Commemorative

I had the distinct honor of creating a commemorative item for a friend whom lost her mother a few years back.  I was given carte blanche to transform her Mamma's favorite tie-dyed shirt into something more her style.   While at first intimidating - cutting up memories!!! - it rapidly became my favorite commission ever.  Blessed.  Honored.  Flattered.

BEFORE

AFTER

Et VOILA!  A long scarf.  And just in time for Mothers Day. One of my goals was to use every inch of the shirt, especially the neckline and cuffs, which usually get discarded.  I am happy to announce I converted the neckline into a necklace and the cuffs morphed into the posies thereon.  Only a wee bag of scraps were left.  As close to Zero Waste if ever there was! 

Posy Neckline Necklace

      

Scraps

  

Zero Waste Fashion - Our Definition

Zero Waste Fashion has become a "thing" in the last few years, but what does it mean exactly?  

I first read about one of the US based pioneers in the field, Timo Risannen, in an NYT article several years ago but had been unknowingly practicing a version of the concept with Jag & Nevie for awhile.  Mr. Rissanen has been teaching and writing on the subject for years now and I adore his blog.

Zero Waste dwells at the intersection of many eco friendly practices briefly outlined in a great series of articles on Seamwork Magazine's site.  Some of these concepts are mentioned below;  cutting, scraps as design elements and using previously manufactured items.

If you Google around you'll find fashion designers whom cleverly design patterns so as to cut fabric in ways that don't discard a millimeter of yardage. Holly McQuillan's work is a great example of this: 

Here she shows how to lay out pattern pieces for several garments in a very complex and effective way. 














Another part of the concept is designing with scraps from the fabric & fashion industry - my favorite example of this is Zero Waste Daniel  whom works and manufacturers in Brooklyn.

Zero Waste Fashion also includes up cycling which is where we come in. Finding beauty in a (re)useful piece of fabric from a discarded t shirt, sweater or pair of jeans is the absolute foundation of Jag & Nevie.

After using large chunks of a garment I incorporate the small leftover pieces as appliqués, fringe, patches, ribbons, what have you.  The studio is overwhelmed with bags & tubs of scraps waiting for their new incarnation;-)

APPLIQUÉS; FLAT & 3-D

FRINGE: T SHIRT FABRIC & CASHMERE

I am so excited every time I find a way to salvage a special texture like sleeve ribbing or a waist band.

SLEEVE RIBBING: CASHMERE HATS

JEANS: HEM AND INSEAM; T SHIRTS (made into a tote bag)

WAISTBAND PILFED FROM A PAIR OF SHRUNKEN BOXERS:-0

In summary, Zero Waste Fashion is just as the name applies - an endless array of techniques employed to prevent, or at least delay, the shameful amount of textile refuse accumulation that is rapidly polluting our planet.  If we wear what we already own until it is beyond salvation and buy from zero waste designers we will care for Mother Nature in the most chic and responsible manner imaginable.  Thank you for doing your part.

Custom Cool - T Skirts & a Poncho

I have had the profound pleasure of making three custom garments for two very cool clients lately and I really want to share the results with you!  

A repeat client sent me a box of the most amazing collection of Star Wars T shirts you can ever imagine.  It took a few days before I was brave enough to cut them up.  

Chopping up Chewie???  Couldn't bear it.  And the Jedi mind trick, "These are not the droids you are looking for"!  Gasp.  

Black Skirt Number 1:

Gah!  Vader!    Asymmetrical draping and hemline is key to the flattering fit.

These skirts are going to Comic-Con!!

The back.

And my favorite, the Blue & Grey combo, Skirt #2:

Again, lots of angles and draping. 

In true eco fashion - the waistband was swiped from a pair of boxers:-)

 

 

I do custom skirts in this short 17" mini skirt length and a longer midi length on the Etsy site.  When you have enough skirts, send them a long and we'll collaborate on the perfect eco skirt for you! It usually takes about 14 panels for a mini and about 20 for a midi. (You can alternate solid/graphic as seen in these, or do them with all panels as slices of the graphics). I use the blank backs of shirts for the underskirt and waistbands, thus reducing fabric waste.  

Custom Order Smashing Success #3 - A rockstar Poncho:

This client sent along a stash of awesome concert T's, some of which featured her husband's band.  The "I am Your Tin God" is her own artwork for his band - how cool is that? I studded the appliques as usual and the poncho can be worn asymmetrically off shoulder or with neck line centered. I thought her color choices were brilliant and come on - Amelia Earthart + Johnny Cash - fantastic!

The back when worn symmetrically.

Amelia with studded star appliqué. 

Neckline

Details are EVERYTHING.

Send me your shirts!  

(Your kids' sport shirts, Concert T's, Sports Team T's, Race T's, Travel T's - they make great wearable art - a site more stunning than a memory quilt, eh?!)

Summer Music Festival Schedule! COMPLETE!

This has got to be the most comprehensive summer music festival list - evah!   JamBase has them all.

Anyone up for Founder's Fest - A Celebration of Beer & Music in Grand Rapids, MI, my old stomping grounds;  who knew?  Or maybe Bluegrass & Beer in Keystone, CO, another stomping ground?

Suds & 'Grass (a ha ha ha) not your scene (mine either)?  How about Groovelink Family Funktion - just the name alone makes me want to get down.   Perhaps, For the Funk of It Music Festival in Belden, CA, with bands like Mojo Green, Groovincible and Big Sticky Mess!   

Surely you can find a fest you can attend.  And when you do - don't forget to wear a special one-of-a-kind Jag & Nevie summer tube or for cool, high mountain festival evenings - a poncho!  

Tube Tops & Halters Here 

Ponchos/Capes Here

We will even make an extra special CUSTOM ORDER poncho out of your own beloved concert t-shirts if you need one.  Just email cheriemarie@jagandnevie.biz or purchase immediately on Etsy and send over 6-8 shirts - DONE!

What do Punk Rock, Anatomy & Hawaii have in Common?

What do Punk Rock, Anatomy & Hawaii have in Common?  Probably not much more than the fact that they're represented by 3 new capes up on Etsy today.  Click on captions to see more.

Rock Star

Hawaii, among other fab far flung locales

Science never looked so good

Wine: (Bottles) Fun for You - Good for Hummingbirds

Wine Bottle Hummingbird Feeders are a colorful and ecologically sound way to attract the little busy bodies to your yard.  Several of them frequent our feeders every day which makes the kids very excited.  We have also planted special flowers for hummers, bees and butterflies.  Southern Houston, where we currently reside, is an important fill-up station for hummers before they make the long arduous journey south for the winter.

I made these out of wine bottles, t shirt strips, fabric & plastic bag flowers and stoppers I purchased from Annnna on Etsy.  If you want to try your own, be sure to specify WINE bottle size when you order from her.

Notes about feeding Hummers - 

• the syrup recipe is 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar. NO colors please!  Food colorings are neurotoxins for humans and all other creatures.  Bring the solution to a boil and let it cool completely before filling feeders.  You can store excess in a sealed glass jar in your fridge for 2 weeks. 
• sterility -  If you life in a hot climate the syrup needs to be changed every few days to keep it from growing bacteria.  I bleach out my feeders every refill cycle and rinse well. 
• once you start feeding you must keep it up during the appropriate seasons as the birds learn to depend on you for nutrition!  Google when to put up/take down feeders in your area.
• bugs!  One site I read said to hang a porous bag of orange slices near the feeders as the decaying fruit (change them regularly :-) attracts fruit flies which hummers also eat to fatten themselves up.  

Have fun bird watching!  

Summer SALE! Flap Happy Skirts Reduced!

It's time for some sale business.  We've reduced the price on the Flap Happy Skirts, don't you want one?

Flap Happy are carefully designed to be very flattering over the hip - the angled panels & asymmetrical hem boast an amazing sleight of hand making you look narrow.  Who couldn't use more of THAT?  The Flap Happys look great year around - with sandals in summer and boots in winter.
Layers, and layers of t-shirt glory.  Available in all black or black/grey combo.

Flap Happy Mini

Flap Happy Midi

Announcing. . . U Pick U Design

How do you follow up the delicious, smoldering Edward?  How indeed.  Decidedly not possible; but you can wear him at any rate. . . 
We have created a new category in our Custom Order line - the U Pick U Design group.  We show the shirt and you chose whether you want it cut as a Tube Top or a Halter Top.  To your specific measurements, of course.

To begin with... here are a few of the shirts:

Pain & Suffering in Various Countries - back

Summer Dresses

We are featuring the summer dresses this week.  From StrapHappy to FlapHappy, they're all here!  Each one is thoughtfully designed to flatter the body with careful color placement and asymmetry.   You can custom order one in just your size!

StrapHappy

Grafitti Applique

Grafitti Applique & FlapHappy

FlapHappy

Details, details: Studs!