couture: pronounced-kOtooer: the design and manufacture of fashionable clothes to a client's specific requirements and measurements. creative couture by kolein- the design, embellishment and overall jazzin' up of thrift store clothing to my specific requirements and measurements. One of a kinds...because aren't we all?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Blah-zay Blazer makes a come back

Welcome Friends.
This is the first post of my new couture blog.
I am thrilled that you stopped by

creative couture by kolein

I have longed to make my own clothes.
However,  patterns scare me.
I think it's my learning style, quite frankly.
However, I love sitting at the sewing machine,
dabbling with fabric.

So I decided after years of being nearly 6 feet tall, short waisted, with extra long arms (gosh I sound like something you might find at the zoo) I have ventured into my own personal line of clothing
by way of our local thrift stores and my VERY OWN closet,
and maybe one or two things that my husband might be throwing away.

Of course I will be the only one wearing this line of re-fashioned clothing.


Still, I wanted to share it with you to perhaps inspire you along your creative journey wherever it is now and wherever it will lead you.


I LOVE the process.
The destination, I'm finding, is pretty grand, too!

Here is my first 1920's England inspired blazer.

Here's what I started with:
On the left is an Eddie Bauer linen skirt that didn't really feel like me anymore.
On the right, a large blazer I purchased from a thrift store when I was pregnant.
It is from Spiegel.  Made of linen and lined.  I couldn't throw this back in the heap to go to the thrift.  So both items have been taking up residence in my studio for years.  Stop laughing.  That wasn't a joke.  



This here is a head band.  I LOVE the design.  I bought it from our local grocery store. I used every bit of this.

I began cutting and ruffling...and one thing lead to another...

I added a poofy collar, then some bell sleeves, then a rosette made from another thrift store skirt....then
added some accordion ruffles on the pockets, and part of the head band on the sleeve, cut the brown plastic buttons off, made new ones using the elastic from the head band...
Then my blazer became this, right before my eyes
Then I put this detail on the back
At one time this blazer fit my round belly.
Now it has been refashioned to be a spring or fall overcoat.

Thrift store
before



Creative Couture
after

JOINING THE TALENTED GALS OVER HERE TONIGHT



Please bear with me as I figure out what I'm doing here creating another blog.
The header is doing something weird and it's been a while since I worked with all the html things here in blog land.
Thank you.