Tuesday, August 17, 2010

A Dress A Day Blog & My Own Jet Rag Projects

I recently learned about this blog New Dress A Day where by Marissa is making a dress a day from thrifted dresses and other clothes she finds. She is also only budgeting about a $1 a day to do this. She gets most of her raw material dresses from among other places Jet Rag on LaBrea. Jet Rag is this vintage clothing store that piles up mountains of old clothes and sells them all for a dollar on Sundays. You can read about it in this wonderful "e-how" article entitled "How to shop at Jet Rag's Dollar Vintage Sale."

I wish I had more confidence in my sewing skills to sew clothes. Of course at this point, I wish my sewing mojo would come back at all. This summer my personal life has abducted my creative energy. Sigh.

Nonetheless, Marissa's blog has me reminiscing of Jet Rag Days gone by. Here are just a few of my Jet Rag transformations.
Wool Sweaters for Felting
This ratty cashmere sweater became this...
Baby Sweater
sweet baby sweater.
Pants Today
These ugly old man pants became...
Monkey TwinsMolly Birthday
my favorite monkeys.
House Coat BagHouse coat to beach bagTie One On- Local Apron
All formerly housecoats.
Two badly damaged tablecloths
This ratty tablecloth...
Chair Makeover
Ahh! Much better.

Shopping at Jet Rag was not only an affordable way to build my sewing stash, it got the creative juices flowing.

My silence around these parts this summer has been a big surprise to me. I really thought I would attack crafting with great gusto in my time off. Instead I woke up without a single crafty urge. Other things have filled my time including the possibility of a move to a new apartment. Nothing is definite, but I am itching for some new digs. So, I have been thinking about downsizing some of my craft materials and may well have some giveaways in the coming days.

Hope you have a great week!

10 comments:

Mama Said Sew said...

Hmmmm, I might have to plan a Sunday trip to LA soon! That dollar sale looks like fun. :)

Nutsy Coco said...

I was wondering where you'd disappeared to :) I think we all need a crafty break from time to time!

Melissa said...

It is fun to see your past creations!!

The Amusing Redhead said...

I am jealous of anyone who lives within 100 miles of this amazing store. :-)

littlemissmk said...

awesome creations! i have always loved those monkeys! so cute. i checked out that girl's blog- she is amazingly creative! ;) hope you are well.

Samantha @ The Douangphilas said...

ohh I love love the monkeys! I think your sewing skills are awesome! I love sewing but I suck at it so I try to avoid it when possible lol. I think I just need a better sewing machine...at least thats what I tell my husband :)

Samantha @ The Douangphilas said...

OHH btw did you use a pattern for the monkeys? or are they your design? I want a couple of monkeys around my house too :)

Rebecca said...

:) I love any post that makes me think of Lady Monkey. :)

I love the chair pads! I don't remember seeing them, how could I have missed that! Oh and if you find your sewing mojo please ask if it's seen mine. Thanks

Anonymous said...

I've followed your blog for well over a year now and really enjoy your projects, especially the crafts you are doing with your students! I thought you might be interested it signing up your school to be able to make and print free photo books through this website: http://www.hotprints.com/en/schools
I've haven't tried their school program, but they are an easy to deal with company from my experience. Keep up the great work with the kiddos! I hope this year is starting out great!

Jane said...

Thanks Kathryn! I had never heard of Hot Prints before, but I signed up in a hot second! This will be perfect for art club!