• Blog

    Upcycling linens

    November 2, 2013 - By 

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    It has taken me quite some time to bring myself to cut into these beautifully stitched linens even though they were all either stained, ripped or tattered in some way. When I finally decided what they could become, I held my breath and took the first slice.

    The process was very similar to the first time I ripped into a book or tore a photograph. Once you get the first one over with…the next come easier.

    Now I have a few beautiful tissue cases all ready to go for gifts or my etsy store.

    Of course, I still love patchwork…  I think I could stitch patchwork all day and never get sick of it…as long as there is no pattern I have to follow. I hate patterns. Saying that makes me wonder why I bought a pattern for a shirt the other day. Yeah, I know…what was I thinking?
    I blame Pinterest. I saw this really cool make-over of a regular t-shirt into something stylish and girlie. We’ll see if I follow through on that one. Wish me luck!

  • Blog

    Upcycling projects

    October 6, 2013 - By 

    We all know how to recycle and I’m sure most do it daily. Newspapers, cardboard, glass and plastic are all readily recyclable in most cities, at least across the USA.

    This is wonderful! But I’ve been really focused on upcycling lately.  Finding a new use for something that would ordinarily be tossed out.  Wine corks, bottle caps, worn out clothing, stained linens, broken plates…you get the idea.treesI showed a sneak peek of these a while ago. I made a wine cork tree last year but this time I decided to change things a bit. I used a Champagne cork cut in half for the trunk.  I think they turned out really cute.

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    I’ve also been using some scraps from previous projects such as the denim remaining after completing a quilt or two.  As well as the remainder of the dress shirts that I made wine bottle gift bags from.

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    In addition I’ve been making a bunch more cards. I’ll show more of these last two projects at a later date. The cards have much less upcycling in it’s truest sense but I am still attempting to include elements that might otherwise be considered unusable such as tiny scraps of fabric and yarn. As well as photo trimmings. I have a cigar box full of photo trimmings…they have such vibrant colors that it’s a shame to toss them out.

    It doesn’t have to be Earth Day to be a little “green”. Do a little more every day to be kind to our planet. Last time I checked…it’s the only one we have. 🙂

  • Blog

    T-shirt scarf

    September 23, 2013 - By 

    You may recall that I showed this sneak peek of a project that looked pretty much like a pile of rags. Well…not quite.

    upcycled shirtI was inspired by a friend who sent me a link to this upcycled t-shirt scarf after making one for her daughter. It’s a quick and simple no-sew project.

    20130916_3418 The boy had just outgrown yet another shirt, so it was perfect timing.

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    The shirt I used had seams on both sides. The tutorial didn’t allow for this. I decided to take extra bits of shirt and tie a knot to cover each seam that was exposed.

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    Next time I’ll use an adult size shirt to make the loops longer that way it won’t be as tight when doubled up.