Summer Fashion Fun

 I spent this past week teaching a one-on-one class entitled "Fashion Runway" to one of the seniors from my high school.  This class, which is part of our summer enrichment program, was offered on both the high school and middle school level.  Although my middle school class is full, Jenny was the only student enrolled at the high school level, and when the director of the program suggested I ask her if she wanted to do a one-on-one class, she consented. Since I taught Jenny for a trimester this past year, I already knew she is a very quick learner and a very sweet young lady who is a pleasure to teach.

Inspired by the TV program "Project Runway" I decided to present the class with a challenge for the week which was upcycling clothing- t-shirts and jeans.

Several years ago, I did this with a class and they all brought lots of different articles of clothing to redesign.  The piles of clothing got a little unruly at times.  We even had an old wedding gown in the mix. It was so much fun and the girls did an amazing job, so I knew this idea would definitely work.

Upcycled Drawstring t-shirt with sharpie dying technique

T-Shirt Scarf with sharpie dying technique

We started the week with a power point presentation of recycled clothing examples and discussed the schedule of activities for the week . I also did a bulletin board of examples that I made.  A former girlfriend of my son's accidentally bought him medium t-shirts only to discover they were a child's medium.  I hung onto them, as a true crafter never gets rid of anything that is a potential project in the making.  I turned them into shrugs and a sleeveless ruffled tank that I used on my bulletin board.

T-Shirt Headband

We experimented with dying using sharpies, and fabric dye and resist.  We made a headband and a scarf using t-shirts.  Jenny chose to redesign her t-shirt into a drawstring tank top using the sharpie dying technique on the front of the shirt in a diagonal pattern. She used the sharpie dying technique for the scarf as well.

Bead Wrapped Bracelet

Pajama pants-Simplicity Pattern

Bead and Ribbon Bracelet

One day we made some jewelry ( ribbon and pearl bracelet and bead wrapped necklace/bracelet) and a embroidery floss wrapped belt.  Jenny upcycled two pairs of jean shorts, and I taught her how to cut out a pattern for pajama pants and stitch them up.  She finished the pajama pants in our 2 hour class with 10 minutes to spare!  Although I taught her the basics of handsewing and machine sewing, Jenny already had a little experience on the sewing machine as a member of my sewing club .

Lace Up-Cycled Jean Shorts

I am very proud of Jenny's accomplishments in just 10 hours!  I hope she continues to pursue upcycling, sewing and jewelry making. I told her that she was a sort of my guinea pig for the much larger middle school version of the class.  She didn't seem to mind, though.  She agreed that it was a good test of difficulty and time for a much larger group.  We'll see how it goes next month, but for now, I'm happy to have spent an enjoyable week with a great student!

Lace Up-Cycled Jean Shorts- Back View