Fluffy Repair Patch

I've been experimenting a lot with my sewing, trying out different techniques on my sewing machine and with the upcycling. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my machine does not have the fancy dials or any electronic components. My free motion embroidery is through adjusting tensions, moving my hands fast or slow and lots of hand-eye coordination.  It does take quite a while to get used to but it has been a lot of fun.

Rabbit repair patch

This is the latest repair patch I made. It was done directly on the garment to cover up a hole. I was thinking of a simple rabbit applique but it ended up very boring and so I added texture by sewing on bamboo wool.  The wool was then further felted and it ended up very furry, or is fluffy the word?  I also found that felting a bit of wool onto the rabbit's face made it look a bit more real!

Why a rabbit? 

A more specifically, why angora rabbit. When I was stitching up this fluffy thing, I was thinking, "Is it possible to produce angora wool ethically?"  Seeing videos on the internet of them squealing while they were being ripped of their fur was very disturbing for me (I'm not going to link up the video but if you want to see it, do a google search, and please be prepared!!). However, after doing a bit of reading up I realised that angora should be gently plucked during the rabbits' moulting periods or even sheared on a regular basis.  Even if this should be the practice, I can't help but think whether this is done commercial purposes.  Everyone is thinking of profits before environment and welfare.

Readers' Makes

There has been a lot of sharing going on on my facebook page.  

Elizabeth shared this adorable upcycled piece she made from an old shirt and embroidered denim from her rag bag. This is a gift to her new granddaughter. Congratulations, Elizabeth. 

Janet has been very busy with her sewing. She altered a pair of low-rise jeans from the thrift store so that they would fit snuggly at the waist instead. I love the trimming that she has added to the jeans as well. You won't be able to find these anywhere else!

 Janet has also done some repairing - check out this shirt. Can you spot where the repair was done? It's definitely a funky look.

And finally, she's been very busy with reupholstering her sofa with denim. This definitely took quite a while to do but it was well worth the effort. You can see more pictures here in the comments section.

Another one of my favourites (and I would really love to do this) is Maretta's double bed sized memory blanket made from children's clothing.  All the childhood memories!!

Yasmine shared her cute repair that she sewed onto her leggings after an adventure gardening and up tree!

What have you been repairing or upcycling?
It's been lovely and inspiring seeing all your projects.