holy giant sweatercoat, batman

it took 3 days, and 18 sweaters, but i finally have a Katwise-esque sweatercoat finished.
it is made of black and grey sweaters gathered from the thrift stores and freeboxes in the area. the skirt is super swishy, and twirls when you spin! the back has an "Om" patch made from the same sweaters, and the pointy elf hood is just plain fun. it's dark out now, so any pictures won't do it justice. tomorrow i'll borrow my boyfriend's super swanky camera and take some fun coat pics to share!

if anyone is interested in tackling making one themselves, the tutorial is available from Kat for $7 at etsy.com/stores/katwise. even if you don't want to make one, it's a fun thing to read!

armwarmers!

two pair of armwarmers made, one matches the Snow Princess skirt and the other is olive and black. both made of t-shirt material. super fun! i was rockin' them for a while, but couldn't sew in them for long, my *wrists* started sweating! selling them for $15 per pair. we'll do pics when i find the camera. somewhere in the living room.

in other news, my daughter spilled a cup of ... soda? water? onto my pile of skirts and armwarmers sitting in the living room. so they all got tossed in the washing machine on gentle, then the dryer on low heat. they all survived! they look perfectly fine, although did have to go through and trim a few loose threads. hooray, we now know for sure that the skirts will survive the wash.

on the non-crafty front, we had a bunch of Rainbows from the Gathering show up. 5 people in 2 cars and an RV. has been great having a bunch of people around helping on the house, cooking a couple of meals, and even doing professional tattoos! have 3 more friends from the area also hanging out, it's a house full of wonderful fun! at one point we had 13 people, 10 dogs, and 3 cats. whew!

About the creator

i should introduce myself to the masses, yes? my name is Amelia. i've been a creator since i was a kid, one of the hazards of having an art teacher for a mother. i've worked at Ikea, Cirque du Soleil, Victoria's Secret, Walgreens, an import store, a strip club, the Renaissance Festival in Minnesota, a jewelry/silversmithing apprenticeship, Rooster Farms Coffee Company, a library, and mostly recently been doing vacation rental cleaning. i've traveled through most of the US west of the Mississippi, spending most of the time in Arizona, new Mexico, California and Hawaii. i grew up in Minnesota. i have a beautiful daughter who seems to get smarter each day.

i am currently a community college student, but i've been having a crisis of faith in the school. what i would really like to do is support myself and my family with my art. this is the first time i've really tried to rely on my creativity, and i'm kinda hoping i don't fall on my face. i *love* making something out of nothing, taking things that other people would probably have thrown away and making it new again. hopefully you can appreciate it as well!

FrankenSkirts 1-6

All FrankenGear is 100% upcycled. i'm committed to doing my part to keep perfectly usable fabrics and clothing from going to waste. no patterns are used in the skirt creation, so each one is totally and completely unique. i couldn't make 2 alike if i tried!

clean, but made in a household with cats and dogs.

Frankenskirt #1, Pocket skirt! 3 tone t-shirt skirt. has pocket in right side for keeping track of cellphones, cigs, whathaveyou. this cute little flirt skirt is made from 3 different babydoll tees with an overall olive/brown color scheme. will fit a medium/large, i had to pin it when i wore it to keep it from falling down. :P $40

Frankenskirt #2, Lucky Me! 2.3 tone t-shirt skirt. this fun skirt is made from 2 different rescued tees and would be perfect for a St. Patty's day! will fit a small/medium, reaches just above the knees. 2 different shirts used for the body of the skirt, with a bit of white at the waist. $40

Frankenskirt #3, Volcom shirt skirt. made from a single long sleeve tee, this skirt is the classic mini. volcom logo on the center front, and another small bumper sticker in center back of waist. fun, sportier feel, would look great with a pair of boots! would fit a small/smallish-medium. on me it looks a little too tight. $30

Frankenskirt #4, The Monkey!!! made from 2 shirts, the monkey's perfect for anyone that doesn't take themselves too seriously! brown waistband, green skirt, with double layer brown and white bottom. modest girls need not apply (or wear bike shorts or leggings underneath). who doesn't love the monkey. another larger skirt, or pin it. i could shimmy outta this one. $30

Frankenskirt #5, the Snow Princess. with the fairy hem and the sparkly snowflakes, this pink and off-white skirt is a girly girl's treat. made of 2 shirts, this skirt comes to the knees. photo's not quite color accurate, will try to take another photo in better light. $40

Frankenskirt #6, Cinderella's Shoes. made from 2 shirts, this skirt is hilarious. the text on the front says "Cinderella is proof that shoes can change your life." color in first photo is not accurate, the pink is more of a hot pink like the 2nd and 3rd pics. has a drawstring, so could fit from a small up to medium-large. $40

interested in owning one? leave a comment!

testing, 1, 2, 3.

alright, this is the first test-post on the new blog, we'll see if i can get this thing to do what i want it to, eh?