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.


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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.

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

A New Take on the Old Hoodie Classic

Hoodies have been around for years.  Recently, you can even see them cropped and sleeveless.  So it was when I found two---both in pristine condition- with great design elements.  As an upcycler, I like to pay homage to the original designer by complementing and advancing the best elements of a garment.  In the first instance, I was honored to be playing around with an Ed Hardy sleeveless hoodie.  It was super soft and had a great print.  So, in order to put my spin on it, I added plaid shoe string ties to allow the wearer to close it but not zip it, so that what they chose to wear underneath would show.  I also added a complimentary button on the back so that the wearer could keep the hood up, displaying the cool print on it.




The second hoodie was short-sleeved and had a great pink camo print.  The original designer had put great  navy accents on it so I left them undisturbed.  Instead, I added oversized skater shoestrings to tie it shut---once again eliminating the need for the zipper, and another hood button.  Now both are updated and will allow the unique wearer to feel like they the one-of-a-kind creation they truly are.













If you enjoyed this post or want to see more designs, I humbly invite you to follow me at braitzatl (on Twitter) or visit www.echoclothingcompany.etsy.com