The Tea Party Dress

 

Working with paper as a sculptural medium is as challenging as it is fascinating. While possessing similar attributes to fabric, it also has qualities that require extreme care. Tea bags are a perfect example of this dichotomy. These sturdy pockets, that are folded so neatly enclosing loose tea, can withstand being submersed in very hot water and tightly squeezed to extract the last bit of the brewed tea. When the dried contents are removed and the bags opened and pressed flat, separated from it's purpose, it takes on an ephemeral quality of great fragility. This is when the lowly tea bag is most beautiful. Like the rust stain an errant piece of metal leaves on a surface, the tea stains on the fiber have an organic beauty that originates from the process of brewing a cup of tea and cannot be replicated.

The Tea Bag Dress was made from thousands of spent tea bags, their contents removed, pressed and configured into fabric. These tea bags were from brewed cups of tea consumed over a four year period. I had no idea what I would do with the empty bags as the pile of them grew, I only knew I did not want them in my compost bin. I read that these innocuous little tea bags were actually made with plant fibers and polymers, something I didn't want my worms to consume. But there is that little issue of convenience so I continued to use the handy little tea bags for my tea but used the cold brew method which may or may not alleviate the problem but gave me some modicum of hope that I was not poisoning myself. I am trying to transition to loose tea which eliminates the worry and the raw materials for future tea bag projects!

Though the beauty of the stained paper was the impetus for this project, what remains of interest to me is the process of creating the "fabric" by folding and fusing. Could I replicate this process with woven fabric, sewing instead of fusing each triangle to create a more permanent and wearable garment? This may be the next recomposed project on my table. 

The Collaged Skirt: Deconstructed and Reconstructed

This post is a continuation of my exploration of deconstructing men’s shirts and reconstructing them into a new form. This time it is into a skirt. Let's start.

The pattern is a self draft of a simple bias flared skirt. The length can be variable. 

I have laid the pieces of the shirts on top of the pattern to give me an idea of what combinations look best. Depending on whether it is a maxi or mini, plus size or petite, each skirt requires around three shirts. 

Then I sew them together and finish the seam on the back, leaving some of the raw edges show in the front.

Pockets are, of course, optional and you could choose a faced waistline or a waistband. Buttons and other embellishments are added after the seams are sewn. 

My first attempt included in-seam pockets with a side opening and elastic in the waistband. 

The elastic would only be placed in the back of the waistband in later iterations. 

There are no limits to this technique. Any pattern would work and any combination of shirts would work. You can cut up to the seams or carefully rip them to expose the inner seam. You could finish the hem and pieced edges or leave them raw to fray in the wash creating added texture.  

The greatest pleasure for me is the effect of piecing with exposed seams and allowing the original character of the shirts reveal themselves in the final collage. It is a wonderful way to create a yardage considering that each shirt has approximately one yard of fabric. The possibilities are endless. It is also a great satisfaction to be able to breathe new life into a once worn or even well worn and discarded garment transforming it into something completely new. 

Reconstructed Market Bag Tutorial

This tutorial is for the market bags I posted about earlier.

http://www.recompozed.com/2020/03/shirt-deconstruction-reconstruction.html

The best shirts to use for these bags are heavier than chambray or poplin dress shirts. Work shirts, heavy cotton broadcloth, corduroy and wool would be excellent choices. The pattern I used was self drafted and tweaked over time. 32.5” tall and 21” wide. There is no wrong shape here. Draft whatever is most comfortable for you.

Press the shirt and lay flat. I am using an XL size. Place pattern on shirt to include the front breast pocket. Mark the shirt using chalk, marker or whatever you normally use. I am using spent soap slivers. They work well on dark colors and wash out without any markings. 

Cut out the FRONT SIDE ONLY.

Remove any buttons that find themselves in the way of the seam lines. 

Carefully remove the cuffs with a seam ripper. Set aside. If you plan to make an attached cuff pouch follow the directions for the pouch below.

Turn the sleeves inside out. There are two rows of chain stitch. Carefully pull the thread of the chains and undo the stitching. This is something you should learn to do because it saves so much time and effort when upcycling garments.

The sleeve and the side seam of the garment should be opened up. Trim the sleeve away from the shirt.

Piece the handles together with leftover pieces of the shirt.

Lay the back of the shirt flat. With a seam ripper detach the bottom shirt from the yoke keeping the seam intact. Undo pleats, press and fold in half.

Lay out pattern, mark and cut. Piece handles the same as the front.

Sew down the front placket. Turn over and trim about ¾” of the back layers of the placket away to lessen the thickness. Sew the back of the placket down.

Sew strap extensions. Lay pattern over front and back and trim excess.

If you are including a pocket on the back of the bag continue with these directions. If not, skip to Assembly. 

Using one of the sleeves, trim the narrow edge ever so slightly to create a straight edge. Measure the width of that edge. Mine measures 13”. Cut a square with the measurement you have. Mine is 13” x 13”. Press edges. Stitch top edge as shown. 

Lay the back of the bag right side up. Center the pocket so that it is at least 1 ½ “ from the bottom and top. Pin in place. Sew in place, reinforcing bottom corners.

Assembly: Place back of bag right side down. Place bag front right side up. Pin in place and stitch ⅜” - ½” from edge. Trim to ⅛”. Fold bag inside out and press edge. Sew seam ⅜” from edge. Turn right side out. 

Sew handle seams together. Press.

Use ¼” twill tape as a stabilizer. Starting on the edge of the handle or bag opening, place twill tape ¼” from edge and fold edge over tape. Place a pin through all layers to hold in place and remove when you start sewing. Sew over the folded layer thru the twill tape. Sew all around the edges carefully maneuvering the tape and the folded edge. Make sure that the twill tape overlaps at the starting point. Repeat for each edge. Now fold the sewn layers over onto itself and sew all the way around. (note - to avoid the multiple thicknesses at the bag’s side seams, snip to the seam and fold in the opposite direction)

Making the Cuff Pouch: Mark about one inch from the hem of one half of the shirt front. Cut. Fold raw edge in and press. Fold again and press and stitch. Set aside.

Cut two lengths of twill tape the length of the cuffs. Spread glue stick over one side of tape and place half the width of the tape, glue side down into  the cuff opening. Slide the other cuff opening over the exposed twill tape. Press, making sure edges meet. Spread glue stick on the other side of the tape and seal both sides of the cuff flat. With the zig zag at widest width and at 1 stitch length, stitch over the center seam creating a join. Button the cuff buttons into the buttonholes. Press flat. Pin one end of the thin strip you sewed to the inside edge of the pouch. loop around the front bag handle and pin to the inside of the pouch next to the other end. Baste. Fold front of pouch in place and sew around the side and bottom edges.