From Window Blinds to Hoop Skirt

March 14, 2018By KristinCraftivism, DIY Do-It-Yourself, Fashion, Recycling

I'm making a hoop skirt out of old window blinds for the eCouture Wearable Art Fashion Show.

It may seem strange that my first blog post is not about quilts, but after a month working on my new website and online shop, I was feeling in need of diversion.  I was intrigued by the eCouture Wearable Art Fashion Show, an annual event in Powell River, BC where I now live. 

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I seldom make clothing, but decided to enter the “Artrageous Recycled” category with a modern hoop skirt made out of the vertical blinds I’d taken down from my windows when I moved in. I vowed to use only recycled, old, or discarded materials (though I did use strong new thread as needed).

This DIY project has tapped into a different kind of creativity for me, because of the constant problem-solving involved. Every step involved experimenting, playing around with different ideas to see what would work.  My friends Lorrie and Elisha will be models at the fashion show, and we have had fun envisioning the five outfits that will use the hoop skirt.

 

Binder clips temporarily hold hoop skirt together
Starting to figure out the hoop skirt design
A better shape
The top of the hoop skirt

 Here’s a sneak-peek of the skirt of one of the costumes, displayed on a stool. It is made from a semi-transparent lace curtain—imagine seeing the model’s legs through the fabric, instead of the legs of the stool.

I will post the finished costumes in late April, after the fashion show.

This project has me pondering the tyranny of fashion, the constriction of corsets, the way that women's clothing has hobbled them through the ages.

How did these fenced-in women hug their children? How did they go to the bathroom rigged out like this? How could they move through a crowded room? How many yards of fabric went into their clothes?

I put on my modern hoop skirt--it looked really cool, in a totally peculiar way. I wondered how I'd get through doorways, or tie my own shoes.

Walking down the stairs, I realized how hard it was to see my feet, how easy it would be to stumble and fall.
This added an unforeseen element of danger to my foray into fashion.

Old window blinds

The hoop skirt is made out of old window blind slats.
Old window blinds are the raw material for the hoop skirt

A few simple tools

Very simple tools were used to make a hoop skirt out of old window blind slats.
Tools and materials for making hoop skirt

Marking and cutting

Ruler, pencil, and scissors for cutting narrower slats
Marking and cutting slats
Waistband of hoop skirt
Waistband of hoop skirt
A simple way to fasten slats
Simple ways to fasten slats