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Eliza | Upcycling Studio & Mum life

@patchmadebyeliza

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Upcycling | Mum life | Creating ♻️🪡✂️🧵
Karate Gi backpack commissions waiting list ⬇️
[email protected] 📧
London

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Woman to woman I just wanna see you glow 🫶🏼🌞

@karinapinke.photography 📸 by @patchmadebyeliza

ARCHITECT BRAIN 🤝 SEWING BRAIN

One of those projects that was completely different from my usual sewing work, but so fun to figure out.

Huge pieces of fabric, full-scale problem solving, pattern interpretation and a lot of “okay… how are we actually going to make this work?” 😅

Loved getting to help bring @ebbaarchitects installation for @draaimolen_ festival to life ✨ by @patchmadebyeliza

LUXEMBOURG 🇱🇺🥋🎒

This one definitely taught me a LOT about international customs 😅 but we got there in the end — and honestly, completely worth it.

Kevin sent me his old white gi and yellow belt, and I wanted to keep as much of its original story as possible. Even the tiny blood stain stayed — I turned it into a little circular patch because, to me, those marks are part of what makes these pieces special. They show that the gi was actually lived in, trained in and earned its history.

I reused details from the original gi throughout the backpack too, from the waistband to the belt and drawstrings, giving as much of it a second life as I could.

From an old martial arts gi to something he can carry every day. ✨

Got an old gi sitting in the back of your wardrobe with too many memories to throw away? Send me a message or join the commission list through the link in my bio. 🥋🤍 by @patchmadebyeliza

BIG FISH ENERGY 🐟@mitsu.london 📍

Apparently, my birthday celebrations now start several weekends before the actual day, so naturally I dragged a mate along for a "little" sushi 🍣

One thing I absolutely love about being a creative is learning to appreciate craftsmanship in all its different forms.

Whether it’s sewing, design or food, there’s something so fascinating about watching someone who’s mastered their craft do their thing.

And this experience at Mitsu Shoreditch was exactly that. 🍣

Good food, great company, a little too much champagne and an appreciation for the artistry behind it all.

More little adventures like this ✨ by @patchmadebyeliza

TWO OLD BAGS. ONE VERY SPECIAL STORY. 🤎

An old @prada bag, a worn leather bag that belonged to their late dad and a very ambitious mood board. Quite the combination. 😁

My client reached out wanting to create something special for her sister Corie's 30th birthday. Something that wasn’t just another handbag, but a way to carry a little piece of their dad with her.

Both bags had definitely seen better days but there was still so much potential in them.

Armed with a mood board full of inspiration, I got to work designing something completely new. An original pattern, an asymmetric flap, lots of patchwork, and a few pieces of deadstock fabric.

Having that much creative freedom was SO much fun. ✨

It’s quite different from the martial arts gi backpacks you usually see me making, but the idea behind it is exactly the same!

Taking something that already holds so much meaning and giving it another life. 🥹

I love that I get to create pieces like this. And I’m so grateful to the people who trust me with things that are genuinely irreplaceable. ❤️

Let me know what's sitting in your closet that is waiting to repurpused ? 👀 by @patchmadebyeliza

MACAU 🇲🇴🥋🎒

I think people sometimes assume you need loads of patches, colourful belts and different details to make an upcycled gi backpack interesting.

But this one proves otherwise.

A completely plain white gi. No belt. No fancy extras. Just the original fabric and a little creativity.

I reused the gi collar, kept some of the original seams and turned the trouser drawstrings into my signature zip pulls. Sometimes it’s the smallest details that make the biggest difference.

I’ll admit, I was a little hesitant about making white backpacks at first. Because let’s be real… a white backpack is practically asking to get dirty 😂

But there’s something so beautiful about keeping it simple and letting the original gi speak for itself.

And this little beauty made its way all the way to Macau! 🇲🇴

Proof that you don’t always need more to make something special.

Sometimes less really is more. 🤍 by @patchmadebyeliza

THESE AREN’T JUST OLD GIS. 🥋🤍

These are just few of the stories behind the backpacks I’ve made so far.

Since then, I’ve received an incredible number of messages from people sharing their own stories — about their journeys, their families, their friendships, and what martial arts mean to them.

I don’t think I fully realised how much emotion, history and connection could be tied to a single gi.

Reading all your stories has given me a whole new appreciation for the martial arts community. It’s honestly been so moving.

And the fact that you’re trusting me to turn something so meaningful into something you can carry into the next chapter? That’s pretty freaking special. 🥹

I can’t wait to bring more of your stories to life.

Honour the journey. Carry the memories. 🤍 by @patchmadebyeliza

YES — I can turn a BJJ gi into a backpack too 🥋🎒

I’ve had quite a few people ask me this recently, so here’s what one looks like.

This one was made from a Tatami BJJ gi, and it was such a fun one to work on. I reused the original drawstring details, and the front pocket was made a little differently too — using part of the trouser waistband/drawstring section rather than creating a completely standard pocket.

That’s one of my favourite parts of these commissions: working with what’s already there and letting the original gi shape the final design.

So yes — BJJ gis absolutely work. And they make pretty cool bags. 🤍 by @patchmadebyeliza

ROMANIA 🇷🇴🥋🎒

This one was such a fun one to make. So much personality, colour and detail all in one bag — it really felt like every part had something to say.

I love when a commission gives me the chance to work with so many different elements and still bring it all together into something that feels cohesive and completely personal.

Still kind of wild to me that people trust me with pieces that mean so much to them, and let me turn them into something new. 🤍🥋 by @patchmadebyeliza

Getting to work with your friends on cool stuff is actually such a privilege 🥹 @eliiza.ro_

Very different from my usual sewing, a MASSIVE learning curve and a lot of figuring things out as we went — but so cool getting to help bring this installation for @ebbaarchitects to life for Draaimolen Festival 🪡

Glad my sewing skills take me to some pretty unexpected places sometimes 🤍 by @patchmadebyeliza

Well… hello again 👀

Took a little summer break from posting, but definitely not from making 🪡🥋

Between mum life, friends, festivals and actually enjoying the summer, I’ve also been quietly working away on some very special comissions and projects.

A lot of sewing, a lot of learning, and some pieces I’m VERY excited to finally share with you. 🤍

And sorry for leaving you hanging at the end there… 😂 you’ll have to wait for the next one to see what I’ve actually been making 👀🤓 by @patchmadebyeliza