Post-apocalyptic FASHION
Had a lovely afternoon crafting in the company of Charlotte and Gigi. I started on a project I've been turning over in my mind for a while now. I've always been a fan of the "post-apocalyptic" aesthetic, where everything's hard-edged, deconstructed, and hacked together from other things. I wanted to make a sort of post-apocalyptic jacket, with a high-fashion twist. I want it to be leather, cobbled together with pieces taken from thrifted jackets, with lots of buckles and straps. I'm not sure what I want every part of it to look like, but I knew how I wanted the sleeves. To that end, I bought a bunch of brown and black leather belts from the thrift store.
I hung one off of each of my dress form Adelaide's shoulders. I cut a big wide belt in half to make sleeve heads. Then I measured the circumference of my arms at the widest point-- a little over ten-inches. So I linked all the belts together by the buckles, punching holes where necessary, and cut ten eleven-inch lengths. Then I attached them temporarily to the belts hanging off the shoulders with masking tape at even intervals, with the lowest ones about where cuffs should be. I like idea of air between each straps, the sort of faux-sleeves they make. It won't be the warmest or most practical jacket to wear, but it doesn't need to be. It's FASHION.
I haven't decided how to attach them permanently yet. My sewing machine is technically rated for leather, but the belts are awfully thick. I may end up using Barges, the leather epoxy recommended to me by excellent resource thistothat.com. Also I may end up buying more belts and adding more straps into each sleeve. But I like how it looks at this point.
I'm still not sure what the rest of the jacket will look like. It's crossed my mind to try and make it entirely out of belts somehow. But I may also cut pieces from preexisting leather jackets and reconstitute them with these sleeves. But it's a start! And it's nice to shift to doing something crafty.