Drop-Dead Denim Special Guest: Nancy Minsky

I am both shocked and delighted to welcome a very special guest for Drop-Dead Denim today. I am also finding it quite difficult to capture this "Nancy Minsky" in a few introductory lines. It's virtually impossible. But... I can't not try, right? So here goes!

Originally from Portland, Oregon, a nucleus of art and craft, Nancy Minsky has had a life-long love affair with her sketchbook. Her innate need to produce art at every turn has led her to study a spectrum of art media from pottery to calligraphy to fashion, under a host of gifted teachers at numerous prestigious art and design schools including The Parsons School of Design in New York City. To name a few, she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art alongside the great Diana Vreeland, was encouraged by Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel, and nurtured by Calvin Klein himself. She is an artist. She is a clothing designer. And she knows a teensy bit about old blue jeans having authored the book "Denim Revolution" and the blogs 21st Century Dressmakers and Jean Repair. Warmly welcome Ms. Nancy Minsky!

Unlike any other piece of clothing, blue jeans have this uncanny ability to live nine lives. They just adapt naturally to every spin and turn from childhood though adulthood. They make a statement about our individualism, our freedom, and our choices in life. We love our jeans like we love rock-n-roll, apple pie and long weekends. They start new, become old, need mending and patching, and finally morph into charming recycled crafts.

A pair of jeans travels a long journey filled with many fun and surprising paths. That journey begins as a "new" and prized possession - no matter if they were acquired as a pricey must-have or simply a hand-me-down.

As they wear, they seamlessly evolve, their texture and color growing softer, more comfy, familiar and cozy, beginning another life, that's like a well-traveled best friend.

The soft cotton yarn used to weave the denim eventually wears terribly thin with the washing and hard wearing, and holes and loose threads appear gradually, and then profusely. So, ultimately, with the passage of time, even a most favorite pair will end up forgotten and lost somewhere in the back of a closet.

But one day, unexpectedly, those "old" jeans catch our glance as we rummage around in the back of that closet... and instantly, the true blue jean memory flashes forward. A stream of wistful associations pours out about those long forgotten old blues - of events, places, or people - from a decade ago, from high school, or when you were another shape. Old blue jeans are the stuff of legends, and each of us has a unique and special story to muse over.

Filled with those memories and expectations you contemplate how to mend those old blues and a life begins anew. As you gently coax and churn your humble old jeans, with thought, sewing skills and integrity, improved and more durable "new" jeans are created.

All you need to mend and patch jeans is some industrious sewing, the proper tools and lots of tender loving care.

Mend your jeans with integrity - be true to your philosophy about your style and what appeals to you, or what scraps you have in your fabric bin.

Mend them with skill - you need your stitches to be as durable and beautiful on the inside as on the outside.

Mend them with pride and creativity - there are no rules. Conceive it like a beautiful and enduring quilt project (any mistakes will just add to the individualism.)

HERE are some useful sewing techniques about mending jeans.

And HERE is another link for those truly old and ragged jeans.

HERE are some general tips and details about hemming jeans on Scribd.

But if the fit of those jeans just doesn't cut it any longer, then give them an altogether new life and crop and trim them like joggers.

Or re-invent them into a poufy jean skirt (Denim Revolution project).

Or cut them up into new treasures. Little bits can be made into denim slippers...

Pincushions...

Or an apron for a little girl.

Dear Blue Denim knows no limits and adapts magically to every whim with style. One never tires from stitching this beautiful fabric. It's simply not a coincidence that old jeans live nine lives... and more!

Thank you Michele for your beautiful artistry, for your inspiration and for inviting me to participate in your month devoted to the true blue. Happy Denim Month to all!

Nancy

Thank YOU Nancy for being here. Wow! And also thank you for acknowledging our efforts to play and sew with old denim and our attempts to spread that excitement and fun across the Ether. It's been a huge honour and a joy having you. In fact, my door (or is it a portal?) is always open. Visit again anytime!

Oh and by the by, Denim Revolution by Nancy Minsky is reviewed HERE by me.

Today I'm Diggin' This Denim: The entire post above, by gum!

You have a lovely day, won't you? I'll see you again soon!

Talkin 'bout a Revolution!

As in the book: "Denim Revolution" by Nancy Minsky. Have you heard of it?

Well let me review it for you (my first book review EVER...), shall I?

"Denim Revolution" is a sewing/fashion/craft book that aims to show you "dozens of ways to turn denim cast-offs into fashion must-haves". It is a book filled with beautiful photos, handy diagrams, and stylish fashion sketches all there to inspire you to breathe new life and excitement into your own denim wardrobe. The book has something for everyone. Styles range from reckless to sassy, from cute to classy.

Nancy Minsky tackles the subject with a little denim background, explaining how denim is made and how it behaves. She describes what the bias of a fabric is and why it's important. She illustrates how to adjust a pattern and lists the essential tools needed to make each project.

The bulk of the book is taken up with an assortment of step-by-step upcycling projects. The author shows you how to use denim patches to embellish existing items. She demonstrates how to re-invent your denim clothing by adding embroidery, patches, slashing, fraying, stenciling, ribbon, buttons. She teaches you how to create whole new fashion statements by recycling old denim into a cap, a belt, a tie, a cape, gauntlets, cuffs, bags. Denim Revolution illustrates the funkification of vests, jackets, skirts, shorts, or jeans. Projects are suited to a range of skill levels from beginner to experienced. Some projects are very simple, others are more complex, and require combinations of skills.

One of my favourite parts of the book explains how to use a hammer and nails to add texture to your denim pieces (!) and states that it's okay to dribble house paint on your jeans à la Jackson Pollack. Let me at it. I like Ms. Minsky's way of challenging the reader to improvise and create his or her own unique versions of her designs. I like to be adventurous when I am crafting; I want to feel empowered to do my own thing. Denim Revolution does that.

I'll conclude this review with a teaser. I have joined the revolution! And I am working on a project inspired by Nancy Minsky's book. I'll be back soon with photos of the finished project, and thoughts on how it all went down!

Now have a yourself a great day, and I will see you soon!

Note:

• I was not asked to review this book. The book was a gift from the author and I chose to review it here. The above opinions are my own.
• "Denim Revolution" was written by Nancy Minsky. Find Ms. Minsky online @ 21st Century Dressmakers and blogging @ Jean Repair.

The Mailman Cometh!

Shhhhh... That little fellow below flew in from the UK a few days ago. You can see he's still recuperating from the long trip, suffering from jet-lag and no doubt feeling a little shocked culturally. I've dubbed him Chicken.

Yes he's a him, and no, I don't care if he's wearing pink... Yes, he's an owl. And yes, I know the difference between owls and chickens... Isn't he the sweetest? He's a handmade gift from Amy, author of The Happy Daisy. Amy was my swap partner for the Softie Swap organized by The Clip Café. Thank you Amy! Chicken is so lovely. He snoozes happily on the shelf above my sewing machine. I love him.

And the little bundle of fabric below was sent to me by Melissa of Mel's Own Place. She is my partner for the Stash Manicure's Brown Bag Quilt Contest. The challenge of this contest is to create a quilt from someone else's ugly fabric rejects. Sound like fun?

The contest works like this. You receive 2 yards of ugly fabric from your swap partner. You must then construct a quilt using 90% of this fabric as well as any amount of fabric from your stash. You may only purchase one new fabric to include in the quilt. It's a stash busting exercise! Once you've made your quilt, you can upload photos of it to the corresponding Flickr group and be entered to win prizes! And you get to keep your quilt. So in my case, that bundle above is the UGLY fabric that Melissa sent. Thanks Melissa! Not ugly AT ALL. It's great! In fact, I've already designed the quilt. I just have to make it!

And finally the mailman brought this little gem of a book...

"Denim Revolution" written by Nancy Minsky. I am honoured to say that Ms. Minsky the author, designer (21st Century Dressmakers) and blogger behind Jean Repair, sent me the book as a gift! So I've decided that in return for her generosity, I will be doing my version of one of the books many projects here on Michele Made Me, and also doing a book review. Note that I've never done a book review before but I figure there's no time like the present, right?

I love getting mail... Thank you Mr. Mailman for filling my mailbox with goodies! And thank you Amy, Melissa, and Nancy for your sweet gifts!

And YOU! You have yourself a lovely day!