Penny Richards' photos

Thrifted maroon bag was upcycled with paint, collage, sharpies, modpodge, and krylon.

These are just some of the fun sunprints we made at last week's Hands on Art docent training workshop, "Fixing a Shadow."

Upcycled from a thrifted brown purse--paint, collage, sharpies, modpodge, krylon. The image is of neuroanatomist Elizabeth Caroline Crosby (1888-1983), first woman to achieve full professor status at the University of Michigan's medical school. It's from the Flickr Commons uploads posted by the Smithsonian Institution (see below for original). SOLD, 5/09.

Blurry photo, but maybe a better view of the reconstruction than the other?

I took the sleeves off this one, and opened up the side seams. Then filled in with a few rows of crochet, and added crocheted cap sleeves after closing the sides. Thrifted yarns.

So a friend gave me some of her gorgeously beaded and embroidered Indian tunics--they're from years ago, they don't fit either of us, but she figured I could do something with them.... ;)

I got the striped socks and the new Doc Martens MJs for my birthday. *happy sigh*

This upcycled purse features an image from the Library of Congress uploads in the Flickr Commons project (see below). Thrifted black bag was altered with paint, sharpies, and collage.

Thrifted black bag was altered with paint, sharpies, and collage. UPDATE: I'm donating this bag for a fundraiser to support South Bay Hands on Art, a volunteer-run school art program reaching over 8000 students, K-12, in the South Bay.

Thrifted brown bag was altered with paint, sharpies, and collage.

This upcycled purse features an image from the Smithsonian Institution's uploads in the Flickr Commons project (see below). Thrifted brown bag was altered with paint, sharpies, and collage. SOLD, May 2009.

This was a thrifted black makeup case, $2.99. Gesso, paint, modpodge, collage, sharpies, more modpodge, and krylon to alter. The image is American illustrator Peggy Bacon (see below). SOLD, 10/09.

This was a thrifted black makeup case, $2.99. Gesso, paint, modpodge, collage, sharpies, more modpodge, and krylon to alter. The image is American illustrator Peggy Bacon (see below). SOLD, 10/09.

1. Spring jersey tunic , 2. Green jersey tunic , 3. Molasses Rye on a Saturday morning , 4. Black thrifted purse, after, front , 5. Thrifted brown purse, after, detail , 6. Circle skirt , 7. Crocheted hem , 8. Crochet-altered blouse , 9. Clay desserts Created with fd's Flickr Toys .

Second effort at cutting up old thrifted not-worn-anymore tops and making something I will wear. Handsewn again (with regular thread this time), three pieces, very comfy, think I might prefer the look of more pieces in the third tier, though.

So I've been itching to cut up some old jersey and thermal shirts that just weren't right--too short, too boxy, too whatever. And I've been admiring the amazing work of Secret Lentil and other talented contributors to the Deconstructed/Reconstructed Clothing Flickr Group. So I finally gave it a try. This is made from two shirts and some jersey pajama pants that lost their elastic. The pieces are handsewn together with crochet thread, not worrying too much about color or shape, experimenting with the stitch, just trying to see how I want to do this. Definitely some things I'll do differently the next time, but there will be a next time, because this was fun, it wasn't difficult, and it puts some unworn clothing back into circulation.