I'm so pleased I can finally show off my designs for the Bloomington (Indiana ) Trashion Refashion Show. I had two designs in the show. One was a simple swimsuit cover-up made by folding a crocheted tablecloth, attaching ties from burlap string retrieved from a coffee bag, then stringing ceramic beads from the Congo on the string to add a little subtle color. I didn't have to cut or sew anything for this design, just wrapped and tied it. This design was modeled by our Croatian exchange student Iva.
The second design took a lot more time. A local coffee shop donated several burlap coffee bags, which I cut and sewed into a long Jane Austen-y coat. I lined the coat with colorful silk from a pair of old Indian saris.
To wear under the coat, I originally intended to knit a long Regency - style dress out of string my brother salvaged years ago from the dumpster of a furniture factory where he worked. I ran out of time, and quickly decided a short dress would make a nice modern contrast to the coat, so I kept the dress short and sleek with a high Regency waist set off by an old piece of ribbon. This design was modeled by Kara, a yoga-instructor-in-training and experienced runway model.
A few days before the show, I made a skirt for myself out of another coffee bag, lined in old muslin. The muslin was so soft I felt like I had thrown the skirt on over my nightgown. The skirt went together so quickly and fit so well that I want to make this pattern again soon. Even DH liked it.
