Blue Morpho Creations
For the past few years I have been collecting good quality used jean clothing from thrift stores including: jackets, vests, shorts & jeans. I wash and sometimes repair and make adjustments to the garments. I also collect vintage cotton & silk lace, printed materials, buttons, embroidery threads; and bamboo linen & cotton printed picture panels. These “picture panels” come in square or rectangle shapes.
For jackets, vests and shirts I change the shape and size of these panels to suit the intended garment for application. I place wax paper over the picture panel and draw a suitable shape, then cut it out ready for attachment by double-sided interfacing to the garment. The appliqué is now ready for my hand sewn blanket stitch “frame” with heavy embroidery thread. This is labour intensive because of the thickness of the jean fabric and appliqué, do quite often I must use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through the fabric. In a few cases I use trim to frame the appliqué.
In the case of jean shirts I use light cotton appliqués and machine stitch them to the garment. For all jackets, vests and shirts that I work with I also embellish the front of the garment to coincide with the appliqué on the back. On many of the jackets, I have removed the original chest pockets and applied, by blanket stitch, larger, embellished pockets that I have removed from a pair of jeans. For example I would apply Western looking pockets to the chest of a jacket with a horse-head appliqué on the back.
My first projects were straight leg jeans that I turned into bell-bottoms, on which I received many compliments from women asking me to make them for other women. To start I open up the lower legs and undo the hems. Then I cut out an appropriate godet (triangle insert) to compliment the stitching and pockets on the jeans I’m working with. If the godet is printed cotton then I interface it to match the weight of the jean material. If the godet is a matching jean material with embellishments, interfacing is not needed. All edges of the godet and side seams of the jeans are finished by a serger before inserting the godet. Then I re-hem the jeans. Most times I add hand embroidery to the sides and front of the bell-bottoms to compliment the godet.
My subject matters include a western series and an Art Nouveau series and miscellaneous subjects such as butterflies, unicorn, mermaids, fairy, wolves, ballerina & Harley Davidson.
In the past year I have sold some of my bell-bottoms through a Consignent store with good results regarding price and popularity. I have a business card & printed laundry tags. I have an Etsy account for buying but not selling yet and so far I have not put my Creations on Instagram or Facebook either. I am however keen to participate in an Artisan market to experience first-hand the feedback from people about my Upcycled jean clothing. My domain name is bluemorphocreations.ca and at the present Time I’m working on my website. I am not shy as I have worked within the public eye for many years and look forward to this new experience.
Markets
Find us at the following markets.