This blouse began life as a vintage tea towel till I discovered it in a small op shop in Coffs Harbour. Pieces like these are always special to find. They carry a sense of history, having been woven into someone’s everyday life before finding their way into my hands.
Designing Boxy tops is an intuitive and considered process. Once I have chosen the feature textile, I begin searching for complementary reclaimed fabrics that will enhance its colours and character.
For this blouse, I paired the tea towel with a vintage supper cloth featuring a similar floral motif. To create the desired length and balance, I carefully removed a section from the tea towel and incorporated it into the width of the garment, allowing every part of the original textile to be thoughtfully used. I was still missing a bit of fabric so I added some vintage textile with some embossed monochrome flowers adding a bit of gold shine to the blouse.
The result is a one-of-a-kind blouse that honours the story of the original textiles while beginning a new chapter in the life of the cloth.