What one of my most recent projects taught me was how BEAUTIFUL and intricate wool is. I was presented with a project to upcycle 4 stunning Pendleton Wool Skirts for a wonderful customer. Haha my first thought was : Oh man, do pleats come out of wool?! And I learned that, yes, they sure do!
This project was so much fun, I was blessed with the amount of material I had when I removed the pleats.
Word to the wise: You need lots of steam to get the wool flat and to not burn the material!
Sewing the wool was meditative in a way for me, the smell of the wool brought back so many nostalgic memories of older family members of mine!
It really made me realize that fast fashion has really changed so much about clothing today and those smells and memories I have from childhood probably rarely exist for a child today due to all the synthetic materials made nowadays.
I made a few pieces from the material. The first thing I created was a reversible scarf or lap blanket from two of the skirts.
Then I made an awesome cape with POCKETS!!! I need to make one of these for myself now!!!
And a tote was screaming to be made from the awesome navy striped skirt!!! I added some leather details to ensure proper wear and tear....and because it suited the wool so nicely.
Then I decided that pillows were in order! I sewed the scraps together from three of the skirts to develop a cohesive textile.
And to top the project off I created a scraps bag using remnants from all four skirts as well as the buttons from each skirt.
I loved loved loved creating these pieces!
I hope these pieces allow the beautiful repurposed skirts to live on!!
xo