Borden: Choosing remodeler important decision

Information on using various presser feet and adding embellishments to doll furniture will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. and on Thursday at noon. (All times are Mountain.)

Kerri Forrest represents Bernina Sewing Machine, and she’s going to demonstrate how to use three different presser feet for piping, gathering and making ruffles. She is the owner of The Sewing Basket in Clovis.

Creative Living

Jana Beus makes doll furniture, and she’s going to show several ways to add embellishments to the furniture, including ribbon, buttons, appliques, yo yo’s and more. Her company is Doll Stuff by Jana and she’s from Ogden, Utah.

Information on remodeling, creating settings for indoors and out and upcycling will be the featured topics on “Creative Living” on Tuesday at noon and on Saturday at 2 p.m. (All times are Mountain.)

According to Paul Zuck, choosing your remodeler is the most important decision you'll make when starting a project. Zuck will share some tips on how to find a professional remodeler. He represents the National Association of Remodeling Industry, Int’l., and he lives in Allen, Texas.

Rita Fuentes will show how to create a casual picnic setting that can be used indoors or out. She is an Independent Consultant with PartyLite in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Barbara Crawford is going to show how to use pants legs for other parts of a garment when you're doing what she calls "up-cycling." Her company is Crawford Designs, and she’s from Gladstone, Missouri.

What’s in your closet?

“Upcycling” is a term that means to restyle older clothing, not to be confused with Recycling. The crux of the program is taking 2, 3 or even 4 clothing items from the closet and cutting them apart and putting them together in a new and fresh way. Whatever the reason that you have held on to the items you never wear, you have created a treasure chest of wonderful new and innovative fashions. The best part is that the colors are all the colors that you love, after all, you bought them so they will all fit well together. There are a lot of items that are already hemmed, lined, and/or tailored. We can even use ties, jackets, blouses, pants, vests, jeans, belts, jewelry and more.

Some ideas of “upcycling,” might include: Pant legs to create sleeves, vests to create the body portion of the jacket and then attach the pant legs. Some prep work on the pant legs has to be done in order to enable a fit to a sleeve opening.

And, let’s not exclude what’s in the drawers and under the beds in winter storage, such as sweaters. There are ways to sew sweaters together, and ways to cut a sweater without the yarn falling apart. Sweaters can be used to create robes or make longer sweater coats.

How about creating an artsy fashion statement by using old jewelry pieces within the project? They can be used as closures, decorative accents, or to hold on a scarf. How about using old tablecloths to create useful and functional items. It is important to clean them and get old grease stains and yellowing out before reusing them.

The point is to use what we have when you look at your closet, in the drawers or wherever. Don’t look at it as older clothes but as fabric that you spent good money on. Use your imagination and have fun, and if it is clothing that does not fit you anymore, then make them for someone else.

“Creative Living" is produced and hosted by Sheryl Borden. The show is carried by more than 118 PBS stations in the United States, Canada, Guam and Puerto Rico and is distributed by Westlink, Albuquerque.