diff --git a/markdown/org/blog/the-refashioners-2017/en.md b/markdown/org/blog/the-refashioners-2017/en.md new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..ab2b7c0f489 --- /dev/null +++ b/markdown/org/blog/the-refashioners-2017/en.md @@ -0,0 +1,158 @@ +--- +author: "joostdecock" +caption: "They said I was crazy to make a zebra jacket, so I made it anyway. And it sank into the swamp." +date: "2017-09-04" +image: "https://cdn.sanity.io/images/hl5bw8cj/site-content/35dda6f4c8ec6f2689e2741cc49cf178e4a39474-3300x2200.jpg" +intro: "For the uninitiated, the refashioners is a yearly event/competition hosted by the charming (and very persuasive) Portia Lawrie ." +title: "The Refashioners 2017 - Now with a Blake Blazer preview and 100% more zebra" +--- + +For the uninitiated, the refashioners is a yearly event/competition hosted by the charming (and very persuasive) +[Portia Lawrie](http://www.makery.uk/). + +Its focus is on giving old, unworn, or unloved garments a new lease on life through the art of refashioning. + +This bonanza of garment Frankensteining kicks of with a series of *hors-compétition* makes, aimed at getting +the creative juices flowing. And [just like last year](http://www.makery.uk/2016/08/the-refashioners-2016-joost/), +I got asked to be one of those *warm-up acts*. + +Before I talk a bit about how it went, here's some pictures of what I made: + +![Yup, defenitely a zebra jacket](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/zebra1_f856635d39.jpg) + +![A view of the back](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/zebra2_c1df8979c5.jpg) + +![Stripe matching with sleevecap ease is tricky](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/zebra3_db4d55ad19.jpg) + +![A look at the insanity that lies beneath](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/zebra4_154c70b269.jpg) + +![Recycled buttons](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/zebra5_139563ceb2.jpg) + +![I case you missed it, this jacket comes with patch pocket](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/zebra6_34df45c31e.jpg) + +## The male romper lobby +Last year, the theme was jeans, this year it's suits. And from the moment I shared that snippet of info +with a handful of friends, they've conspiring to get me to make a male romper. + +![Sorcha trying to get me to make a romper](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/romper_chat_6cf0df4477.png) + +![Anneke trying to help by sketching a romper for me](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/romper_sketch_09c8005525.jpg) + +With friends like that, who needs enemies. + +## How I got to zebra + +The first thing I did was limit my options. Too much choice tends to paralize. + +I decided to not only respect the suit theme with regards to the source material, but also concerning the techniques involved. +Making a suit, and especially jacket construction, is a fine art and I wanted that to be part of my project. + +So, no messenger bags or (dare I say it) shoes out of recycled suits, I wanted to make a jacket. + +The problem is that suits are rather challenging to refashion. There's just not a lot of large pieces of pristine fabric to work with. + +![The front part of a jacket does not leave you with a lot to work with](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/front_part_4401c51b7b.jpg) + +In addition, I'm really tall so there is simply no way I can salvage enough fabric form a suit to make a new jacket +without having to sew a bunch of scraps together. + +I was worried that this sort of patchwork jacket was going to look super hobo. +But since I don't really have any other option to make a jacket, I started thinking about what sort of patchwork would be most acceptable. + +![Eurek(zebr)a!](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/real_zebra_b1decba3b1.jpg) + +And then one day in the shower it hit me: zebra! If I could find a black and a white suit, I could cut them into stripes +and join those together to form the pattern parts I needed. If it was going to be patchwork, I might as well embrace it, right? + +## The Blake Blazer pattern + +My first idea was to make a jacket in muslin, draw zebra stripes on it, take it apart, cut out the stripes, and use that as my pattern. +But I was worried this process would not be precise enough. + +Also, what pattern would I use to make the jacket in the first place? I don't really use patterns that I haven't designed myself +because I'm more of an uphill ice-skating kinda guy. + +![Some mofos are always trying to ice-skate uphill](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/ice_skating_uphill_80ab69e9bd.gif) + +So, I set out to design the Blake Blazer. It's a jacket/sportscoat pattern that I initially hoped to release with this post, but +you're going to have to give me some more time for that. + +![The early draft of the Blake Blazer that I used for this jacket](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/blake_f3e813a99d.svg) + +To get those zebra stripes as precise as possible, I decided to add the stripes to the pattern. +This way, I could make sure they would match and whenever they don't in the jacket, I've got my own shoddy workmanship to blame. + +Also, for this project, I decided to make it a bit of a cropped look because I was worried I wouldn't have enough fabric to work with. + +## Finding suits to refashion + +With my pattern sorted, I started looking into the source material for my make. +As it happens, I have a cardboard box full of old and unloved suits that's still in storage since my last move. + +I've always intended to take these apart to learn from their construction so this was the perfect opportunity. + +![A box of suits to reverse engineer](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/suits_box_434d198619.jpg) + +![Treasure!](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/suits_inside_0637374422.jpg) + +I have two black suits to choose from, but absolutely no white suits. So I hit the thriftstores only to discover that white suits are a bit of a rarity. + +I was unable to find any white suit even though I visited 8 different thrift stores. To make matters worse, I couldn't even find a +white suit in any of the second hand stores I visited with one exception: I found a white suit in a second hand store, but it was 200 euro. + +Apart from the fact that I'm not made of money, I don't think buying a 200 euro second hand suit only to rip it apart is much in line with the spirit +of the refashioners. + +I briefly contemplated a different colour combination, but nobody is waiting for a black and navy zebra. + +![I ended up using the one on the left](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/suits_black_53828cb3ec.jpg) + +![Never a good sign when things are secured with a steel cable](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/suits_white_c02d4bf0c8.jpg) + +Fortunately, the rules of the refashioners are that at least 50% of your make should be recycled suits. Apart from that, you do what you want. + +So, by making the black stripes dominant, making the entire facing out of black, and recycling the inner parts of the suit (think canvas, shouler padding, buttons and so on) I would have no problem reaching that 50% treshold. + +So, true to the thrifty spirit of refashioners, I picked up some white fabric in the haberdasher that was 4 euro per meter. +Something that I would soon regret as I tried to make this piece of glorified plastic play nice with the wool of the black suit. + +## Putting it all together + +I wanted the zebra stripes to look like a real zebra, so no straight lines. I addition, I noticed that a zebra's stripes don't continue on his back and belly +but sort of a run before they hit the center. I wanted to replicate that look, and lived to regret it. + +![These scraps are waiting to become an undersleeve](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/sleeve_parts_052a369ca4.jpg) + +I ended up having to hand baste all the different parts together. This jacket's outer shell is made up of 93 different scraps and pieces that are all puzzled together. + +![This are not scraps to be thrown out, but scraps to be made into a jacket](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/scraps_412f72f0f2.jpg) + +In addition, I had to squeeze all the new parts out of the old suit parts, which meant that in some cases I was left with as little as a few mm of seam allowance. + +![Cutting the new sleeve parts out of the old sleeve](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/sleeve_2fd77b450d.jpg) + +Suffice to say, it was stressful. And after I had puzzled together the initial parts, I still had to -- you know -- make a jacket. +Which was kinda challenging with all that stripe matching I needed to do. + +![Construction slowly moving forward](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/front_9821526627.jpg) + +![Preparing the patch pockets](https://posts.freesewing.org/uploads/pocket_db7596902d.jpg) + +## Final notes + +I ran out of time to add the lining, but part of me feels it would be a shame to cover up the insanity that is the inside of the jacket. + +And I'm not entirely pleased with the collar. I had made one muslin test garment, but now that I've made the real thing, I am going to go back to the pattern and make some tweaks before releasing it. + +In the meanwhile, enjoy some [more pictures of the jacket in this Flickr set](https://www.flickr.com/photos/__niki__/albums/72157684742893052). + +## Now it's your turn + +So this is it, my contribution for The Refasioners 2017. I hope I was able to inspire you for some refashioning of your own. +If nothing else, maybe it was a good reminder of what not to try ;) + + +> ##### More refashioners +> To stay up to date with The Refashioners 2017, see all the other inspiring refashions AND +> find out how you could win an amazing prize go to: [www.makery.uk/the-refashioners/](http://www.makery.uk/the-refashioners/) +