A Fun Challenge in a Year of Challenges

 I have been waiting all summer to share this...with everything that has happened this year, I had almost forgotten that I had done it. 

Last February the Editors at Threads Magazine proposed a challenge to the 3 Digital Ambassadors.  Start with a men's suit and transform it into a new garment or ensemble.  With the gauntlet thrown, we got to work.  You can see the resulting transformations on theThreads website HERE.

I did a post describing the transformation that I did on the Threads site, so I won't rehash it here.  It was really fun once I finally got an idea that I liked.  It really was a challenge to come up with something a bit different.  At the end of the day, I was very pleased with my efforts.

Looking back with the perspective of the last several months makes it all the more challenging.  We returned from a visit with our son in London on March 10.  On March 11 we did a big shop with the idea that we should probably self isolate since we had been traveling through several airports.  Our plan was to do our 2 weeks and then back to normal!  Oh, how innocent that seems now.  

On the way home from the grocery store I remembered that I needed to get a suit for the Threads challenge.  We made a quick stop at a church thrift shop and bought the one suit that was on the rack, never thinking that it would be the last time I would be in an actual 'shop' for the rest of the year!  

Here are a few pics of the garments that I ended up making.  My idea came from my old gardening overalls. You can read all the gory details in the Threads article.  And they took some much nicer photos that you can also peruse.  They are having readers vote for their favorite transformation, so if you like my idea, give me a vote!  You will also be entered into a drawing for some pretty swell prizes.  

My idea was to make a pair of "business" overalls....

I started with a mock up of the bib part, from there I made a pattern and used different parts of the jacket to add the front, back and straps to my overalls....

The jacket got more and more tattered as I scavenged bits and pieces...

You can't have overalls without a hammer loop!

The lapels were the last bits I salvaged....rather than remake new pieces, I tried to use the suit details in tact but in new ways...

I added the lapels to a piece of fabric from my stash to make a cropped jacket to go with my overalls...

I think they are pretty classy...and kind of silly as well...

I do love that hammer loop!

It all seems like a lifetime ago.  2020 keeps challenging us over and over again...what I wouldn't give for an "easy" garment redo!  I hope our little exercise in recycling adds a bit of fun to your quarantine!  

Who knew?!