New Project- Upcycled Jean Patches

 Welp I cut up the other three jeans that didn't sell. I wanted to make hats from them but the patches were in the wrong direction for a hat band. So I'm thinking patches for purses. 

I tell you, it hurt to cut up those jeans. But I think I can salvage the denim by patchworking it into a larger piece big enough for a few purses. These were a bit of work and some even had hand sewing on them. Part of me thinks maybe just sell the single patches. The flower in the bottom image is one of my fav's. 

Anyway, back to the drawing board. Lots to think about. 

Until next time! 

Scrappy Hat Finished

I promised myself I would finish this hat! Yea for me. Hopefully someone will think this is the perfect hat for them. I'm thinking a festival or even Burning Man. It's funky and standout. I even remembered to put my Curious Orange Cat label inside. 

I tried to do the same with 3 other pairs of jeans that haven't sold, but the designs were in the wrong direction for a hat band. So I'm thinking maybe a purse. 

 

Here is a different view. Sorry for the messy cutting mat. 

Here is a pretty picture I'll use for my Etsy listing. 

Photoroom even put it on a model for me. (click the picture to go to my Etsy store)

Not great, but not too bad either. 

Ok, back to the sewing room!

I Love These Two Hats So Much

 A while ago I bought a bunch of fabric from a friend of a friend whose mother was retiring from sewing. Boy she had everything from cotton to velvet to wool and so much in between. I also bought a large rement from one of my many fabric store suppliers. It was a upholstery tapestry fabric with a classic vintage look. I decided I needed to get out of my funky hat era for a bit and make something a little more vintage looking. 

I don't always know how something is going to come out. It's kind of a nice surprise. 

So here is the first hat. 

Ok, yes, I used AI for the background. But the hat turned out really nice. A friend of mine saw the picture and said she could totally see this on someone at Burning Man. That would be so cool! 

I lined it with a thick satin lining and the underside of the brim is a dark brown cotton velvet. Both from my friend of a friend purchase. The little flowers are made from wool. I have a very large stash of small pieces that work perfect. I did use my Accucut Die cutter for the flowers. The buttons look like little acorns. 

Here is the second hat. 

Ok, yeah, AI again. I use a app called "photoroom" I really love all the possibilities. 

Yes, I used a kantha quilt for the outside but I was feeling a bit down that day and decided the lining or reverse side needed to be bright and sunny. So I call this my sunshine hat. The yellow side is all regular cotton fabric that I have had for way too long. Glad I was finally able to make something fun with it. 

No the model isn't me. AI again. Yep, they put my hat on a person and it looks awesome!

A Little Change

 I had tried as I posted before to design my one stand alone website. I just gave up. Too many moving parts. So I had a very nice company design (Spiral Bridge Solutions) just a web page to get customers to my etsy store instead. I'm able to use my Curiousorangecat.com url instead of the whole etsy line. 

I still have so much work to do. Curious Orange Cat is doing ok. Not making me the big bucks but keeping me busy which is good. 

So enough of that!

I had some upcycled or decorated jeans on my Etsy site that just weren't getting any love at all. So onto plan B.  I decided to rework them into jean hats. 

Here is the first pair I'm going to work on.                                                                                                                                                                                             

I opened up the inner leg seams. (I noticed the pictures here make the jeans look more grey. But nope...they are very blue. Interesting how that works out. 

I cut off the back pockets to use on a different project later on. 

Now to get out my hat pattern and see if I can salvage these jeans into something else fun. 

A little off center, but I think it will work. Then onto the brim and top of the hat. 

The little bear patch was too far away to include it on the brim. Plus this little crochet flower was on the top tiny pocket and I didn't want to lose using it. So I cut it out and will add both to the top of the hat. 

Here is the layout. I also had a lining I had sewn but couldn't find a hat I liked to use it for. I think the colors will go great with this hat! Plus, I already sewed a wire into the edge of the brim. I'll have to find some fancy funky way to hide the wire later on. 

So Now to get sewing!!!

New Web Store Hopefully Coming Up Soon!

I have been wanting a stand alone store for a while now. But I get way too confused trying to do it myself with some of the major players like shopify. Too many moving parts and difficulty finding the elements that I want. Soo.... I have connected with a new company that has a human doing it for me. It's called Ueni.com. I talked to the owner Joel and he is working on it now. I can't wait to see what he comes up with. I of course will share it. 

This is the banner I hope to use. But he might come up with something better, we will see. 

 

Lack of Motivation

I'm sure it happens to all of us. Just getting out of bed is a an effort. I have Fibromyalgia. For the past two days I had done a bunch of work in the garden and was worn out. So every night before I go to sleep, I ask myself.."what are you going to do tomorrow" to set an intention for the next day.  That night I said I would finish this little reversible jacket I started. I saw the video off of Pinterest and loved the style. I had almost everything done except for some trim along the seam line on one side of the jacket. Yep, procrastinated that day and vegged out instead. The next day I turned on Spotify music and got so much done! 

I draped the trim around the manikin so I would keep seeing it and not get distracted. Did I mention I have ADD too? 

First time I sewed it on, my tread tension was off and the top white thread was showing on the inside red fabric. Sooo, had to rip it off. Sewed again, backwards... ripped it off again. Finally I turned on some music and got my head on straight. I also had to sew the trim on the sleeve seams as well. But of course ran out of the trim. So had to search for something for those seams. Thankfully I found a matching trim although it was a bit wider. But it works. 

So the jacket is done. I love it so much. Of course, it doesn't fit me. I used size Large flannel shirts and should have used xlarge. So it will be added to my Curiousorangecat.etsy.com store soon. I want to make at least two more.

So what do you think?

Want to try it for yourself? Here is the video. No patterns are needed. 

Reversible Jacket Tutorial They are a bit addictive. Have fun!

Custom Jeans Of Your Own

 In my last post, I showed three jeans I decorated for a customer. She said I need to do a better job of marketing myself. Seriously, I suck at marketing. I just want to make stuff!. Still thought I would put the process down just in case you want a pair of your own.

The process starts with a pair of jeans you already have that fit nice. 

I find out what your ideas are and make up some ideas. 

I send as many pictures as it takes until you like what you see. 

Once the design is approved, I sew it all down. 

That's it! Easy peasy. depending on my timeline and what the design is, it usually takes a few days to get them done and in the mail back to you. 

What is the cost? That is an important question. Typically I work at $20 and hour with extra costs for things like the hand made flowers and dots. Usually the cost is anywhere from  $65.00 to $125 plus shipping. 

I hope I can inspire you and I would love to design a pair for you! You can contact me via my email: Curiousorangecat@gmail.com. 

You can also check out my Etsy store for patches, purses and funky hats. Curious Orange Cat Etsy Store