Trash Talk Thursday: Cast Your Vote!

Lego Belt Buckles

The nice folks over at Fine Tuxedos and Formal Wear Accessories 
are sponsoring a little contest, and our very own
Miss Courageous is lucky enough to be part of it!

So, please head on over to their blog and vote for her
Lego Belt Buckles, product lucky number 7!

Good luck Miss Courageous!

Images © Miss Courageous

Trash Talk Thursday: Tree of the Week

TREE OF THE WEEK

Last Sunday while walking to our local coffee place my friend told me that a tree we were approaching was her ‘tree of the week’. Did I have one she asked? I do not, I replied. (I am not a tree hugger type myself. My idea of being in nature is the walk from my vehicle to my front door.)

This, I have been told, is fairly common among upcyclers.
I think we come to this because
1- We are all thrift store, tag sale and vintage junkies.
2- We love the hunt.
3- We are very creative and like to challenge ourselves.
4- Oh yes, it’s good for the environment, blah blah, blah.

In order to upcycle you must be able to think outside the box and see the beauty in, well, garbage. Mucho creativity! A quick search on Etsy came up with many wonderful examples. Here are some of my favorites...

Enlightened Thinking

An Blath Paipeir

True Rebel Clothing

Amazing, right?

So next time you see that bulk trash pickup pile on the side of the road pull over and have a peek. You just never know what treasure awaits! You have your hand sanitizer already!

Happy Hunting!

Images © Enlightened Thinking, An Blath Paipeir & True Rebel Clothing

Text © Delight Worthyn

Trash Talk Thursday: Let's Refashion... Go!

Let’s Refashion…Go!

Let’s assume you have found your “raw” materials and have washed, unstitched and cut into usable pieces. How long did that take? Yeah, I know.

This is my process for making the above bonnet. Let’s start. First I drape pieces of strategically cut tee shirts, pinning as I go and stretching to shape. Once satisfied with placement of both seams and text (and lots of pinning) I head over to the machine to piece together. I am using a zigzag stitch here and leaving the edges raw. It’s a design decisionPress and trim.

While still on the form I cut the rough outline of the desired shape-inthis case a Neo Victorian Bonnet. Stay stitch around edges to stabilizethe stretchy fabric. It is starting to look like something.

Trim and repeat for lining. I often use solid color tee shirts for this because the hat is now reversible. I made a self casing and threaded a cord, also made from the recycled shirts, to tie under the chin.

A little decorative trim (also tee shirt fabric) hand stitched on to the back seam and there you have it!

Images & Text © Delight Worthyn

Trash Talk Thursday: What Price Knowledge?

What Price Knowledge? Upcycling PT 2
by Delight Worthyn

People often say to me, "you find great stuff” and it is true, but there are many visits that are a bust...Many...the trick is to go frequently, very frequently and pounce if you find something.
I have been sewing for a lot of years and I understand how garments are constructed and therefore how to take them apart.
I wasn’t born with this knowledge I have learned largely through trial and error, learning vastly more from the latter. (Hint-don’t be afraid to “fail”) Although you can expect to pay less for material you should be prepared to make up for it in labor.

Let’s go to the thrift store… To start:
1) Become a regular at your local thrift stores. If you have a question about price always talk to a manager. The clerk ringing you out can’t help you and are often instructed not to sell an un-ticketed item. If they have seen you around you will get the best deal.
2) Be prepared to spend time sorting through a lot of undesirable stuff. Dig into bins, good stuff is often at the bottom. And it probably isn’t clean-bring hand sanitizer!
3) Most thrift stores have a half price day, find out what day it is and GO.
4) If you see something that really speaks to you buy it on the spot for it will be gone when you go back.
5) Have a general idea of what you are looking for, but be flexible.
6) Bring a tape measure
7) Look over the garment and don’t dismiss stained or otherwise damaged items since they may have trims, buttons and the like that you can employ. I am generally looking for either tee shirts or silk. I have developed a signature style using the ubiquitous tee. I dye them, hand paint them, bead them and weave them. People never believe where they started.

Years of acquired skill and knowledge, how much is that worth,
I wonder?
Check out both of Delights Etsy Shops to see her fanciful work!
DelightWorthyn and ScavengersDaughter

Images & Text © Delight Worthyn

Trash Talk Thursday: Upcycling-a labor of love

Delight Worthyn: Upcycling-a labor of love

Often I am faced with a question about costs of some of my hand crafted items and the interaction usually goes something like this, ‘since you are using recycled materials how come this item is expensive?’ I have accepted the mission to explain some of the process and concerns that go into upcycling.

But let’s start at the beginning.

. Our grandmothers didn’t use this term but they were upcycling all the same. It was a way of life not to waste things that could be used again. (How many people have inherited vast collections of buttons)... The term ‘upcycling’ was coined in 1994 by German Reiner Pilz who also used the term ‘downcycling’. This is what we primarily think of when we use the term recycling. You know, melting plastic bottles to become some other hybrid plastic that is degrading with each generation. Upcycling is taking used materials and turning them in to something of greater value. For instance, after demolishing an old building you can 1- crush the bricks and make an aggregate 2- clean and restore those same bricks and use them in a new building. It takes a lot longer to get those bricks into usable condition so you see upcycling is a very labor intensive process. Time is money!

. Over the next few weeks I am going to take you on journey through the wonderful world of upcycling. Knowledge is power and also, as Martha would say,’ a good thing’.

.Check out DelightWorthyn and Scavengers Daughter

and Delight's Website and Blog.

Trash Talk Thursdays: Buying Vintage, Recycled & Handmade

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Delight Worthyn gives us...

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8 Reasons to Buy Vintage, Recycled and Handmade

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I have heard it said (re: the current economic strife)

that we are living in a new normal.

We will buy less but buy quality.

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Bring it on…mindful spending!

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1. Help contribute to establishing a new economy!

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2. Contribute to decrease in fossil fuel erosion.

Purchasing mass produced products generally come from overseas plus barging it all over, production costs etc.
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3. This new breed of craftsperson/merchant is often using recycled materials or selling vintage treasures.

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4. Artisans/craftspeople love creating their wares

and pay a great attention to detail. This is the way it used to be, in other words, vintage.

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5. Purchasing should be a conscious decision.

Be more conscious of spending and of where your

hard-earned money is going. This contributes to the bigger picture.

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6. Made to last.

Many manufacturers make things with a purposelessly short (seasonal) lifespan. A handmade item will be made to last. This, of course, is much better for the environment. Quality over quantity!

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7. A vintage item has already stood the ‘test of time’.

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8. When you buy from an actual person.

This is the true “trickle down” economics...

...everyone wins.

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Check out Delight on Etsy!

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Trash Talk Thursdays: Where are our frogs?

Where are our frogs?

Not so many frogs left around.
Pollution or evolution of species
the matter is "where are our frogs?".

Forget the golden toad of Costa Rica,
we should be aware that even the simple
green Hyla arborea is hard to find.
You don't care? Too bad. I do.
And I do for many other things.

Put a frog in front of fresh water and it will jump in,
in front of boiling water and it will go opposite direction,
leave it swimming in fresh water and make the water warmer and warmer...
she will die in it without being aware.
That's happening to us.

Frogs are fading away like our words.
Like human rights.
Like trees.
Like true happiness.

Frogs were powerful "tools"
to get closer to nature and gods.
They are leaving. Like so many other things.
Wake up.
It's not too late.


Ila Sadun

For more interesting thoughts check out Ila's new blog Ilathefrog
To see her beautiful recycled glass check out her
Etsy shop Metamorphosi.


© Ila Sadun 2010
www.metamorphosi.etsy.com