My father wasn’t into having a lot of possessions, but he was very particular about the way he dressed. I never saw him wear flip-flops or sneakers—only lace up oxfords or golf shoes (both usually alligator) and always with black or charcoal gray cashmere socks.
When my father passed away in the early 90’s, we gathered enough cashmere socks to fill a hefty trash bag. My sister was ready to send them off to Goodwill, but I wasn’t ready to part with them (I’m a sentimental hoarder). They sat in the bag for some time—I wasn’t sure what to do with them. Some of the socks were well worn with a hole or two, while others looked brand new—but all of them were either black or charcoal gray...and very soft.
One weekend I sorted all of the socks by color (black or gray) and if they had any holes (usually on the heel). I started cutting the holes off and splitting the socks open, and realized I had a generous swatch of cashmere. I decided to patchwork them together—not sure what I would end up with...maybe a throw blanket. I decided to try and make a patchwork sweater out of my cashmere sock pieces.
Here’s how Mr. Peacock made his cashmere sock sweater. Whether you’re an experienced crafter or a newbie, this project is fairly forgiving—“mistakes” and haphazard stitching add to the uniqueness of the sweater. This sweater doesn’t have a neat and tailored cut, it's more of a bohemian loose style. I would plan on dedicating a weekend to finish this project. I hand stitched it, because I think it added to the style of the sweater, but you could certainly use a sewing machine.
Here’s the tools you will need: • Needle & Heavy duty thread—I used a heavy upholstery thread • Straight pins Sharp • Scissors • Glue stick • Sharpies • Ruler • Newspaper • Sweater Shaver—you can get them for a few bucks at discount stores like Walgreens (my mom gave me one years ago, I though it was a joke, but this little tool is amazing—it “shaves” off any pilling or loose threads on wool or cashmere without damaging the garment) • A bag of old cashmere or wool socks (you could also use a few old holey cashmere or wool sweaters instead of socks)
First you'll want to make a "pattern" for your patchwork sock sweater from a favorite existing pull-over sweater in your wardrobe.
Glue stick pieces of newspaper together and lay out on the floor. Place your sweater on top of the newspaper and trace with a sharpie pen.
The lines don't have to be perfect, but if you prefer you can use a ruler. Cut the pattern out along the lines and set aside. Wash all of the socks in hot water and throw them in a dryer. They’ll shrink a bit, but the washing process will almost “felt” the wool or cashmere and deter unraveling when you cut the pieces. I don’t recommend cotton because it will tend to unravel and be problematic.
After you wash and dry your socks, carefully shave any pilling (little balls and bumps) or excessive fuzziness.
You can now begin cutting the pieces. I was somewhat methodical about cutting. First I cut the tops off (make sure to save 2 elasticized tops for your sleeve bottoms), then the heels, and so forth. The goal is to get large swatches of cashmere (or wool).
I stacked the pieces into like colors and textures (some were smooth, and some were ribbed). I then laid them out on the floor over my paper pattern, leaving enough to cover the pattern—until I was pleased with the arrangement of the shapes. It’s good to mix the colors and textures. I then pinned all of the pieces together, and repeated the entire process.
I used a basting stitch (above), with course upholstery thread. Baste all of the pieces together—leaving a ¼ inch seam allowance on the corners.
Above: A couple of patchwork sweaters from Comme des Garçons Winter 2009 season for inspiration. You can mix patterned socks with solids for your homemade patchwork sweater.
You should have 2 basted patch worked pieces of socks that fit over your newspaper pattern. Place the pieces together, with the basted sides facing out. Lay the pattern on top, and pin the 2 pieces together, using the pattern perimeter as your guide. Don’t pin the bottom of the sleeve openings or the neck opening. Baste these together, and remove all of the pins.
Above: Dolce & Gabbana featured a few patchwork sweaters in their Winter 2008 collection. It's the same idea as my sweater—I like the gray palette. Carefully try on the sweater. Now is the time to make any adjustments, like making the sleeves tighter, the sleeves longer (I made my sleeves longer), or the body length shorter or longer (I left mine shorter).
Now take the 2 saved elasticized sock tops and baste each one on the end of the sleeves (inside out).
With the sweater inside out, go over all of the seams with a blanket stitch (above). Trim the neck to your liking. I chose a boat style neck on my sweater. Blanket stitch along the entire edge of the neck. Carefully remove any loose threads, and it's ready to go. I think the sweater looks equally appealing with the sewn seams showing, or turned inside with the sewn seams hidden—it just depends on your mood and style.
Above: Mr. Peacock loves the knitwear by Clare Tough—a couple sweaters from 2008. I like the addition of the asymmetrical zipper. Depending on your sewing experience, you could add a zipper or buttons on the front of your patchwork sweater.
As I said, this project is fairly simple, even if you are a beginner crafter. Once you get started, the process will make more sense to you. This patchwork sweater would make a great gift too. If you start this weekend you can make one as a holiday gift...and one for yourself!
Above: Mr. Peacock's stylized button tribute to the late fashion designer, Patrick Kelly.
Patrick Kelly was a talented American fashion designer who passed away, in 1990, at the peak of his fame. He was the first American to be allowed into the elite Parisian fashion designer's organization called Chambre Syndicale. His most memorable garments were embellished with masses of multicolored buttons.
Above: An iconic, Patrick Kelly, heart dress—made from masses of plastic buttons.
Mr. Kelly often lied about his age, but it’s assumed he was between 35 and 40 years old when he died from AIDS complications. He was born in Mississippi and taught himself how to sew at an early age. He left Mississippi to escape the oppressive racial tensions and to pursue a serious career in fashion; eventually ending up in Paris. The Brooklyn Museum had a Patrick Kelly Retrospective in 2004.
Bette Davis helped Patrick’s rise to fame when she announced on the The David Letterman Show in 1987, that Patrick Kelly designed her “heart” dress. On subsequent television appearances, Ms. Davis usually wore Patrick Kelly, and always gave him public praise (see video above).
Patrick Kelly was proud of his African American heritage and collected Black dolls and other Black memorabilia. He made lapel pins with Black baby doll faces, which generated some controversy and offended some African Americans at the time. These pins became his trademark (see shopping bags—above right) and he would give them away to everyone he met. This gentleman peacock always wore oversize overalls, t-shirts and bicycle caps emblazoned with Paris.Click here to watch an interesting interview with Patrick Kelly; it will give you an insight into his style and personality. Mr. Peacock salutes the talent and creativity of Mr. Patrick Kelly.
Here's instructions to make your own button embellished jacket or pillow: This fairly simple project is an homage to Mr. Patrick Kelly and his imaginative use of the humble button. I’m sure you have, or know someone who has, a jar of buttons. If not, stop my your local thrift store—they usually have bags of mixed buttons for sale.
Above: Some of Mr. Peacock's button stash. I used to keep my buttons in a very large jar, but now I sort my buttons by color and keep them in zip lock bags for easy access.
Mr. Peacock has embellished a variety of items over the years with buttons: jackets, pillows and even curtains. I used a vintage Wrangler jacket for my stylized skull & crossbones (below).
If you’re going to embellish, or make a pillow, I recommend a sturdy, medium or heavy weight fabric. Make sure you prewash the fabric. You’ll need to select a needle and thread that’s appropriate for the weight of your fabric you choose—check with your fabric store.
1) Select your artwork Simple iconic images work the best, like Mr. Kelly’s famous heart. A monogram is always nice too. You can draw your design directly onto your garment (or fabric) with a washable marker (available at fabric stores), or use a transfer pencil and trace your design from existing artwork.
2) Trace or draw artwork I chose the letter ‘R’ and printed one out on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper from my computer. You can draw your artwork with a washable marker, available at fabric store or trace it with a transfer pencil.
If you’re using a transfer pencil, you will need to trace the reverse image of your artwork (see photo above). I flipped the paper over, and placed a sheet of vellum paper (you can use tracing paper too) on top and taped them in a sunny window. Then I took my red transfer pencil and heavily traced the reverse image of my letter ‘R.’
Now you can position the vellum paper, with the drawn side down, on your garment or fabric and iron it with a hot iron. The pencil lines will transfer to the fabric. It’s not a perfect method for transferring your design, but it will give you a rough outline to follow as you sew your buttons.
3) Layout your "button map" Gather the buttons you want to use. Mr. Peacock used all different tones, and sizes, of white buttons for the skull & crossbones, and chose a gold and brass tone palette for the embellished monogram pillow.
Lay your artwork on a flat surface and start playing with your button arrangement. I call this your “button map.” It will add more visual appeal if you mix different shaped and sized buttons.
4) Sew on the buttons You can now start sewing the buttons on—one at a time. The process goes fairly quickly. Take a few buttons at a time from your "button map."
Make sure each button is sewn on well—I gave each button about 10 or 12 alternating stitches. I didn’t use any interfacing on the backside, but you can if you prefer (see photo above).
5) Voila! Your button embellished pillow or jacket is now ready to use.
If you’re in New York City, be sure to stop by one of Mr. Peacock’s favorite little shops—Tender Buttons. This little basement shop (see photo below) on the Upper East Side is a treasure trove of rare and unusual buttons. They’re a bit pricey, but if you’re on the quest for a special or rare button you won't be disappointed.
Do you have a big jar of buttons stashed somewhere?
Mr. Peacock lived on the top floor of a sixth floor walk-up (next door to the original Sullivan Street Bakery location) in Soho for years and once hosted a big tea party in my flat. It was really an excuse to drink cocktails with lots of friends, but with the addition of homemade little scones, tarts and tea sandwiches. This apartment was a modified railroad flat, with the bathtub in the kitchen. You had to walk through my bedroom to use the toilet. It was in a separate little room with a small window, that you could see the World Trade Center through. An acquaintance of mine, Missy, was exiting the little toilet room (after a few cocktails) and had glitter all over her...and glitter all over the bathroom. She then proceeded to track glitter through my entire apartment—bedroom, kitchen and living room. "What happened," I gasped! Missy nonchalantly replied, "Oh, a bottle of glitter broke in my purse, sorry..." "Why do you even have a bottle of glitter in your purse?" I asked. Missy said, "Oh, ya never know when you might need it." I wasn’t mad, or actually I couldn’t be mad, because Missy was such a sweet person and so creative and crafty. She just loved glitter! And she also made amazing collages too. I used glitter to make the place cards this Thanksgiving. They were super easy to make, I just used the tip of the glue bottle to “write-out” each name on a dried leaf. I used a square baking pan, with a piece of construction paper in it as my “glitter box.” After I put the glue on the leaf, I would put the leaf in the “glitter box” and sprinkle the glitter liberally over the glue and wait a few minutes. Then I gently tap the leaf to remove the excess glitter into the "glitter box."
Here's my "glitter box." At the end it's very easy to clean up—just pour the excess glitter back in the glitter bottle.
You could use this same technique to put a name or monogram on a small wrapped gift.
1) Draw your design with glue, and let it set for a minute or two. 2) Cover all of the glue liberally with glitter (over your glitter box) 3) Let dry for about 10 minutes and then tap away excess into your glitter box. 4) Allow to completely dry for a few hours before rubbing or stacking other packages on top of your new glitter monogram.
This Martha Stewart "8-Pack Glittered Bird Note Card Kit" would make handsome cards for the holidays.
Everything you need is included in this sweet little kit: 8 cards and envelopes, 5 containers of glitter, paper, 8 double sided bird sticks (no glue needed)….and it’s only $9.97. You can buy it here.
Mr. PeacockGocco printed this little bird in a top hat, chirping a song, for a holiday card a few years ago. It’s hard to see in the photo, but I sprinkled super fine silver glitter over the ink while it was still wet, just to add a little sparkle. The glitter also added a "vintage" feeling to the cards. Then I tapped the excess glitter away into my "glitter box."
This regal bird is already glittered, and it would look nice nestled in a bow, atop a big, wrapped gift, buy it here.
Martha Stewart has an amazing color palette of glitters to add some sparkle and fun to leaves, birds, whatever you like...but remember it can be very messy too, if you’re not super careful. I vacuumed glitter in my Soho apartment for years, after Missy’s spill. I think I even had little glitter bits in my bed, so make sure you use a "glitter box." Happy glittering..."ya never know when you might need it!"
For years, I would carefully remove all of the labels from my clothing. It didn't matter whether a garment was from Gucci or Kmart—I just disliked looking at the labels in my clothes and them rubbing against my neck in shirts or jackets. I think I partially acquired this obsessive habit due to my father’s distaste in "advertisements" on clothing. "Advertisements" is what he called any logo or identifying label on apparel (ie the alligator on a Lacoste shirt or the polo pony on a Ralph Lauren shirt). He sold Lacoste and other brands in his golf pro shop, but never personally wore any clothing with a visible logo or identifying label. He thought it was free advertising and marketing for the brands, and its appeal was geared toward middle class people seeking status symbols for themselves. Obviously he didn’t like Mr. Peacock wearing logos or labels either. In junior high school, I wanted to wear a Lacoste shirt so badly. He finally succumbed and let me have a hideous Lacoste pullover that he couldn't sell in his shop. It was an olive green and orange wide-striped velour pullover with a v-neck. That pull-over was so ugly, but I still had fun wearing that little alligator. I thought it looked kinda punk. When I got older, my parents would argue over other clothing and hair choices I made. My mother ultimately won the argument, and I could wear whatever I chose for myself. After working at various large retail corporations as an adult, I fully understand my father’s repulsion of blatant brand marketing and advertising on apparel. It’s more prevalent now, than when I was in seventh grade.
I liked the design of the labels (typography, color, etc...) and always saved them in my sewing box, with my fabric remnants and thread. I took some of the labels I had removed from my clothing and sewed them into a "patchwork" pattern on the back panel of a vintage denim, Wranglerjacket. It was a bit toungue-in-cheek and I nicknamed my jacket—the "label whore" jacket. I mixed in brand labels (ie…Helmut Lang), garment care labels (ie…dry clean only), some humorous labels from vintage pieces (ie…Man Skin, Made for my Hubby), and some very graphic apparel labels from the 80’s (ie Hell is for Heroes). I like the "patchwork" mosaic pattern the labels create on the jacket.
Here’s the instructions to make your own patchwork label jacket:
1) Remove Labels Carefully remove the labels with a seam ripper and an X-Acto knife. Be very careful and patient, because you don’t want to cut through your garment or the label.
2) Prep Labels Remove all the loose threads from the labels. Iron them, face down with a cloth over them (I used a handkerchief), using a moderate heat. This will "flatten" the labels.
3) Select Garment Find a piece of clothing you would like to "patchwork" the labels onto. I used the back of a vintage denim jacket, but you could use any clothing item from a sweater to a shirt—whatever you like. Make sure the clothing item is clean and dry.
4) Arrange Labels Lay the clothing item on a large flat surface—a table, ironing board or even the floor. Gather all of your labels and start positioning them (with double sided scotch tape) in an arrangement you prefer. I arranged mine in a very linear, grid-like arrangement, but you could be more abstract, and even overlap the labels.
5) Finalize the arrangement Once you have an arrangement you like, try on the garment and look in the mirror. Do you like the arrangement? If not, rework the labels until you’re happy with your layout and design arrangement.
6) Fuse labels to garment Once you finalize your arrangement, start ironing each label down with a piece of iron-on fusible tape, like Stitch Witchery. Cut a piece of fusible tape to fit each label. Use the handkerchief cloth again, placed over the label as you carefully iron each label using a moderate heat. You can iron a small group of labels at a time too, but be careful and patient as you go.
7) Sew labels to garment Okay, now you’re ready to sew the labels to the garment. You can sew them by hand with a simple straight stitch, or use a machine. I used a sewing machine, with clear acrylic thread—set on a straight stitch. You want to carefully “outline” each label with stitching, so the labels don’t fall off when you wash the garment. If you don't sew on the labels and just use the fusing tape, the labels will start to peel off the garment after a few washes. Carefully trim all the lose threads when you're finished sewing.
8) Ready-to-wear Your "label-whore" jacket is finished and ready to be worn! If you don’t have enough labels Mr. Peacock suggests checking the bargain bin at your local thrift store. Look for interesting looking labels (ie…labels with cool typefaces, colors, interesting or funny names). You could also beg your friends to let you raid their closet for labels, just be extra careful when removing them!
A big Mr. Peacock thank you to Grace Bonney at Design Sponge! She featured Mr. Peacock's DIY Project on Wednesday. I'm glad it inspired people to try decoupaging. You can visit Design Spongehere. Pick-up a copy, if you haven't yet, of the November issue of Domino Magazine and see the lovely photo and article about Grace and her inspiring site. Also, keep an eye out, Mr. Peacock will be guest blogging on Design Sponge.
Mr. Peacock loves to collage! One uneventful weekend last year, I collaged the entryway ceiling in our apartment using black and white xerox copies. It’s a cheap and fun way to add some drama to a drab foyer! You could do a larger ceiling, but it would take more time, so I recommend starting with a small area first. If you rent or like to change things around—like myself, they’re relatively easy to remove. Just dampen the artwork with a wet towel and slide a blade or scraper under a corner and “peel them off.” Here’s how I created my decoupaged ceiling. (You can click on the image below to see the detail a bit better) 1. Pick your pattern First you want to decide your theme or subject matter. I called mine—The Birds and the Bees, even though I didn’t include any bees. I used birds, flowers, butterflies, and beetles. An object, or animal, or something that you can silhouette (cut out) works better than say a photo of “a wheat field.” Although you could simply cut interesting shapes from an image like “a wheat field” and make more of an abstract pattern with shapes. You could also use clip art from a Doverbook. The possibilities are really endless. My ceiling is painted white, but you could also paint the ceiling a color and decoupage the black and white images over it.
2. Find the images I wanted to do something nature oriented, ie...The Birds and the Bees. So I selected some books on birds,flowers and bugs. I bookmarked pages I liked with a post-it.
3. Xerox Then I went to the copy store and enlarged the images on a black and white Xerox machine. I used 11" x 17" size paper. You’ll have to play around a bit, adjusting the size and contrast to your liking. Don't worry if the copies look too gray or the dot pattern looks too prominent, you won't notice that after the next step. You could also scan images you like and play with them in Photoshop and then print them out at home.
4. Cut Then I carefully cut out the images from the Xeroxed pages and piled them into groups, ie birds, flowers, leaves, and bugs. I used two different pairs of scissors and an exacto knife (see photo below). Your first trimmed image might be a bit sloppy, but don’t worry, once it’s up on the ceiling, nobody will notice. And besides, you’ll become an expert at cutting these images after the first few are done. (I even like the cut out images against the wood floor in the photo above)
5. Clean your surface I cleaned and wiped the ceiling with a mixture of hot water and TSP, and let it dry thoroughly. Don’t skip this step! It is important your surface is clean and dry, otherwise your beautiful collaged images will curl on the edges and not adhere to the ceiling.
6. Glue Then I got on my step ladder and just intuitively started gluing the cut out shapes to the ceiling, creating a organic “pattern” as I went. If you want it to be more structured, you could lay the pieces out on the floor before you start gluing. I used oversize glue-sticks and tried to cover most of the back surface of each piece, and gently rubbed it smooth when I pressed it to the ceiling. Be careful when you smooth the image, it can tear.
7.Decoupage Actually I brushed on more of a light “wash” than a full on decoupage. I thinned some Elmer’s glue to a watery, but still sticky consistency. You want it thin enough to brush on and just lightly coat the surface and around the edges of each image. Normally when you decoupage, you would want a thicker consistency like Mod Podge, which you could also use (but thin out with some water). The glue "wash" will dry fairly quickly.
8.Voila! I think my ceiling is quite fetching. My photograph really doesn't do it justice and the light fixture is a bit distracting to see the final product in its full beauty. People ooh and ahh when they step into our home for the first time and notice the glorious "birds and bees" on the ceiling. It also adds some depth to the ceiling and makes the space feel taller. If you decide to decoupage your ceiling, send me a photo, I’d love to see what ideas you come up with!
One weekend I sorted all of the socks by color (black or gray) and if they had any holes (usually on the heel). I started cutting the holes off and splitting the socks open, and realized I had a generous swatch of cashmere. I decided to patchwork them together—not sure what I would end up with...maybe a throw blanket. I decided to try and make a patchwork sweater out of my cashmere sock pieces.
Here’s the tools you will need:
First you'll want to make a "pattern" for your patchwork sock sweater from a favorite existing pull-over sweater in your wardrobe.
Glue stick pieces of newspaper together and lay out on the floor. Place your sweater on top of the newspaper and trace with a sharpie pen.
The lines don't have to be perfect, but if you prefer you can use a ruler. Cut the pattern out along the lines and set aside.
Wash all of the socks in hot water and throw them in a dryer. They’ll shrink a bit, but the washing process will almost “felt” the wool or cashmere and deter unraveling when you cut the pieces. I don’t recommend cotton because it will tend to unravel and be problematic.
After you wash and dry your socks, carefully shave any pilling (little balls and bumps) or excessive fuzziness.
I used a basting stitch (above), with course upholstery thread. Baste all of the pieces together—leaving a ¼ inch seam allowance on the corners.
Above: A couple of patchwork sweaters from Comme des Garçons Winter 2009 season for inspiration. You can mix patterned socks with solids for your homemade patchwork sweater.
Above: Dolce & Gabbana featured a few patchwork sweaters in their Winter 2008 collection. It's the same idea as my sweater—I like the gray palette.
With the sweater inside out, go over all of the seams with a blanket stitch (above). Trim the neck to your liking. I chose a boat style neck on my sweater. Blanket stitch along the entire edge of the neck. Carefully remove any loose threads, and it's ready to go. I think the sweater looks equally appealing with the sewn seams showing, or turned inside with the sewn seams hidden—it just depends on your mood and style.
Above: Mr. Peacock loves the knitwear by Clare Tough—a couple sweaters from 2008. I like the addition of the asymmetrical zipper.
As I said, this project is fairly simple, even if you are a beginner crafter. Once you get started, the process will make more sense to you. This patchwork sweater would make a great gift too. If you start this weekend you can make one as a holiday gift...and one for yourself!
