Using a Kimono in a Bathroom Remodel

A new client found me (thanks to this blog)! She commissioned me to make a custom kimono for a bathroom she was remodeling for a client. It was to be hung on a bamboo pole and suspended above the tub area. This was my first foray into the world of kimonos, and she found a pattern from the 1970's for me to use.

See the "before" and "after" photos below.

BEFORE

AFTER

Pretty dramatic difference! The green and white fabric I used (a print with little birds on tree branches) blended in beautifully with the green tones she utilized on the drawers and on the ceiling. I love how the room looks so much larger, and the kimono really works...

Only after I was finished with this project did I realize that my new client is the amazing Susan Lane Wertheimer, who once owned an enormous bridal sewing business in Toluca Lake and clothed many celebrities. (Glad I didn't realize that until later!) The icing on the cake is that I made a fabulous new friend!

The new website is up!

Thanks to the tireless work of Rhion Magee and Marina Perrone, the new Threads of Change website has landed. And it's beautiful! Check it out:

http://www.threadsofchange.org/

Don't forget to place your Christmas orders soon...!

iPad Sleeve to featured by Rachel Bilson in "In Style" Magazine!

Rachel Bilson loves our iPad sleeve!  Check out the candid (paparazzi) photos of her last week, while she was out and about in Beverly Hills.  That's my protoype she's carrying........
Rachel is a contributor to "In Style" magazine and she's going to feature it in the January edition!!  The iPad sleeve can be ordered now on our online Etsy shop for $55...Click here:  Threads of Change on Etsy

This iPad sleeve was designed by Rhion Magee and Laura Pursell (yours truly) for the Threads of Change Ghana project.  How exciting!

Awning for a Garden Swing

Just in time for the end of summer...! Last week, I sewed this custom burgundy awning for my sister's outdoor swing. Her old awning was ripped and weather-beaten, and she wanted a new one to match the new cushions. This waterproof outdoor woven fabric was purchased at Joann Fabrics (with a 40%-off coupon, of course). I finished all the outer edges with a 4-thread satin stitch on the serger, using matching burgundy thread. Inner corner pockets hold the awning to the metal frame.

I have to give credit to my brother-in-law, however, who did a fantastic job of measuring and cutting! I'll have to recruit him for my next project....

"Threads of Change" - new Etsy store

All the bags, purses, belts and other products I've made for Project Okurase (out of African fabrics) are now on ETSY, an interntational online shop dedicated to handmade items.  We have named the shop "Threads of Change".  Check it out and mark your favorite item!

Mudcloth Messenger Bag

For the past couple of weekends, I've been working on this prototype of a messenger bag made out of the mudcloth. The inside is lined with gold and black handpainted African fabric, with four interior pockets. The adjustable straps are actually made out of seatbelt webbing (how cool is that?) and for closures on the flap, I used the twist-lock closures I used for the cuff bracelets and the clutches.  Do you like it? Do you think it's unisex, or more appealing to the guys?

World's Oldest Leather Shoe

This is so fascinating...the oldest leather shoe yet discovered was kept in pristine condition by a thick layer of sheep dung in a cave in Armenia for 5,500 years, according an international team of archaeologists.  Check out the shoe laces and the eyelets!  They say it probably belonged to a woman (it's the equivalent of a size 5) but could easily be a man's shoe if the man was small in stature.  This shoe pre-dates the Egyptian pyramids! Since its discovery however, exposure to the elements has hardened the leather; when it was found, the leather was soft and now it's hard as a rock.  I'm really surprised at how modern this shoe looks, and it's proof that people have been lacing up their shoes for at least 5500 years.