blackcountryfabric

[blackcountryfabric]

OK, so no post for a few weeks. Here I have a finish sew doing the seams on the short leg bit of my dungarees.

They fit fairly well. One problem, since I started making them my waist and thighs have exploded. I have decided to blame Morrisons. It's the donuts. They're 50p a five pack and 10p on yellow label!

I used a mixture of single stitch and running stitch to tac the parts in place, enabling a secure hold whilst I get ready to affix to the main body and groin of the dungarees.

#cotton #recycle #denim #sewing #embroidery #reclaim #reclamation #reused #slowfashion #dungarees #handmade #Hand stitched #diy

[blackcountryfabric]

And so the jigsaw progresses.

It's a three part kit so far, basically a pair of short legs with a front piece and a sort of seat/bottom join thing.

These are the bottom half of some legs from women's river island boot cut jeans. They are the pre ripped sort so I may use that to try some random patching. I never really liked rips unless they were organic, I didn't like the pre distressed ideal that floated round in the 00s and have no intention of using that on the unworn fabrics here.

A view from the back. Three fly buttons from a pair of Levi's that are going to be acting as an anchoring point for the straps. The bottom half will be chopped to add the legs I built up.

This is the frontal view.

And finally a laid out version with all parts so far

#cotton #recycle #denim #sewing #reclaim #reclamation #reused #slowfashion #Dungarees #Jeans #levi's

[blackcountryfabric]

So there are a lot of benefits to recycling things.

This was an old pair of shorts. I stitch ripped the groin and inside leg, ran it through the sewing machine and did a bit of a trim on the excess. Now it's a hanging bag that holds my tea towels.

Yeah, I know, disappointingly simple but who said things had to be complicated? And it looks good, I left it alone for the most part. The point was though to get practice in using the sewing machine and I did that. The point wasn't to take the back off and sit there clearing a thread buildup related jam at half midnight but there we go.

The thing is I am surprised at the simplicity of some of the remanufacture (I won't say designs because I am not designing anything, just repurposing) to the point of asking myself why I didn't buy a sewing machine years ago? The thought back then had crossed my mind but to be honest I think I lacked the spark. Shame in this instance that it had to come from a bad break up but hey, life.

#denim #recycle #sewing #bag #reclaim #reclamation #reused #slowfashion #recycling #homemade #learning

[blackcountryfabric]

You should check out this Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BlackCountryFabric

Ohhhhh yeah, basic page is up. Selling purses at £2.50 a pop plus p&p. Should have mentioned it earlier really.

[blackcountryfabric]

[blackcountryfabric]

So after a long battle I finally won! The sewing machine sews!

Here is the result, a small four inch purse. I am intensely proud of this. It makes all the fighting and wrangling worth it. I intend to knock out a pile in order to get in some practice and maybe sell. Or donate to a charity to sell.

#cotton #denim #recycle #sewing #bag #embroidery #reclaim #reclamation #reused #slowfashion #purse #Zip

[blackcountryfabric]

So, after putting it off and off and then firing up YouTube I finally set up and played with this puppy

Absolute pig to set up, a right mardy unbroken mare! I got the hang of it after a bit, after losing a needle inside somewhere, after countless attempts to get the thread to sit properly, after bungling around trying to get the bobbin to behave. At least an hour to do. After a fashion I took some Jersey and some denim and attempted to stitch it together.

As you can see, I ended up with tools out trying to get thread jams and such sorted out. I might as well felt like sewing up all my senses at one point but perseverance through bloody mindedness got me there in some fashion and I was able to sew to short segments that I was happy with.

As a result I decided to get some zips and create some purses to hone my skills. A quick hop to Walsall and back and I have zips, new thread and a new pack of needles to boot. The woman in the Hole In The Wall said that I may also need the machine serviced. That's £40 apparently. Oh well.

#cotton #denim #recycle #bag #sewing #embroidery #reclamation #reclaim #slowfashion #reused #purse #Zip #thread #Needle #Manufacturing

[blackcountryfabric]

A fathers day gift! Well if you only really have one creative line it's best to use it as much as possible.

One of my earlier attempts at reuse, it had mixed results. My dad is a dyed in the wool Birmingham City supporter. I didn't have the cash to buy him something but I had enough for a fat quarter of fabric. I chose the blue and white, as it's the team colours, bought a zip and dug out an old subway apron I inherited. I did mess up, I didn't cut the quarter to size so I ended up sewing an inside flap. The ends of each zip were a bit of a nightmare trying to get them to go with the fabric. However, I am pleased with how it came out considering all things. It's not perfect but I am gradually learning to accept that side.

#slowfashion #sewing #stitching #upcycle #reused #reclaim #recycle #reclamation #Bag #Father #Fathersday #Gift #Present

[blackcountryfabric]

The purse. Mandatory item really. One thing I realised after making this item is that you need to build everything around the zip, not build it and add the zip.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. It works, I am happy with it. I added the badge from the pair of jeans it came off, it looks nice and shows where it comes from. It's lined with a black cotton firetrap t-shirt, that way it's nice and soft against your skin.

#reclaim #recycle #reclamation #reused #slowfashion #denim #cotton #purse #Bag #Zip #upcycle #embroidery #sewing #stitching #handmade

[blackcountryfabric]

Squares are awesome. I made a bag a while back, originally under a bit of pressure for a relative before ditching for a bit. I decided I wanted it for myself and added other bits.

The material is all reused. The inner is some cotton squares that were given to me, the outer is from an old pair of Levi's. The zip was taken from an old pair of work trousers, it's YYK so I knew it was going to be quality from the off. The strap is made from a couple of old work boot laces, one which was sewn in and then cut in the middle before the second was tied to it. Bit grungey but I love the look.

#grunge #denim #upcyle #recycle #jeans #cotton #sewing #embroidery #yyk #stitching #handmade

[blackcountryfabric]

This has been this week's project. It's obviously a facemask, albeit one with one fixing. In this case I have based the whole thing around the top seam on the mask and a shoe lace. It holds in place quite well as it is roughly fitted, securing across the back of my head. I think the denim helps with this as it is a tough and sturdy material.

It's made from a pair of old Levi's 501 jeans, due to holes between the legs they are now a denim donor. There is an anorak/coat snap under the 501 label, I was planning on using some stitches but I bought the kit for repairing a jacket and had bits left over. I decided to experiment a tad, turning over the excess materials rather than cut them off and securing with the snap.

#facemask #sewing #embroidery #diy #emergency #upcycle #denim #jersey #cotton

[blackcountryfabric]

Welcome to the blog! Here I would like to invite you to join me on a journey of learning, self exploration and fun. I'm a sewing newbie who started off by making a battle jacket from October 2020 to January of 2021. When I cut the sleeves off the jacket I used the cuff to make a small pouch and it all snowballed from there. Now making bags, pouches, purses, face masks and hopefully a pair of dungarees.

#introduction #sewing #embroidery #fabric #upcycle #recycle #reclaim #reclamation #denim #jersey #cotton #beginner #learning #education #fun