upcycled – The Oaxacaborn Blog

(Remember a few months back when I talked briefly about a yarn company which produces yarn made from unusual fibers like recycled saris, bananas, and nettles? Well, today Nicole, the director of Darn Good Yarn, is with us to tell us more!)
Guest blog - Nicole of Darn Good Yarn - Recycled Sari Ribbon

My mom thinks it’s cool that I have my internet friends because I never leave my office long enough to make the real-in-the-flesh kind. It’s not that I’m anti-social, I just own my own business, Darn Good Yarn. And like a child it consumes me day and night. So, when Gina “@”‘d me on Twitter to guest blog about my child…errr business I was all about it!

At the start of 2008, I wanted to make a difference and I needed to be stimulated creatively since I didn’t have that in my “past life” (I was active duty Air Force). So, I merged these ideals and Darn Good Yarn was born.

Darn Good Yarn - recycled silk yarn, recycled silk ribbon, exotic craft supplies, recycled sari

Continue reading “DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT :: Guest Blog: Recycled Silk Ribbon from Nicole of ‘Darn Good Yarn’” →

Handmade, Little Style

vintage rickrack, eyelet fabric, and my due date

January 10, 2011March 21, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

i’m keeping myself busy today, my due date, by carefully pinning vintage rickrack to an eyelet fabric baby dress cut from an old skirt of mine. the dog is freshly bathed and smells of essential oils and sunshine (yes, sunshine has a scent). the blue light pouring in through the windows doesn’t hide the fact that it was a mere shivering 28 degrees this morning, or that overnight, the sleeping world was covered in icy frost.

inside, i’m warm, with my decaf mocha and my quiet music. and i know you’re wondering — am i feeling patient? well, not so much, but i’m working on it. =)

Handmade, Little Style

handmade baby gown upcycled from women’s dress [with link to tutorial]

January 1, 2011March 21, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

thanks to a great tutorial i found here, i was able to create a baby gown/infant sack from one of my old dresses! the tutorial was intended for cotton t-shirts, but of course i had to make things way more complicated and use a silky chiffon-like fabric. seriously, what was i thinking?! i love the way it turned out, though. and i also love that since i got the original dress at a thrift store ages ago, the baby gown is it’s third life!

Handmade, Little Style

newborn baby onesie: embroidered owl applique from upcycled tshirt fabric

December 17, 2010March 21, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Squee! Just finished making this little owl applique for a newborn onesie. I had an old green t-shirt that was destined to become a rag, so I used a piece of that fabric for the owl’s body. I used standard thread for the embroidery. It’s not perfect, but then again, baby will only wear this for the blink of an eye before she outgrows it.

[Update: Owl baby hats are now available via my Etsy shop!]

Conversations with Designers

etsy shop feature: rebourne [handmade eco-friendly baby & family goods]

October 16, 2010March 21, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

This weekend I caught up with the shop owner of rebourne, an online clothing shop specializing in wool cloth diaper covers. Marni, the artisan behind the upcycled items, was kind enough to answer a few questions for me — even though her newest baby is not yet a week old. Thanks Marni!

Q: How would you describe rebourne?

My shop is a collection of handmade items for baby and family. I use mostly upcycled materials to create one-of-a-kind creations, many of which are cloth diapering oriented.

Q: As I was browsing your shop, I noticed the word “longies” used to describe some of the diaper covers. For the benefit of those who aren’t familiar with the term, could you explain?

Longies are pants made out of wool that are used as a cloth diaper cover. Instead of using a plastic cover over a cloth diaper, longies are worn as a cover that doubles as comfortable pants!