Okay, not really famous. But! My pattern for the Coffee Date Dress (available for free download) is featured in Kate MacKay and Di Jennings’s new book on DIY fashion, Recycling is Chic! This wonderful project from Alchemy Arts offers lots of great projects for reusing materials to create really beautiful garments, and Di Jennings’s photography is lovely:
Doesn’t that illustrated dress have you reaching for your Sharpie right now? That hula costume is made of shredded grocery bags!
I have to say, I love the concept of the book. The Selfish Seamstress is a big fan of reusing and reappropriating materials, and this book does that with great results. The following image is not from the book, but did you know that the Selfish Seamstress does some of her very best work in bubble wrap?
Hahaha. Ok. It’s not exactly up to the authors’ standards for chic. I guess that’s why they are the authors of a book about DIY fashion and I am not! :)
I should be getting a copy of the book from the publisher soon, but I just had to share it now because it looks so pretty! Want your own? Get it here!
The Selfish Seamstress 
22 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 29, 2010 at 9:53 am
amber
OMG! I never knew pink bubble wrap could be so very froufy! LOVE IT!
And congrats on the book – that is really cool. :)
January 29, 2010 at 9:56 am
bbgrilla
Oh, I love that. You should submit it to BWOF for next year’s “Carnival” issue. Beats hanging a bunch of sponges off some poor little girl and calling it a costume.
SS–how do I add one of your haikus to a mug? I like the “pins might still be in those pants” one, but I didn’t see it in the shop.
LOVE your blog!
January 29, 2010 at 10:18 am
Stephanie
Congratulations for being featured in a book! And that bubble wrap dress is hilarious, love it!
January 29, 2010 at 10:32 am
Angela
Congrats on being published! :) Who knew you could have a ballerina outfit out of bubble wrap? That’s awesome!
January 29, 2010 at 10:33 am
Katie
Where do I find pink bubble wrap!! I must have some now!!! You look adorable. Congrats on the book! It really looks well done from your sneak peek. Sometimes I find these refashioning books well, trashy, if you excuse the pun.
January 29, 2010 at 10:53 am
lunatepetal
congrats on being featured in the book!
the book looks really good, I might have to get it :)
I am also working on recycling/upcycling projects. hope I can spill the beans soon!!
January 29, 2010 at 10:58 am
peter
OMG that costume is a hoot. I’d love to see what you could do with packing peanuts.
And congratulations on the book, Great Selfish One.
January 29, 2010 at 11:03 am
Molly
How exciting — congrats! Looks like the book will be quite good.
January 29, 2010 at 11:12 am
Trudy Callan
Congrats. I think the bubble wrap dress should have made it in the book.
January 29, 2010 at 11:31 am
thisjill
You know, I just really like your blog a lot. I like it so much that after I discovered it I proceeded to read the entire blog. There is a lot of “happy crappy” and “Becky Home-ec-y” craft and sewing blogs out there, so it’s refreshing to find one full of good taste and good craftsmanship. I especially like a blog like yours that is geared toward people who are not beginners. Beginners have enough recourses, I want interesting inspiration, unique recourses and tips for improving my craft. Plus a little bit of attitude doesn’t hurt. Thanks for doing all that! And thank Angry Chicken (Amy Karol) becasue her blog is where I found out about you.
January 29, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Hatty
Ah yes, clothes made out of curtains. And bubble wrap. Very pretty. It does suit you, dear. And well, I did wear some weird and wacky stuff when I was young, too. Thing is, on a lovely young thing, anything looks, well, lovely. But, well, it’s so….. nice…. to be getting older…….
January 29, 2010 at 1:19 pm
The Cruel Countess
Oh, the Pink ‘n Puffy Fairy is just lovely. But I worry that everyone at the party would try to pop your bubbles…out of sheer envy, of course.
January 29, 2010 at 1:23 pm
Amanda S.
That dress is hysterical! I’m wondering about the occasion now… Congratulations on being published!
January 29, 2010 at 7:35 pm
spottedroo
Hilarious. Also, did you notice the F21 jacket you are knocking off making an appearance on Fashion for Nerds (http://geekthreads.blogspot.com/2010/01/8-curses.html)? A little different from your style but another one of my favorites.
January 29, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Cindy
Whoa! Check out Hot Patterns 1072. Isn’t this the top with the cool neckline that you wanted to draft? Might save you a lot of effort to start with this.
January 30, 2010 at 7:09 am
Meredith P
My horizons are opened, yet again! I had no idea that pink bubble wrap existed. Lovely little tutu. Was there an occasion for this creation, or did you just whip it up just for your own selfish reasons?
January 30, 2010 at 12:01 pm
kathleen
Love the bubble wrap – who knew it was so chic? Congratulations on your book
February 2, 2010 at 4:17 am
Marie-Christine
ADORE that bubble wrap..
February 2, 2010 at 10:49 am
Martine
You are so ahead of the curve, I remember you in bubble wrap and ethernet cable all the way back in 96.
xx
February 2, 2010 at 1:33 pm
selfishseamstress
Eeek, it’s Martine! Martine commented on my blog!!!! Well, sweetie, as you know, bubblewrap is like the Chanel suit of packaging materials. It never goes out of style :) It is, however, disgustingly uncomfortable. I don’t think that was ethernet cable though. It was some other kind of cable. Ethernet cable in 1996 was too precious to use as costuming. I do remember Cathy making a ring out of an ESC key though. That was rad. XOXOX
February 15, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Fi MAcKay
Hi there, I was involved in this book as well, my name is Fi I am Kate’s sister. It really is great to see it all together and finally published. Can you please correct the photography credit. Di Jennings had nothing to do with the photography, it was all by David Anderson and Fraser Morgan the original blurb was incorrectly written by the publishers but you will notice it has all been corrected by time of going to press. The boys worked really hard and deserve full credentials. http://www.dnanderson.co.uk Thanks so much and I love the Coffee Date dress x
May 8, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Fiji Freedom
Can you send me the pattern for this bubble wrap skirt? I’m going to a foam party in a few weeks and this skirt is perfect. =]