Tag : recycling

140 posts

A second look: Recycled Clothing Ragtime quilt

SecondlookSince it is April and we’ll be honoring Earth Day as well as Elizabeth’s birthday on the 22nd, I thought it was fitting to take a second look at one of my favorite recycling projects.

The original post was from September 18, 2008. Incidentally, this quilt is still in use on the boy’s bed even though all 5’10” of him no longer fits underneath it.

Lets take a second look at the post…

eyes

I finished sewing the quilt yesterday morning. I would have been done on Tuesday night but first I put the bobbin in wrong then broke a needle and then put the new needle in backwards so it kept breaking the thread. It was very frustrating. I knew then that it was just time to be done for the day.

After the sewing, I had to clip each seam allowance every half inch then wash it so it would fray after washing. The nylon stocking that serves as my filter on my washing machine outlet had a large fist size ball of frayed denim and flannel in it. Then the dryer lint trap was even more full of fluff. I would have taken it to a laundry mat but we don’t have any around here anymore. It’s a 20 min drive to the closest one.

There are several things I love about this quilt:

  1. All the flannel is from my maternity tops and my boy’s flannels from when he was very small.
  2. The denim is from both mine and my hubby’s old jeans. Together we’ve lost about 50lbs!!
  3. The “batting” I used was scraps of polar fleece that I got for free from someone’s “project gone wrong”
  4. This blanket is fairly heavy! This provides good sensory comfort for my boy. He needs/loves heavy blankets to help him sleep through the night.

, , ,

9 Comments

Nesting scraps

I broke out the old plastic canvas a few months ago and created a little bin to hold my thread scraps while sewing. for the birds

This helped keep my table tidy. My knitting and weaving scraps also made there way into the bin.

Today I was really noticing an increase in bird activity through the window. I decided it would be a good time to gift my feathered friends with some nesting material.for the birds 2

Several years ago I did something similar for the birds.  I found some little bits of yarn in the front yard after a while so I know something was attempting to use the scraps.

Now I need to make a new bin for my scraps. Perhaps this one will be more visually appealing on my work surface.

, ,

5 Comments

Recycled ornament #2

In my previous post I said that I was going to try out a bigger size circle punch for my next experiment. The circle was 3/4″ larger than the first. 20141221_7354

This made the ornament quite a bit larger than the first…20141221_7353

They are just so darn cute. Now I want to punch circles from everything not nailed down.20141221_7352

Here’s a little more perspective on the size difference.  I think the small ones would make a really cute garland.

, ,

2 Comments

Recycled Christmas card ornament

This is definitely not a new craft…but it was a new one for me. I hang on to all our old cards. They are so pretty I can’t bear throwing them in the recycle bin.

Of course, Pinterest played a big part in me actually creating one of these. Ah, Pinterest… How much time I spend with you… The thousands of pins we share… Time organizing and reorganizing when I should be organizing the real things in my life.

IMG_0052

Maybe this is a better clue to the size. IMG_0051

It was created with a 1.25″ punch. IMG_0054

The green one on the left. My neighbor borrowed the blue 2″ punch. I’m curious how much exponentially bigger another one will be with that punch. Yes I’m aware I could do the math…but I’ll just give it a whirl in the physical dimension and compare. Results to follow…soon.

Unless I’m crushed under all the Christmas goodies I’ve been making…treats2

These are just from this morning. I’m getting a sugar rush just smelling them.

I’m getting to the point that just thinking about eating any of it just doesn’t sounds appealing. Just like when I worked at Baker’s Square when I was a teen…when you are around pies, cookies and muffins all day long…you have desire to eat any.

|

, , ,

4 Comments

Upcycled dog toys

After going through closets I discovered tons of t-shirts that could no longer be worn. Since I already have a huge stack of rags I decided to put on my thinking cap and come up with another idea.tug toy collage

Doggie tug toys…chewies or whatever you’d like to call them.  You may or may not know this but the pet supply industry is booming. People love their furry companions…they are family.  Now we may not have a dog as a pet, though Gracie tries her best to imitate one at times. tug toys

I’ve managed to make a pretty good stock pile of them for the holiday craft sale season.

, ,

5 Comments

T Tuesday: random craft edition

It’s Tuesday again…time to have some sparkling water in my favorite glass and link up with Elizabeth for T stands for Tuesday.20140601_5021        So what I have I been up to lately?  I’ve been doing more crafting than blogging….          And more yard work than crafting. Weeding, mowing, planting and watering…  But now that we’ve had over 4 inches of rain, at least I don’t have to worry about the watering.

Now on to the random crafts…20140601_4987Here we have scarf/necklace made from my favorite tie-dye t-shirt. I finally had to give the shirt up after discovering a huge unrepairable hole.  Apparently I wasn’t ready to completely part with it…

20140601_5010I started this American Girl doll hat when Little J and I were at our camp. One of the little girls asked if she could have it when I was done. Well certainly, my dear. I used my cabbage dyed yarn and knitting loom.

Then, of course, more cards…20140601_5008 20140601_5007 20140601_5006 20140601_5005 20140601_5003I’m trying to get ahead for the Fall/Winter craft sale season.

I was going to share one more new item today but I’m thinking that it deserves it’s own post. It’s something new that I’ve never tried. I was inspired by something on YouTube. Basically to think outside the box.  That’s generally how my brain works anyway.

Stop back tomorrow and see what I’m talking about. (how’s that for a teaser)

What are you doing today??

|

, , , , , , ,

17 Comments

T Tuesday: Earth Day edition

Today we have a special edition of T stands for Tuesday. Not only is it Earth Day, it is our hostesses birthday….or bEARTHday as she is fond of saying.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

Since it’s Earth Day, I thought I’d give you a little overview of my day and what I do to leave a little smaller footprint.reuseI make my grocery lists on junk mail envelopes if I’m bringing coupons to the store. I’ve lost enough using just a paperclip in the past. Originally when I started using envelopes I used new ones…one day while throwing out junk mail about 17 years ago it dawned on me…I should just use those. Duh!

I’ll be combining my errands today to save on gas. I have 4 places to go all around our bustling little town.

One of those stops will be Goodwill. We were fortunate enough to get a couple bags of hand-me-downs from a friend again. Just in time too since the weather is changing and both kids out grew most of their summer items. donationsAnything that is too worn, stained or holey gets torn up for rags around the house. I wash the standard cleaning job rags but the ones used for the nasty jobs…I just throw away. I figure I got one more use out of that sock with a hole so it’s all good.

In our continuing effort to shop local we signed up for a 1/2 share CSA (community supported agriculture) for the summer. We’ll also be getting an egg share from the same farmer. Soon our freezer will once again be filled with butcher wrapped cuts of meat from the  1/4 of beef for the year. Our neighbors go in on buying a whole cow so it keeps the price lower…the processor is only 20 min from here.

I’ve written several other posts over the years with tips and tricks to help leave a smaller footprint. We can all do our part…no matter how small…it all helps.

Happy Earth Day everyone!!

, , ,

11 Comments

PAGE TOP

© 2007-2024 Halle's Hobbies All Rights Reserved -- Copyright notice by Blog Copyright