Upcycled from men's shirts.

I love flannel & plaid in the fall! More here.

Knits and Wovens Mix

I've started to experiment with combining knits and wovens.  This is my most one elaborate to date, definitely influenced by Magnolia Pearl.  It was really a pleasure to add and subtract bits until it was "just right".

 

 I started with a tunic length sleeveless T.  The heart bits in the middle front are original as are the neck & armhole ruffles.   The pockets are from a t-shirt with heavy gold printing.

The ruffled lower back was a skirt. On the upper right side I added a vintage doily. At the waist many bits and pieces.
   

Thank you to Diane Ericson for the "Bits and Pieces" concept at a Design Outside the Lines workshop.

More to come!

Happy Upcycling, 
Michelle Paganini  

Upcycled Dress from 3 Men's Dress Shirts, Paganoonoo Style

I designed this dress to be super comfortable and with 2 very deep pockets in the front.  It's a favorite now!  Made from 3 men's dress shirts.   More info here

Happy Upcycling!  

Michelle

Embellishing a split double collar

I love the combination of this grey shirt and the white double collar.  There was just one problem, the white collar is much smaller than the grey.  I finished off the back nicely and added buttons in the gap.

The back of the shirt is rather plain so the buttons are a welcome and beautiful focal point.   More about this process here.

 I'll be in Puyallup, WA, USA  for the sewing expo next week.  Hope to meet you in person!  Happy Upcycling! 

Michelle

A New Paganoonoo Design upcycled from men's dress shirts

My favorite version of the Paganoonoo Cindy Blouse pattern so far is this dark grey and white beauty. I scour the thrift stores for large and/or broad stripes and when I spotted this one I knew it was a winner. It's a poly/cotton blend, as is the white one.  Both have a nice hand yet do not hold on to wrinkles. I used some of what I learned in my fashion class, Principles of Design, to create the shape in white.  It mimics a mock hourglass silhouette echoing bust, waist, hips on the left side of the blouse.  It's impossible to look at the blouse without focusing on this shape. Besides creating a pleasing design, it also breaks up the width the blouse, giving the impression of slimness.                    Happy Thrifting and Happy Upcycling!

 

Paganoonoo Pattern in progress - Michelle Dress

I love dresses.  And I really love dresses with big pockets, hence my latest upcycle design.
Did I mention I also love shirt dresses?  

I've come up with the best of all three!!!

The pockets are huge and deep.  The dress buttons all the way up the front. 

This is a prototype.  I want to make a cosy red flannel version that I will probably want to wear for weeks at a time. 
More details on my blog

Upcycled blouse made from men's dress shirts - fall colors

 Hello Fellow Upcyclers!

This is one of my favorite custom garments made from the Patti Blouse upcycle pattern

It's made with three men's dress shirts.  

In this case I made it for a friend who is 6'3" so the back is dramatically long.

The sleeves are shortened to ¾ length with a cuff. 

The stripe on one side is the front placket from another shirt with the buttons still attached. 

 The hem has a dramatic high / low silhouette.  The back features color blocking made from the second shirt, the same fabric that was used for the cuffs. 

The center back has off-center pleating and is embellished with sections from a tie, a collar point (on the left), and three buttons.  I really love the origami-like look.

The flower on the front creates a balancing focal point.  See more examples made from this pattern.


Men's dress shirts are among my favorite upcycling materials because the fabric and construction are usually quite good and they are easy to find.

Happy Upcycling!  Michelle

Use your vintage linens for a super easy gift - Paganoonoo

Are you like me - with a stash of vintage linens you could not resist but you aren't sure what to do with them?  (or you could get your hands on some)...

And you would love to give homemade gifts but don't feel you have the time?  I have a solution:

One day when I was packing for vacation and putting my shoes in a plastic bag for the suitcase it occurred to me that there was an opportunity to use something much nicer to hold my shoes.

So I rummaged through my vintage linens and realized that some of the dresser scarves were ideal candidates for shoe holders. 

This dresser scarf looked promising.

I checked the sizing out by placing the shoes on top.  Just enough width, detectable by the appearance of extra room on both sides of the shoes.  A bit long, and long is fine, width is critical.

Press the dresser scarf well as wrinkles will distort the shape. Then pin the sides and mark the center line.

This is important - start with the middle seam, and begin sewing from the open end.  The reason for this is so that the open ends don't end up at different lengths.  Unless you have a walking foot on your machine all the time the feed dogs will shift the fabric slightly as you sew.  

Then sew the sides closed, also starting from the open end.  Clip the threads and you are done.  Only 3 seams!!!!  Yeah!!!

Slip the shoes in.

Wouldn't that be much more pleasant to pack and unpack?  

Mine bring a smile to my face every time I use them.  

When I've given these as gifts the recipients are delighted.  

With all the different sizes of vintage linens it would be easy to make these for men and children's shoes too.  

Happy Upcycling!  Michelle

Magical Boro Inspired Jean Jacket with Belt Closure - Paganoonoo Post

I really love the subtle color blocking.

This jacket was inspired by Japanese Boro clothing.  

I find the utilitarian nature of the garments appealing and the patchwork and repair process fascinating. I did not have garments that need extensive repair, but did have jeans in different stages of life.  

I ran across a white waffle robe with a Stanford University logo and thought it would be a good foundation for building a kimono jacket. 

I decided to use the jeans to build this Boro inspired jacket by piecing them together on top of the waffle robe. 

The thing that is amazing, even magical about this jacket is that it looks good on such a wide variety of people.  I wish I'd taken pictures of all of the men and women who have tried it on and it seemed to look just right on large, medium and small people of both sexes.  

The circle on the upper back is to hide an ugly a grease stain. 

I always try to turn a stain into a feature.

The rugged nature of the jacket called out for a complementary closure so I used part of a man's belt. 

Here is the inside front of the jacket.  The original waffle robe lining only extends part way down the sleeve.  This is so the bottom of the sleeve does not become too stiff and retains fluid movement. A pocket was added using an original jean back pocket.  The red stripe is bias tape used to finish off the join between the lining and jacket facing.

Here is the inside back.  You can see all of the sewing
attaching the pieces and quilting the sections.

 I'm on the lookout for another waffle robe.

HAPPY UPCYCLING!

Posted by Michelle Paganini, designer for Paganoonoo

Introduction to Michelle Paganini a.k.a. Paganoonoo

 

Hello, my name is Michelle Paganini.  I've been studying Fashion Design for the last 6 years at Canada College in Redwood City, CA.  Once I started to learn about the negative impact of new fashion I made a pledge to myself to stop buying new retail. That was over 4 years ago. 

I now buy from thrift stores, consignment shops and rework my own clothing. I've used the skills I've used learned to create repeatable new designs. Upcycling has become a burning passion. My blog Thrifted, Gifted, Bought, Made @ michellepaganini.blogspot.com shares my work and passion. 

I'm thrilled to join the Refashion Co-op group and I'm looking forward to interacting with everyone. 

Sometimes upcycling is as simple as making a a pilled cashmere sweater wearable again with a bit of elbow grease. 

Or changing buttons. 

Or with a bit more effort embellishing something into one-of-a-kind art to wear.