I'm currently preparing for a craft show next month--it's my first show in over a year, I am excited/terrified, whatevs--so I'm attempting to use up all the clothing I have so I can go to Jack of All Trades with as much product as possible. I have maybe been edging into hoarder territory, so much of what I'm using is semi-new to me. That includes this amazing Harris Tweed. It's not cut especially well, or rather it's just a very old-school dowdy blazer, but that herringbone pattern is maybe my favorite pattern ever.
I actually second-guessed whether I should even take this blazer apart and make it into a bag, but luckily there was a very large in the lining. That combined with the generally unimpressive cut makes me feel less bad about cutting it up.
It's frustrating that I still haven't gotten over that feeling, the idea that there's something bad about taking apart clothing that is literally one step from the landfill. No matter how beautiful the tailoring, no matter how beautiful Harris Tweed's work is, the reality is that there are literally thousands of wool blazers moldering away in basements and attics and thrift stores all across the country.. I'm not taking apart clothing that someone would otherwise be wearing; I'm making something useful from something that was going to waste. There are certainly some thrift store finds that are worth saving, and if the lining wasn't torn, I may have tried to resell the blazer as is. Ultimately though, this blazer will soon be a shoulder bag that will preserve the beautiful work done in the Outer Hebrides.