If at First You Don't Succeed...

Today I'll tackle the piles of crochet and lace Again!

 Yesterday I started pinning accents on my jacket from a beautiful piece of lace...don't even remember where I got it. I cut out individual medallions, pinning and repinning them in different places.

 I have a tendency to overdo, so my plan of attack is to work for a while and then let the design rest. That way, I have a much better perception of what I've done, and right now my perception is that I need to start  over

. I am contemplating the removal of the sleeves so that the jacket will transformed into a vest. In this climate, adding additional weight to denim...even stretch denim...can feel unnecessarily heavy.

 Other people might not think this project is even wearable, but I've always been able to "pull off" items most people wouldn't be caught dead in.

 I think that's why I ve enjoyed Pinterest so much...because I've found out there are others out there like me...not that I'm special that way. Different is the way I like to think of myself. However, I think I give myself too much credit sometimes.

 Creativity looks so easy when other people do it, but the process is a labyrinth of wrong turns, most of which I have taken in the last few days. I am determined to please myself, and I'm not there yet. Back to the pins and the stacks and the scissors.

What Would We Do Without?

I've come to the conclusion that I really don't ever have to shop again. I have been the consumate consumer at Goodwill for the last so many years, and before that, I could find my way through my favorite thrift shops with the ease one only attributes to unadulterated familiarity. These days I find myself looking at items I have purchased and ultimately worn with a fresh, altered eye.  What if I were to cut this, remove that, shorten the length, lengthen these shorts...you get the picture?

 I find myself in possession of laces and handwork that I've been collecting for over thirty years, and now I've taken a pledge to use them as jazzy accessories to my otherwise drab garments.  The amount of lace and crochet I am dealing with is almost obscene.  I'm not sure I can climb this mountain, but I like a challenge! Why should an estate auction make money from my beautiful collection when I am perfectly able to put these purchases to good use.

 I have a few designs in mind already.  My first creation seemed simple at first, but in fact, I have only gotten to first base, so to speak. It's a denim jacket that I've altered by cutting the sleeves so that they are just below elbow length. The back of the jacket has a lace inset, and I'm playing the design on the front by ear.  Sometimes I have a tendency to overdo; I don't want that to happen here.

I  cut out the back of the jacket and pinned in the crochet piece. It is a perfect fit between the yoke and the band at the bottom. The sleeves have been cut but not finished. Stay tuned for the finished product.