Look, Learn & Create Video with Scatha G. Allison author of Jean Therapy

Check out this week's episode of Look, Learn & Create shot at The Swap-O-Rama-Rama at Maker Faire 2009. It features Scatha G. Allison showing us some of the spectacular pieces form the book including the featured skirt on the cover.

DOMESTIC ARTS FOR CRAFTY GIRLS SERIES:

Jean Therapy
Denim Deconstruction for the Conscientious Crafter
By
Scatha G. Allison with Marla Stefanelli
(Foreword by Wendy Tremayne, creator of Swap-O-Rama-Rama)

More than 20 projects and an array of gallery creations are imaginative and practical fashions--hardworking denim at play.

Pair cast-off denim with a crafter's unyielding creativity and you have a craft with limitless possibility. Denim is the perfect fabric for many arts and craft methods: it is durable, washable, and dyeable; it can be cut, sliced, shredded, poked, prodded, and cinched. Jean Therapy teaches basic techniques -- building anything from skirts, bags, vests, and accessories -- and illuminates these basic techniques with dozens of clever, funky, and stylish variations.

Jean Therapy includes straightforward, illustrated instructions for more than 20 projects, running the gamut from simple accessories to reconstructed pants, skirts, and halter tops, each featuring design and personalization tips and techniques. Each project has a main beauty shot, detail shots, and a number of technical step illustrations that show creation and assembly details.

It also includes a detailed chapter on customizing and tailoring clothing for a perfect fit -- a key ingredient when working with repurposed clothing.

Scatha G. Allison (San Francisco, CA) is an artist and designer with a background in painting, installation, and mixed-media work, and is known in the San Francisco design community for her distinct cutting, draping, and patterning skills, specializing in couture techniques and reconstruction. Her clothing line, Miss Velvet Cream, is currently available in San Francisco boutiques Venus Superstar and Queen of the Meadow, Show Pony in LA, and La Rouge in Portland.

She is just such a talented and inspiring chick! 

Well, I love cuffs and I was sorting through my denim stash and I ran across this Ralph Lauren tag with a flag on it and it just jumped right out and said, "make me into a cuff!"

So I said, "OK"

Here is how I did it:

I cut the waistband off the jeans with enough to fold under.

I went to the leather scrap bin and found a strip of gold lame that I thought would make a fun strap.

I also went to the junk jewelry stash and pulled out a watch band that I could harvest a buckle from.

I glued the cut edge under.

To make the strap I simply poked the harvested buckle through the strip of lame and glued it in place to secure.

Then I simply ran the gold strap under the flag patch and the belt loops and buckled it.

I should also tell you I added a snap on the under side of the lower corner. Because the patch was off center the strap wanted to be off center. This caused the cuff to want to open out a bit at the opposite side (under the tiny flag tag, so I just stitched a little snap on.

 

If you like this flag cuff and want to see how I made one from recycled book covers pop on over to this post.

Today's question:

What is the most interesting or unique way you have seen the flag motif used?

As a thanks for answering you will be entered to win a free book!

Comments

[Ina Ftacek]

This is the first time I have ever seen a cuff with a flag like this. I have a shirt that is flag like and this would go perfect with it! I have also seen some unicque paper dolls made with the flag aka Lynn Perrrella style....This wqas fun and interesting!Loved your cuff! Thanks for sharing!Ina

[Meaghan (bonafyde)]

Cool Cuff! Not sure how unique this is, but I recently saw a spread in a magazine that featured a 4th of July picnic themed party and I was blown away by the vintage quilts featuring the U.S.A flag motif and the vintage picnic baskets themselves were weaved and in some cases painted to reflect the flag... both the current and former styles of it. I thought it was really cool.