Tag: Upcycling

Bikini 2024.

My challenge last week was to sew a bikini that fits my tall body. A challenge I took. And it took me six days to finish. I am pleased to finally feel good in a bikini that looks different and good on me.

Before I started.

This is the first step to find out what size I would need. A stretchy material but not good enough for swimsuit.
An old training top I haven’t used much.
An other traning top I only used few times.

Both training tops was perfect for upcycling and make the bikini buttom.

The process.

This is more for myself if I sew another 😊.
Finished bikini top.
Bikini buttom. And yes I wanted to have a higher edge infront.

Here you see I’ve used the fabric from the apricot colour top’s on both pieces.
This is the front side of the bikini buttom,  just like I wanted them. 

As you may know I am 6’2 and it is hard to buy clothes that actually fits my tall body!  A bikini isn’t any difference. As the fashion is everything “shall be as little as possible ” well that doesn’t look good on all bodies!

And I am not super pleased with every curve I have, not uncommon for any woman around the world. Yet I have found my style and therefore I sew  😊.  Exploring in different pattern that hopefully will fit me and also look good on my tall body 😊.

Hope you will be inspired by my sewing to challenge yourself 😉. Good luck!  And thank you for reading my blog@

Birthday gift to a friend.

I am not the person that go out and buy a gift therefore I had figure out what to sew on Tuesday (June 11th)  so I knew it would be done on Thursday (13th).

I found some jeans fabric in two different sizes and sew them together with red thread.

Made the pattern myself,  just thinking what do you need when you’re cooking.

Found an old shirt to make ties for the apron. The apron is size XL.

It was hard to know if the tie around the neck would fit so I saved some length to be adjusted if needed.

All the pattern have I made by sewing forward and back to make the letters. The pocket is also a rest-pieces of jeans fabric.

The giftcard also upcycling. I used one side of a coffee bag, glued it on thicker paper and used it as a giftcard 😉

In total the Birthday man was happy for the gift. I am looking forward to see him use it even if he said it was too pretty to use.

The Birthday party was yesterday,  Friday June 14th.

My backpacker

I really needed a new backpacker! Therfore did I check what I had at home that I could use.

Here are a mix of rest pieces from Jeans I haven’t been able to use and I recycled the smaller backpack I had and didn’t like.

I’ve used the straps and the zipper from the smaller backpack.

This is the process.

And this is the finish;

The re-design of the bead-dress (2023-2024), part one.

I got this dress after some of my old colleagues, last years work place (Bore school) when they had a ‘Change your wardrobe Day with clothes you don’t want but maybe your colleague like’

Which I got for free in June 23.

I took it out of my sewing project box yesterday (1st of January 24) to get some ideas of what kind of fabric could work on it.

After trying the dress on I figured I needed to change the fabric around the arms.
Second fabric… could work even more but…

And they both could work for sure! But it was not what I wanted. I wanted something more fun & crazy like me 😆😆.

And today (second of January) I went to my favorite fabric store to buy new needles 📍 and there it was! The cool fabric 🤩🤩🤩 and enough (2,8 meters) and on sale 🤩🤩🤩.

This will be so fun! I will do it so asymetric as possible. Orange and black is perfect! Playful, crazy and fun!

I bought this fabric in January and still in June haven’t I found the pattern I want 😔🤪 for this dress. I will use the undergown (the inside dress) because it fit’s me.

The long weekend of 🇧🇻17th of May🇧🇻 and the Pentecostal with lot’s of sewing 🧵😊, good weather (warm!) and two new friends.

17th of May least we can’t say it was cold! We have had above +20 degrees Celsius the whole week. And today wasn’t it any different except that we have had mire wind. Last year was freezing cold.

My school, Nylund skole
Flags everywhere 🇧🇻🇧🇻🇧🇻
Nylund school yard decoration
Just a normal decoration in the street’s 🇧🇻 on 17th of May 😊

After I’ve seen the 17th of May celebrations I walked back home. A walk in total of 4 km in mostly 🌤☀️…

Got home and had late breakfast out on my terrace  – a place I really enjoying because I haven’t had a terrace for the past three years .  I’ve been sewing and picking up what I sewed 😆😆 off and on the rest of the day when I haven’t been eating. 

Here I picking up seams on a small backpacker
Sewing on the re-used straps.

The 18th of May, and Pentecostal weekend, I picked up half of what I sewed the 17th 😝🤪😆.

The morning of 19th I figured that I could start on the inner lining or the inner bag for the backpacker. Much more easy!

I have also managed to walk with Saga 🐕 and her owner Hilde, for more than one hour.  Sewing some more and got one hour of a practical run 😊.

May 20th …

Some fixing on clothes that I thought was done and wasn’t when I put them 😆.

I was happy for few minutes when my overlocker worked, but than after unpatienced when I didn’t manage to get the the one thread in place 🤬🤪.

But 😊 I am almost done with my new backsack/ backpacker 😊. Just few seams left 🤩. It actually starts to look like something 🤩.

Innerbag with pockets, made by Rest-pieces from other sewing projects. Which even one more time have to pick up the corner-seams 🤪 or move the smartphone pocket 🤪.
The front of this project. Rest-pieces from jeans and decorations of a rosehip.
The backpacks inside.
Inside pocket.
Decoration:  “Normal is boring”.

I am getting there in small steps 🤪🤪. But I am so so pleased with it!

Jogging pants – upcycling sweaters. 🧵✂️📍📏

I got inspired from work where the pulpils in 7th grade going to start a upcycling project this week (week 5 of 2024). My udea started three weeks ago and I have used as much time as I have been able to use. Evenings and weekends, when I have been well, sewing together pa5ches to bigger patches. I have got so far now, that I can finally start to cut the pattern 😍🧵✂️.

Here is the pictures from the start;

January 10th.
January 11th.
January 12th.
January 14th & 16th.
January 29th.
Getting closer. January 29th.
Easter24

During this Easter I managed to get sewing machine oil on the just finish pants 🤪  …

…so than it was to pick up the area of the pants.

My type of Art

I have now been able to use them at work (finally) this last week.  And they are my very much favourite pants!  The benefits of sewing my own wardrobe is to sew clothes that fits me. With leg length of 91cm (35,82 inch) I struggle to find pants that are long enough and nit to lose in my waist.

Upcycling, Re-design wool coat and a pillow case.

The last two weeks have I had one main sewing project. The wool coat. Upcycling and redesigning it to become more me and my style.  I am not done yet but here are the process.

The wool coat.
Picking up all seams on the pillow case.
Trying out how it will look.
Needling up the fabric.
Sewed this part.
Sequins… sewed it on my sewing machine and broke 3 sewing needle’s 😆😆😆
Hand stitching the inside of the collar.
Picking up the seam on the coat arm, a bit to short for me.
Hand stitching it during 2 hours April 27th.
Finished the hand stitching on the arm length.

Today’s task will be;

To sew this so approxy 1cm is visible for the eye and the rest covered when it’s not in use.

This last picture is the back side of the wool coat.

I hope I will be able to hand stitch the left arm length part today (April 28th). I haven’t decided if I am going for plain black or plain purple fabric from the pillow case yet.

I will hand stitch the loose decorations on the sholder.  Here are what I did before I went to sleep yesterday (April 27th) ;

One with fabric and the other plain black
Or should I have sequins on the other?

I was thinking to do something on those two too… but I think it’s to much work.

3rd upcycling skirt finished.

Her will I give you some pictures from parts of the process of my 3rd #jeansskirt I’ve done.

Be creative.
Coffee is needed.
Bust for making clothes.
Inspiration
B4 the changes.
The results.

This Jeans skirt took much longer time to sew then most other cloths I’ve done. Mainly because of my injuries in my coxxy last January. When it’s painful to sit for longer periods it’s hard to finish a project. But thanks to my seat-pillow (my xmas gift to myself) I have been able to sew so much more lately 😍😍. So now it’s the next project. Jogging pants made by sweaters “hoodies”.

Use, repare until you can’t use it anymore, than upcycling!

I like to fix and repare clothes rather than just through them especially if it’s just a small hole in them. I am also growen up with the thinking of first repare until I can’t do it anymore. Which is a rare thing among most people in the suciety today. A sad thing, especially when our earth /planet can’t take care of all the not biological materials we use in clothes.

Use over and over until you can’t wear them anymore, then reuse it!

This is an example.

I found out I had holes in my singlets (topp’s) and I don’t have the most of money to just go and buy new ones. So I have just repared them. Handsewing. Something that most people should be able to do. And if you don’t know how to do, ask someone or watch YouTube. It isn’t as hard as you might think! And you will be able to use it until it’s nothing left.

Yellow singlet, yellow thread.
Apeicot singlet, yellow thread.


I don’t really care how it looks like as long as the hole isn’t there anymore. If you don’t like the small “bump” you can allways cover it with something else. 😉

It’s better to use the topp/singlet, pants, socks etc. until you see you can’t anymore, than it’s time for upcycling 😉.

An example of what you can reuse a singlet to, becauce of the fabric isn’t sustainable for everything becauce of the mix of materials. You can upcycling it to a trashmat. If you want to know how you do that I would say check YouTube – trashmat – crocheting – upcycling. Good luck! Its fun!

What to do on a Sunday…

…when the back is sad. Well I have been fried meatballs and chops in the oven while I have spooled bobbin thread for all future sewing projects.

And now when the food is done I’m going to pop up the elastic band in a skirt that has worn too little 😆😆 or I’ve gained weight since I bought it 😆😆. And then I will reuse it in a wool coat after ❤Mom❤.

I do want to go to Church but my back is not in a good shape 😔😔 so I’ll stay home and being creative.

While I’m doing this I’ll be listening to preaching whether it’s on youtube or podcast it remains to be seen 😉. Anyway is it a big chance the Lord gives me something I need.

I have learned the last ten years, that I need to listen to my body first no matter what my head wants and I have peace for that I stay home some Sundays. Even if I both like and enjoy go to Church and trying to find new friends I just have to take it as it comes. 😉. And the Lord will still be with me wherever I am, home or at Church.

I am thankful for this weekend, I’ve managed much more than I thought I would. 😊.

Enjoy your Sunday wherever you are and let the Lord be a part of what you are doing. ✝️💒🙌🙏.

Good timing, Smart-watch, fabric, overlocker = Happines.

Two things.

The first; I ordered a new smart-watch about a month ago, but was send to the wrong adress so after approxy 3,5 – 4 weeks later it came to me 🤩🤩. And I love how precisly it counts my steps 🤩🤩. And the part of it was, the same day as I recived the note from the mailoffice it was delivered, my old smart-watch/fitbit broke in the way it wasn’t possible to wear it anymore.

My new smart-watch.
My old fitbit, broken.

The second; I have finally threaden🧵🧵 my overlocker 🤩🤩 it just took me 2 months 🤪😆😆. But with help from a YouTube video I nailed it.

Here is some of the tests I did last night (Friday March 11.)

Wax cloth. First try.
Needle-up for a zipper.
Overlocked edges, fabric pieces (bits) from 14 par of Jeans and one strype of red cotton fabric.

I am now looking forward to use my overlocker the way I have used my sewing machine.

I still need a good sewing chair but I have patience, all thing will be good in the end. At least I have two working machines 🤩🤩.

Overandout. 😉

Sewing, sustainability, Creative brain.

A small break from headache and I have been creative 😊🧵📍📍📍📍📍✂️📍📍📍

My on going sewing project…

This skirt is made out of fourteen par of old jeans. #sustainability #upcycling I’ve got from a friend outside Oslo.

A sewing project that started in January 2021, had a resting break on eight months before new ideas needed to be tryed out.

I am hoping I am on the end now, March 2022. It all is a combination of a good body, a good day and energy 😉.

One of few things to add now is a zipper and a waist… one or two pockets in the front.

And sew this part…😆😆

And I’m done 🤩. I do know it will take some time, spmething I have lots of. In the mean time I’ll start on something else as always. If I don’t have more than few projects going on my brain works slower. I need few projects parallell with each other its just a fact of trying to just have one, which I didn’t finished until I started on nuber two 😆😆.