto my cityscape quilt but then realized I was no longer holding my needle, which honestly happens at least 5 times whenever I attempt to hand sew.

If you want to give me a suggestion you totally can, but at this point it’s just become part of the process.

#slowstitching #handsewing

Sometimes I sew stuff with no planning and it goes super well and fits great. Sometimes I sew stuff that is a giant hot mess (like everything I made the last three days).

but failing is part of learning, and in my opinion, the best way to learn how to sew and to upcycle is by trying everything at least once, and not being scared to make a mess.

That doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating though…

#sewingfail #vintagepattern #upcycledfashion

I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to make a bunch of denim faces. It started a year ago when Quilting Arts magazine asked me to write a tutorial for upcycling denim, and I created a kind of mod appliqué out of various size circles, and then used those circles on a jacket and other things.

I’ve had the extra circles sitting around, and at one point I realized they should also be faces. That’s usually how it goes – each project is connected and leads to the next project. Materials get used and transformed and the materials left over become something new.

The circle of [fabric] life. Also things tend to start more serious and progressively get sillier…

#denimart #upcycledfashion

I had to do one more. But that’s it, no more. But I highly recommend doing these when you have other much more important things to do but you just don’t want to do the important things😂🤣.

Quilt backdrop and faces made out of upcycled jeans and then embroidered with thrifted thread, green parts are a secret.

The key to doing this was using a phone stand (I have a @shopcanvas.co that I use for everything) and then a little remote clicker so you don’t have to touch your camera every time (mine is also from Canvas)(not an ad).

I was going to name this short film “There is always a bigger fish” but I thought giving it a name was silly in a pretentious kind of way, not in a everything-I-do-is-silly kind of way.

#sustainablesewing #upcycledjeans #denimart

I can’t sew the denim faces on my quilt yet because first I have to make stop motion films with them… until I run out of patience because this whole 12 seconds of video took me at least an hour 🤦🏻‍♀️.

But how cute is the little pac-person tumbling down and bouncing on the big pac-person’s head?? It’s true denim art. 😆😁

Also now the quilt has radioactive green on it, which is making me like it so much more. [you can’t see the green yet, but let me tell you, it’s pretty cool, especially because of what I made it out of ☺️].

#upcycledjeans #denimart

I will almost always choose draping over using a pattern. It’s just more my style of doing things – it’s more free. You are letting the fabric guide you.

Yeah, there are some things (most pants) that I’d choose a pattern over draping. Or if I know I want a very specific style. But it’s basically the same as quilting for me: fabric first, pattern/style second.

With this top you can see at the end how I used my dress form to experiment and try out different shapes. It was ultimately the fade lines in the denim that guided the shape and how it would come together.

#upcycledfashion #denimupcycle

I still have some scraps leftover… should I make a hat?? 😂

I really love this vest(?) thing. It was such a happy accident that I had to make this because I had scraps leftover from the spliced jeans. And that’s 100% my favorite way to create – with limitations!

I always make my best stuff when I have limited supplies or I’m trying to solve a puzzle. I just like working that way. It feels so rewarding to make something out of nothing much.

Do you agree?

#denimupcycle #upcycledjeans #upcycledclothing

The city is constructed so it’s time to add the little… whatever they are. I made extra of the little things, they aren’t all going on. But for sure my favorite which is the one with wild eyebrows.

I almost decided to put this quilt away and not finish it, because I was feeling uninspired and overthinking it, but then I remembered what I wanted to call the quilt, and it made me laugh, so now I want to finish it again.

You can’t know the name yet because it has to be seen with the finished quilt.

#denimart #upcycledjeans #denimupcycle

I’ve been working on this one a bit every week. I wasn’t sure how this idea would work – chunky Sashiko thread for darning a delicate silk and wool blend jacket, but I’m really liking it.
There are so many little tears and areas where the fabric has worn out, it’s going to take a lot more time before it’s done. But I’m ok with that.

#visiblemending #repairdontreplace #slowstitching

I got a lot of questions about how the inside seams were finished and how I controlled the bulk. It was some overlocking in my BERNINA L890 and a lot of top-stitching.

You won’t have to have an overlock (serger) to sew denim but it really helps control the fray and give everything a clean finish. Sometimes I like fraying as a detail, but for making a long lasting garment, it’s not ideal.

I’m still pondering how I do a tutorial for this project.. I’ll keep you posted.

#upcycledjeans #denimupcycle #sustainablesewing

We got a ton more vintage Sunbonnet Sue blocks in at @scrapsf this week, they are in the yarn sale that’s happening right now. Because that’s going to restore democracy. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I mean, volunteering at a nonprofit that supports arts education in schools and combats landfills/climate change, right now, I guess that is fairly radical.

Plus helping teach people to mend their clothes and reuse their textiles is squarely anti late stage capitalism. So then it’s not too frivolous! Until tomorrow’s news hits…

#creativereuse #sustainablesewing #visiblemending #upcycledclothing

Ok, I might not love these on, but I’m obsessed with them in pictures 😂. I don’t try to make “art”, I upcycle to make utilitarian things (I had 2 jeans that didn’t fit, making 1 jean that does is just logical). But then sometimes I don’t want to use the things I make, I just want to photograph them as beautiful objects 🤔.

Because, not to toot my own horn, but the craftsmanship on these was pretty great ☺️. And I didn’t use an industrial machine – everything was sewn on my BERNINA 770.

Inspired by @elvdenim
Sewn on my @berninausa
#upcycledjeans #upcycledfashion #denimupcycle

What an honor and much needed joy for SCRAP to be recognized last night at the San Francisco Symphony’s annual All San Francisco concert.

To see Davies Symphony hall filled with Bay Area nonprofits, social services, and grassroots organizations, all fighting for a more just and equitable city.

Last night was an antidote to the current state of this country. Are you feeling scared and overwhelmed and powerless? Go volunteer in your community!! There are people and organizations in your town or city that need you, where you can actually make a difference.

Let’s put as much love and kindness out into the world as we possibly can. I’m serious, I’m not just being cheesy. If you have the privilege and ability to help others, why not do it? I promise it will help you also.

#creativereuse #shopsecondhandfirst

Audrey is the queen of repairs. We’ve spent countless hours side by side at the @scrapsf library mending clinics, and whenever I’m stumped, she’s the one I turn to. I might even join her upcoming sweater mending class at the end of the month. Follow her at @salvagestudiosf for serious inspo, or reach out if you’ve got a beloved piece that needs some repair magic.

From Audrey:

Salvage Studio SF originally started as me soliciting repairs from neighbors to create content for my thrift style account @a_thrifted_wardrobe. When video content emerged, I experimented with repair tutorials and the engagement informed me that’s where I should shift my focus. Folks were eager to learn, and it was a niche I had the skill and passion to fill. Eventually I realized I enjoyed executing repairs themselves over content creation, so the business was born!

Today I repair everything from moth-eaten sweaters and ripped jeans to burnt puff jackets and zippers for folks across the country—2500 garments and counting! I also teach skills workshops to empower folks to tackle their mending piles themselves and partner with brands to bring mending to a wider audience.

My next sweater repair class is 9/23 (register at my link in bio) and if you have any beloved garments needing a repair, please reach out via email hi@salvagestudiosf.com

#repairdontreplace

I finished this little free tutorial and it has a video and a PDF guide/pattern thing. Comment “Card” and elves will send you a link.

So, a while back I was listening to @wendymac talk about how adults have lost their sense of play (i think that’s how she put it), and how people need to be freer and sillier and experiment more, and I thought Yes!!!

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always felt very free to experiment and mess things up and be free to try new creative things (which is opposite to my perfectionist tendencies I know). And I’m always pushing people to just try it. If you’ve never sewn with denim, just try it! What do you have to loose?

But this is also why I love upcycling and repurposing so much: there is no pressure to do it well. You didn’t like the thing you started with, so it’s likely you will only make it better!

And this tutorial is the perfect example of that. All you need is some fabric scraps and an old greeting card or sheet of cardstock. If it looks like crap at the end, who cares? But I bet it won’t.

#upcycledjeans #denimart #diygreetingcard

Finished Kintsugi mend for Brandy @quilteronfire ☺️❤️

I can finally share this now that it has made its way back to Canada. This was such a different kind of mend for me, and so filled with love because it was for a friend.

This North Face hoodie was cut off Brandy by search and rescue after a bike accident earlier this year, and when she asked if I wanted to do something to bring it back to life, of course I said yes. But I didn’t want to do an invisible mend, or even a fun patch repair. I wanted the mend to add to the story of the garment.

And when someone mentioned Kintsugi (a Japanese art form where broken objects are repaired with gold), it just clicked. Kintsugi is about highlighting the flaws and the damage, rather than hiding them. It’s about resilience, and it seemed so perfect for this project.

I highlighted the jagged edges where the sweatshirt had been cut, because they were so cool, rather than making everything straight and even. I made bias binding out of super lightweight denim (because denim) and then hand sewed gold trim I found at SCRAP.

I definitely want to try this again, but it would have to be the right item. Clothing doesn’t usually break into pieces…

#kintsugirepair #visiblemending #repairdontreplace

Two of my favorite 49ers items.
(1) vintage jacket
(2) prototype (never released) Levi’s trucker jacket in gold.

Favorite football memory:
December 2011 at Candlestick, MNF when the lights went out.

Bay Area born and raised. Life long fan. Go niners!!

What am I looking at? You might be wondering. I’m still wondering even though I made it.

I was pulling threads off denim scraps to find the grain line (as one does), for the denim card tutorial I was making, and I ended up with a little pile of blue and white threads.

I often think about @heidi.parkes quilt, that I talked to her about at QuiltCon, where she kept the trimmings of the quilt and added them back to the front in a little pouch-like detail.

I had the blue card stock in front of me so I thought I’d experiment with attaching the threads to a card.

🤷🏻‍♀️ I like it?

#upcycledart #denimart #zerowasteliving

Routed West: Twentieth Century African American Quilts in California at @bampfa

What a great show. I mean… I know I haven’t been to many quilt shows but this was the best one I’ve seen. The colors, the textures, the materials, so inspirational!

My favorite quilt was The Fence, I can’t stop thinking about it. I want to try that block with denim and something… not sure what. But also the puff quilt from those little tobacco pouches.

I can’t show all the quilts I liked because it would be the whole show, so I just chose a couple.

Have you gone yet?

#quiltshow

I just did a really fun tutorial for the @berninausa blog on fabric weaving. Comment “Weave” and I’ll send you a link!

There are tips for using a serger to add a decorative element (I used my L890) but you can do this project without any special tools.

This is a great project to try if you have a fabric that might not exactly be your style (I mean, hey, I don’t sew with quilting cotton and I never use red). Because weaving is so transformative, especially when you make the strips small.

And it’s something that works with every textile!

#fabricweaving #sewingtutorial #upcycledjeans #sustainablesewing

Before you yell at me, I spell selvedge the British way because jeans or something. Anywhoose… I love talking about this stuff and hope this is interesting to someone out there ☺️.

Denim selvedge is a whole different conversation that we can have some time. Ooooh exciting!

#selvedge #fabricselvedge #sewingtipsandtricks

Whoops, I found some more. I actually started making these, not out of denim but out of fabric selvedges. If you swipe over to the pink and tan ones… The tan fabric is Essex Linen which has the most beautiful selvedge.

I’ve always liked the selvedge of the fabric almost more than the actual fabric… 🤔. I’m not sure what that says about me.

And this is totally something you could do with quilting cotton – make little cards with your fav fabric designers selvedge!

#denimart #upcycledjeans #diycards

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