"Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair", May 2022

I invite you to join me in beautiful North Carolina in late spring of 2022.  I'll be teaching a weekend workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.  Workshop dates are May 27 - 29, 2022.  My workshop is titled "Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair".  This workshop will be followed by my one-week class, "Brasstown Boho Skirt".

Sign up for my workshop and you'll gain numerous ideas for transforming your denim jacket from boring, to bedazzling!!  Shop your local thrift shop for an unlined, light to medium-weight denim jacket.  Prewash your denim jacket, then gather embellishment supplies, ie lace, beads, buttons, etc.  You will be sent a supply list at registration.  

The following photos are eye candy to get you excited about this easy-going, casual workshop!  Note: I use hand sewing most of the time to embellish my garments.  I hand wash or spot clean my embellished garments.

The denim garments shown below are crying out to be embellished!

 

 

I purchased the jacket shown below at a Maxwell St. Days sale here in Madison more than twenty years ago. It was just begging for some ornamentation.  I dug through my extensive collection of trims, lace and beads to create the Boho look I love!   More photos of this jacket follow.

 

 

 

The jacket shown below was also a sale find.  It is decorated with seed beads, bugle beads, a button, a patchwork square, and my favorite embroidery stitch, Raised Chain Band, around the patchwork square.

 

 

 

The next jacket shown is embellished in a more subdued fashion.  I applied vintage tatting, enhanced with seed beads, on the collar and cuffs. 

 

The next jacket shown was purchased at a local Goodwill store.  I love the aqua color.  I do not love the weightiness of the denim.  Lesson learned:  heavy denim does not lend itself to hand embellishment.  I trudged onward with this one, using vintage trims and pieces from my stash.  I used a vintage crocheted motif on the back of the jacket, adding seed beads of different sizes to the mix.  Vintage lace trims the collar.  I applied hand dyed contemporary rick rack to either side of the front zipper.  "Baby" rick rack was used along some of the seam lines.

 

 

The jacket shown below was featured in my blog post of March 15, 2021.  View that post to see details of how this jacket was embellished!

While not a denim jacket, the cotton/poly blend shirt below was brightened up with some Boro stitching.  I used Perle cotton (size) #8 for the stitching.

The following photos show some of the "ingredients" I like to use when decorating jackets or other garments.

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

New Post Coming Soon!

Greetings,

My next post will feature more info about my May 2022 jacket decorating workshop at the 

John C. Campbell Folk School!  Stay tuned for more about "Vintage Denim Jacket with 

Boho Flair".

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Beginning Weaving: Floor Loom

In June, 2021, I had the great fortune to take a beginning weaving class at the Sievers School of Fiber Arts.  The class was taught by Susan Frame, of Osseo, WI.  Susan was an excellent, patient teacher.

The weaving class took place in the Sophie Studio at Sievers. We learned to weave on Schacht

Baby Wolf looms.

The lighter colored loom in the bottom right of the picture below is the newest acquisition for the school.  The classroom Schacht looms are made of maple.  Maple darkens with age.

The type of yarn we used for our two projects (table runners and/or scarves) was pre-selected for us.  We did get to choose our own colors to work with.  We used "Cotton Fleece" yarn for the first project and "Cotton Fine" yarn for the second project.  Both yarns are by Brown Sheep Company, Inc.

The loom shown below is the one I used in class.

Teacher samples of table runners are hanging on the rack.  These represent 

what we made as our second projects.

Winding yarn onto a warping board.  Susan (teacher) showed us how to move the warp 

from the board to the loom.  We warped our looms from front to back.

Photos below: first one shows the 12 dent heddle in position for "sleying" the reed.  

This is one method of doing this task (there are others).  Subsequent photos show 

warping the loom, hemstitching, and finally, weaving!  We used a twill weave setup.

Different patterns are created depending on what colors you use and in what order

you use those colors.  I like the blue and white color combo!

Once our first pieces were off the loom, we chose colors for our second project, a 

"gamp".  Often these are done in a rainbow of colors.  We were free to choose our

own colors.   As you can see, I opted for jewel tones (my favorites). Students could

pick up to 7 colors plus a border color, or, use repeats of several colors.  The loom was

warped in a prescribed order.  The goal was to weave 7 blocks x 7 blocks, following a

pattern.  Some students repeated the pattern.  After weaving my seven blocks, I 

decided to weave free form to finish my table runner.

Photo of me, taken by a classmate (Mary).

 

Shown below:  My table runners, draped over a beautiful basket I purchased at the Sievers Gift

Shop.  The table runners still need a bit of finishing work.  I am pleased with how they 

turned out.  I learned a LOT in this class! 

Class photo and "graduation" certificate. 

Sievers School of Fiber Arts

I was a student in the weeklong "Beginning Weaving: Floor Loom" workshop, held in June of this year, at the Sievers School of Fiber Arts. The school is located on the north side of Washington Island, WI.

Before the workshop commenced, I spent time touring the school buildings and the wonderful Sievers Gift Shop!

The school was originally set up to feature weaving classes.  Offerings have since

expanded to include other fiber arts.

Below:Administration building and gift shop.

Side entrance to the gift shop.


There were many temptations inside the Sievers Gift Shop!  These photos,

taken with permission, give you a glimpse of the wonderful goods available 

there.

I kept visiting this beautiful basket (below).  In the end, the large basket came home with me!






A Sievers loom is on display in the gift shop!  Weaving demo’s are done on 

this loom.

The refurbished barn across the street offers event space and a women’s dormitory.




This building is the “Teacher’s Cottage”.


The Sophie Studio houses looms for weaving classes.  My next blog post will

feature many photos taken inside this studio.




Walter Studio is adjacent to the the large barn.  A Shibori Dyeing class was being

held in this studio.