London/UK Olympics--- Ready Set GO!

I admit I would love to head "cross the pond" and take in some of the London Olympics.  Having lived in Atlanta during our turn in 1996, I know it's a fun 17 days! So as I went about looking for something with the Union Jack on it to make me feel a wee bit more involved, I found nothing more than a pair of anklet socks.  Not nearly enough inspiration! Time to get busy and make one of my own!

With a gently-used grey and red hoodie that I had found when thrifting, I began my experiment.  Could I make my own Union Jack and put it on one side of a hoodie bolero?  Using a XXL navy blue velvet top (also warehoused for thrifting but waiting to be cut for trim), I started making my own flag on the navy blue background using strips from a white baby rib tee and some of the matching red of the hood that I had removed before starting.  Before long, my flag was taking shape, but I hit more than a few glitches.  At one point, I was even tempted to trash the whole idea, but gave myself 5 more minutes to work on it.  Lo and behold, it started to have that handmade charm.




Before too much longer, it was ready for some of the same blue trim (edged with a zigzag for extra pop). I pleated it around the perimeter and then perused the sleeves For that final panache, I decided to add bubble cuffs (think merry old England) and whipped some up from the navy velvet shirt scraps.






Done at last! I may not be able to visit England this time, but I will be watching the opening ceremonies in my Union Jack bolero.  This one is just too near to my heart to sell.


If you enjoyed this post, I humbly invite you to subscribe to my twitter feed found @braitzatl and check out my upcycled creations at www.echoclothingcompany.etsy.com.

A Monarch No More- Create Fab Yard Art

About 8 years ago, I happened upon a giant metal butterfly at OldeTyme Pottery.  Somehow, my mom and I got it home and I painted it as a monarch butterfly. Faithfully, it guarded my waterfall and flowers, but lately had begun to look a tad tired.  The orange, yellow and black were fading and pieces of the original metal were showing through. Atlanta summers can be really hard on outdoor art! It was time for an upcycle- for my favorite pal in the garden!

Enter some inspiration from unlikely places.  First, I came across a fun gift card at Target in an intriguing set of colors.  It was also in the shape of a butterfly, so it was easy for me to connect the dots.  Follow that up with the perfect recyclable bag at my local TJ Maxx- again in a similar color palette- and I was convinced!

With a quick rinse from the hose and a return to a solid color--- courtesy of Rustoleum 2x Cover Satin in Aqua (found at my local Home Depot), I was in business.  With some artistic help on color from Nikki, it took about 10 days to complete a new and improved addition to my garden.  One that I will enjoy for years to come!

An Entrepreneur is Born!

Ever since she was little, Nikki has shown an entrepreneurial spirit.  When she was 10, she began making really cute hairbows and posted them on my fledgling Etsy site.  While having a big time with all kinds of fabulous ribbons, she made herself a little profit while getting a taste of what you can do with energy,  artistic talent and drive. After making the bows for our school cheer squad for 2 years, and making a killing off her no longer adored American Girl dolls, Nikki continued to hone her artistic skills by drawing and excelling at school projects.


Fast forward to 13 and Nikki is at it again. From her broadcast news position at school, she brought in different coffee mugs to enhance the set.  With a revised look for the set, the cups came home and Nikki had an upcycling inspiration------playful pincushions made from the cups.  After all, why should all pincushions be red, stuffed with hard sand material and made in China?

She started by deciding on a name- Corky Red Curls- and creating the logo above.  Perfect for her and the whimsical nature of her creations.  She procured an new email address and began working on her Etsy website, so she would have a venue to sell her fun items.  One of the first cups---cows paired with a fabulous checkerboard silk topper-- is shown at left.  Wouldn't this pincushion make you smile?

She soon moved past the cups that had once adorned the broadcast studio to other objects like this strawberry bowl.  A larger pincushion could hold more and might work better for a serious seamstress.
















The next one she made- I Like Mike- is my favorite.  Made from a baby food monster bowl, it is my favorite color palette. (Not to mention that it's black and white pin part looks like Jef's hair from the Bachelorette!)

And finally, a few more.  A sly fox (called Swiper after Dora the Explorer), a wise old owl and a steaming cup of espresso joined the group.  She's had a lot of fun being original and artistic.

With some imagination, careful thrifting and a lot of rummaging in my studio for leftover material, Nikki struck gold----and created some cool pincushions.

Jack-o-Lantern Halloween Hoodie --Boo!!

In case you didn't know, Halloween is only 134 days away.  So, it seemed totally natural to me- a major Halloween lover (ck out my Pinterest board on Halloween!)--to create a Halloween Hoodie at the beach.  With the use of a ton of scrap fabric and ribbon in my studio, I was able to craft a hoodie I am super excited to present.

Made from a black Danskin cardigan hoodie base, I removed the zipper and hood and cut it to a more flattering shape.  With the remainder of a giant plush Halloween pumpkin pillow my daughter mutilated for her cell project in life science, I added a huge Jack-o-lantern grin to one side of the new shorter bolero.

Then, the fun began.  With a myriad of minky, corduroy, knit and other fabrics, I started assembling the hood. (It's a version of the ones I made last year with some Katwise twists----she's the upcycled coat guru on Etsy- thrown in.)

One more admission- I love luscious bubble cuffs.  It was only natural that I add some in a wonderful orange minky that I had in the studio. A giant shoestring and some trim around the perimeter complete my fun look.  A giant button can hold the hood closed in position if desired.



So fun. Now, it's time to consider making some great witch feet for my table. Stay tuned.

If you enjoyed this blog post, I humbly invite you to visit my website- www.echoclothingcompany.etsy.com to see more upcycled creations or to follow me on Twitter @braitzatl.

Go Team USA!

Last year, I made a couple of hoodies with very long hoods-just for fun.  I had seen an artist on Etsy named Katwise who made wonderful coats with long hoods from recycled sweaters.  The two that I made both sold to boutiques almost immediately, but  I had to move on to spring sweaters and didn't make any more.

The idea kept coming up  in the back of my mind until I decided to do a few more.  The first inspiration was the upcoming Olympics in London and Team USA.  Wouldn't it be marvelous if a US athlete wore my hoodie in the closing ceremonies?

With that thought in mind, I began crafting it from a navy Danskin hoodie.  I searched the studio high and low for great leftover or recycled materials, and then began cutting a more flattering style held closed by a giant shoestring. Fun ruffled navy and white trim soon found it's way around the perimeter, and I also added luscious red polka dotted minky cuffs.

The result can be seen in the pictures.  Not only would this look smashing on a member or supporter of Team USA, but also would rock on anyone who wants to wear their team colors proudly.  I've listed it on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/listing/100711573/ladies-usa-medium-upcycled-cotton-fairy so that my  dream of seeing it at the Olympics has a chance to come true.

If you would like to see more Echo creations, I humbly invite you to my website at www.echoclothingcompany.etsy.com.  You can also keep up with us on twitter- @braitzatl.

Career Collage for Girls

For years, when I meet new people, they eventually get around to asking what I do for a living.  I typically begin to list the jobs I've had--- accountant, acquisitions coordinator, analyst, asset manager, author, now artist and apparel designer/upcycler-- and conclude by telling them I haven't yet made it out of the "A's".  So, it seems a natural evolution that I've had an epiphany as I have been talking to my daughter about what careers she might choose someday.  With a variety of interests and abilities, who says she has to pick just one?  As I began brainstorming, my Serendipity series flashed in my mind and blended right into the mix.  Why couldn't I write a book, illustrated with my Paper Doll series, that offered suggestions to savvy girls about what they might consider? Over the span of a week, my kids and I started writing down all the careers/callings we could think of alphabetically and the idea started to come to life.

To take the concept "out for a spin",  I started with Gigi (on left), one of my initial Serendipity pieces, now pictured as a costume designer.  With photoshop, I removed a little of this and that and then started adding words to the piece-- in varying fonts.  I love the fun of reading them all the choices and think they must be defined- maybe in a glossary.  Perhaps some may even used in a poem for opposite pages.  The idea is still percolating in my mind.  Your thoughts are welcome.

If you enjoyed this post, I humbly invite you to follow me on Twitter at braitzatl.  You can see other art pieces at www.bridgetteraitz.etsy.com, and the real fashions at www.echoclothingcompany.etsy.com

One-of-a-Kind Reprised

Several years ago, I found a wonderful sweater base in grey and black stripes.  It was unusual, interestingly made and had some elements I could accentuate as I upcycled it.  By restyling it from a boring pullover and adding some hot lime green trim, I called it the Zoe.

It was very well-received and helped me be accepted into an American Craft Council show in GA as one of 10 up and coming Indie designers to watch.  As you can imagine, I was excited and even more thrilled when they chose it to appear in the show's program.

The Zoe sold quickly, and I have often been asked to make another.  Unfortunately, I had not found a base that was slightly off the shoulders and unique like the original Zoe was made from....until now.








This past week while thrifting, I came upon a pristine cotton blend top that had very interesting elements.  It was nearly off the shoulder, had similar stripes and very interesting sleeves.  Long black cuffs reached almost to the elbow and a vertical stripe ran down the sleeves.  To top it off?  A perfect t-shirt in a great chartreuse shade was also there.


Home I went and cleaned, re-cut and created the Zoe 2 (with help from Debra!). It's not the same, but one-of-a-kind things never are. The sleeves are very unique- you can push them up, leave them down or even turn the cuffs up.  I love the updated look --it pays homage to the Zoe, but is a tad edgier. Mission accomplished at last!

If you enjoyed this post and would like to keep up with what we are producing at Echo or the art we are musing about, I humbly invite you to follow me at braitzatl on Twitter or visit us at www.echoclothingcompany.etsy.com