Upcycling a tweed blazer during quarantine time

I found a simple wool tweed blazer at a recycle clothing shop, 

and it still being chilly weather, I took it on

as my latest project during quarantine time.

Below is a before photo, of the forlorn-looking jacket, 

so that you can see what I started with.

I began embellishing it with embroidery thread using a simple topstitch, in a complementary color, along the collar, pockets, and front panel.

 

Then I foraged through my stash of vintage trims and lace,

and found some great treasures to continue the project with!

I chose bits of vintage lace for the cuffs 

and fabulous embroidered fabric 

that I cut out and hand appliquéd into place! 

I had just enough of this ornate vintage trim to embellish one cuff 

and one pocket.

Then I pulled from my stash of embroidered fabrics 

to continue hand appliquéing pieces along the shoulder 

and back of the blazer.

The finishing touches were added after perusing through my button collection for some fun finds.

Did you notice all the additional vintage buttons 

that I added along the front to add quirkiness?

Yeah, that's just my style!

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Inspired by antique sailor's Valentines

and having a great fondness for boxes,

I created a treasure chest encrusted with ceramic seashells 

and glazed in a matt clear glaze.

Before firing, view of front and back.

A little history,

A sailor's Valentine is known as a form of shell craft, a  souvenir, or sentimental gift made using large numbers of seashells. These were originally made between 1830 and 1890, and they were designed to be brought home from a sailor's voyage at sea and given to the sailor's loved one.

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Mermaid sail boat

created with porcelain clay

and a remnant of dotted swiss fabric was used for sails...

We cannot control the wind... 

but we can control our sail as it catches the wind.

Learn to set the sails of your perspective

 and use the winds to move you forward toward your goal.

Happy New Year friends!

Grateful to share the creativity in Somerset Home Magazine!

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Inspiration continues...

with the gift of yellow roses

OH MY GOODNESS ! WELCOME TO MY WORLD !!!

I was laughing out loud at this photo !

What a messy girl I am...but oh so creative

So somehow in my mind that makes it okay !

LoVe my girlfriend Gail for sharing this snap shot

she took of me while creating this new piece,

created with clay and ripped cotton sheets for the roses

( I am adding another stem to the side of the vase in this photo )

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it comes thru firing okay

and I can share a photo of the piece when it is finished.

here is a snap after the 1st firing

now I will be color glazing the stems and leaves

and adding values...

you may view the finished piece here