A great model, isn’t she! Meet my lovely granddaughter Lauren who had lots of fun in my studio trying on and modeling some of my recent wearable creations.

She put together outfits with my altered jean jackets and vests, scarves, and purses…..and I snapped away taking photos!  Delightful!

I’ve been busy making my textile creations for an upcoming open studio sale with two other artists in June. More to come on that…but if you live near Spokane, circle June 23 on your calender and come check us out.

One of my favorite things to do is alter jean jackets……as you see on Lauren…and I’ve been experimenting with wet felting and making bags. I’ll post more photos of the details….but until then….here Lauren having fun with Grama’s Goodies!

Love that girl….and love to see her having fun with my textile art. Of course, it’s my dream that at least one of my three granddaughters might pursue a career in art someday……..All three of them are alreadywonderful artists!!

If you’ve read the Altered Clothing section on my blog, you know I love denim clothing that’s been jazzed up with embellishing and remaking. I had so much fun doing altered jean jackets for my two daughters and three granddaughters (check out the photos in the Altered Clothing section)…..but, naturally, I didn’t get mine done last winter when I was doing theirs. I’m sure all of you out there who make lots of great stuff and give it away for gifts (keeping none for yourself) can relate to that!

 Anyway…..I finally got something done for myself….not a jacket but a vest……and I’m very pleased with it.

 I’m kind of particular about the handmade or embellished clothing I want to wear….it needs to look fun and artsy, but not “crafty.” I hope that’s clear….all I can say, is I know it when I see it! 

On my vest, I used several African-looking commercial fabrics, including a great animal print, and cut from the fabrics to create the raw-edged applique.

A little hand-stitching  and beading around the collar …..

And lots of machine stitching with metallic threads and beads, of course! The beads I used on my vest are kind of a dull copper looking……I didn’t want to create a really glitzy look….more of a ethnic look.

If you’d like to try one of your own….a great place for purchasing your jacket or vest is on ebay or at your local thrift shop. The price is right and you’ll get a genuine used and lived-in look….which is a great contrast for the embellishing.

 And here’s the fun part…..I’ll be wearing it soon at International Quilt Market in Houston! Not exactly my usual professional look….but perfect for wearing during the Schoolhouse presentation my daughter Rachel and I will be doing. We’ll be talking about our new book, Sew Easy Sewing, which includes tips and ideas for altering your own jean jacket. It should be fun!

You met my daughter Rachel earlier….but this time she’s wearing the jean jacket I embellished for her….plus posing with her delightful (if I do say so myself!) daughter Brooklyn.

Rachel’s jacket has lots of glitz and sparkle…..I used  metallic threads to stich the raw-edge appliqued flowers and to add metallic stitching around the appliques. Of course the gold at the bottom adds a certain glamour of its own too.

The jackets, all five of them, were fun to embellish and didn’t really take a lot of time. I know they’ve passed the test when I see my daughters and granddaughters wearing them!

My granddaughter Josie loves butterflies….so naturally I set out to find the perfect butterfly fabric to use to embellish her jacket. I think I found it! She especially loves the huge butterfly on the back.

She picked out the glitzy ric rac at the bottom…..it was a great choice. Josie, age six,  has a very definite sense of  style….and I always love it!

Here’s another jacket…..and another daughter! This is Stacey and she’s modeling the altered jean jacket I created for her. My goal was to make it kind of elegant and sophisticated…..for a jean jacket! Not too much bling……just a great vintage looking Asian-inspired fabric for the appliques.

Stacey, or Nurse Nancy as she is affectionately called around here, is an emergency room nurse in Wenatchee, WA, and the mother of Jared and Lauren….two of my wonderful grandchildren. I can always count on her great sense of style and fashion…..and lots of good advice when I need it.

ANOTHER JACKET!  this one belongs to my granddaughter Lauren, age 5, and she’s modeling it for you. Hers is all about bunnies ….plus pink polka-dots on the bottom as she loves pink too

I sprinkled tiny buttons here and there…and used raw-edge applique to stitch a bunny family on the back. The back of the jacket is a great place to show off a large applique.    Besides….then they look fabulous coming and going!

My granddaughter Brooklynn, age four,  is proudly showing off  her jacket that Grama Happy (as she calls me) embellished for her. She’s definitely a pink-kind-of-girl so I used pink appliqued flowers, baby-sized buttons, trims and a poka-dot border at the bottom.

She’s pleased with it…as you can see! It makes a great swimming suit cover-up!

How’s this for Girls Galore! The girls are my two daughters, Stacey and Rachel, and my three granddaughters  –Josie, Brooklynn, and Lauren. Each is wearing a jean jacket that I embellished for them …..the girls were ready to go swimming but I managed to bribe them into putting on their jackets before they jumped in! Not an easy task to get all those smiles!

 I’ve had a lot of fun the last several months embellishing them……it was a little tough squeezing in the time (mostly late at night) with my schedule….but some things you just have to do…even if you don’t have the time!

I used raw-edged applique and stitched funky or exotic motiffs cut from fabrics onto the jackets. I tried to match the fabrics I chose for the applique to the tastes of the girls….which was fun. I used decorative threads to stitch them in place…and added a few random lines of stitching here and there. Then I added beads, buttons, crystals etc. etc….depending on the look I was after.  I did a little hand-stitching on some of them as well.

One of my favorite design details…..I took the buttons or snaps of the bottom band of the jacket and covered over it with a fun print. Nothing detailed or time-consuming…just stitched it on the front and back with raw-edges showing.

I’ll be adding close-ups of each jacket in days to come….keep checking to see them. Oh yeah….one economical detail….I bought all the jackets on ebay……none of them cost more than $18.00….which made it even more fun!! I love a bargain!