A Story of Uncertainty and an Upcycling Project

I started writing this blog so many times and abandoned it. There are drafts for proof, but nothing seemed to click. The story I want to share is simple. It's about how I transformed the blue jacket and gave it a new life in two different forms. Yet, the writer's block had me stuck. Today, I picked up the topic again, and as I wrote the first two sentences on uncertainty, I instantly knew that should be the overarching theme.

Some upcycle projects take time, not because they're difficult but because there is a loss of faith in the vision in the midst of it. That's how I look back at my blue jacket project. I remember how excited I was when I started envisioning its new form just minutes after getting it from Positive Phee. The game plan was to shorten it and change the collar style. This silhouette change sparked the idea of having a Chanel-like look to the jacket. I started the project when we were about to move. So, months went by, and the only progress made was altering the neckline.

The timeline jumps to when we're settled in our new place, and I suddenly wasn't sure of my initial vision for the project. So, it took me a while to jump back in. A lot of uncertain thoughts popped into my mind. Will the lace I am imagining look tacky? Is so much handwork and hand-stitching worth it? Will it look okay in the end? BUT! I decided not to give in to these thoughts and stay the course. The Chanel-inspired lace became a beautiful embellishment, and finally, the first half of the upcycling project was complete. Trusting in the vision paid off! Check out my whole process here:

I start conceptualizing what to do with the lower half of the jacket. The straight cut gave me the idea of simply adding a strap and making it a top. Since I had done a similar upcycle before, I wanted to do something different for this project. I saw this Jacquemus-inspired bag by Leyla and had to try something similar. This time, I managed to finish the project in one go, and I loved it so much that I made another bag in denim! However, uncertainty rolled in when I had to do the outro for my YouTube video! Why would people care what I did with the scarps? As I thought this while editing the video sans outro and many other wavering thoughts, more than a year passed. One day, I said to myself, "It's so silly that you're not using these gorgeous bags just because you couldn't complete a YouTube video!" This made me get on with it. We had moved again. So, even though my background looks different, I still filmed the outro, edited the final video, and published it that week. Here's the video:

The upcycling project spanned over two moves and three different houses. I don't want to note the timespan here, as it's embarrassing. However, I learned that uncertainty looks different in various situations! It's how we persist through it that truly matters. So, I guess this blue jacket project is not a story of uncertainty but persistence!

I would love to hear your story of persistence. If you feel comfortable, share it with me in the comments, and let's encourage each other!

Love,

Rashmi B.