I have a portfolio of fine art things, but all my other random makes don’t get recognized in the same way. I want to create a little visual journal of my creations, so this is volume one of ‘stuff I made’ and time will tell if this is actually a practice that I continue.

Layering is key and I’ve made this jacket enough times to keep me layered for many winters to come. When I actually go back and think about it (which I rarely do), I’ve used recycled textiles from Goodwill in all four jackets. This orange and white version was formerly a duvet cover from West Elm that was donated and tagged for $10. Duvet covers are a wealth of fabric, so many yards for so little money. It’s a section at the thrift store that I check religiously.

As you can see I also got a mask out of the duvet cover as well. On the version below, this fabric was too thick for a mask. It might have been a rug in a former life. I love the checks!

My last two examples below were created with a recycled quilt and the other is a sheet and blanket set. With the quilt, I put the butterfly appliques on the inside. The outside is the solid cream with black binding. I knew going with the solid on the outside would mean I’d wear the piece more often and I was correct. The butterfly detail is a little, hidden surprise.

And finally the camel colored sheet and blanket version. The sheet has a vintage owl pattern on it and I’ve had multiple folks tell me that their mom had that sheet set when they were growing up. This coat stays on my chair at work as a just in case I get cold and need a jacket. It works because that color matches just about everything.

Reusing blankets and quilts for jackets is so rad because you can feel like you’re wrapped up in bed, but actually be dressed for work. Sadly this pattern is no longer available, but there are tons of similar replacement patterns like the All Well Cardigan.

That wraps it up for the first stuff I made post. If you’ve made it this far please comment so I know you’re out there.