Upcycled Jean Necklace

I designed another upcycled jean necklace yesterday afternoon. I used unbleached jean fabric, and made it shorter than my first creation. I like how this one rests on the collarbone.

Kanbun Jean Shorts

I’m constantly thinking of ways to incorporate my knowledge of Japanese Buddhism into my designs.  Since I studied the development of esoteric mandalas from India to Japan there are many sources of inspiration.  When studying Chinese I was particularly drawn to the characters and how beautiful they could be, and I knew I wanted to make a pair of shorts with calligraphy.  I didn’t realize how hard it would be to decide what to write on the shorts.  When I’m in Japan I always make fun of the “engrish” t-shirts some people wear, and I didn’t want to create the Japanese or Chinese version.   I chose to write the opening of a document describing a very unique mandala, one that has no existing visual representation.  It is only from the words that practitioners can imagine this beautiful land of bliss.  The author, Kakuban, was clearly influenced by popular Pure Land ascetic practices, so you see the phrase Pure Land (浄土) a lot on the shorts.  I used silver fabric paint to write the passage.

Plaid Shirt Dress

I have just gotten back into the swing of things since being back in Hawaii, and I finally finished my first project.  I tried doing a retake on my 4th of July upcycle, and made another dress out of a men’s large plaid shirt.  I wanted to something a little sexier and breezy.  So I made a halter top and kept the back nice and open.  With the 4th of July upcycle I felt that the dress was a little short, so I added a little bit of length in the back this time.  Just before I finished I saw an episode of Project Runway where they designed for the southern woman and thought my dress was kind of similar to Bradon McDonald’s winning dress.  Although his is much more beautifully designed, it was a similar idea of a plaid shirt dress that’s short in the front and long in the back.

Bradon McDonald’s Dress

My dress isn’t quite as long in the back and not as detailed in the front, but I really love the way it turned out.  It is also extremely comfortable.  Here is how it is: