Tag Archives: recycling

Professional Duo Complete from Repurposed Ladies Jacket

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The recycling and redesigning the women’s tapestry jacket was rather difficult, if I were to tell the truth.  Even though things look one way in your head, accomplishing that goal can be a whole different chore.  :)   But the jacket has now been completely disassembled and reassembled into two useful items.  Here is the tapestry jacket’s photo history…….

Sleeves cut away from jacket and splayed for cutting (in previous post)

The completed iPad cover made completely from the sleeves of jacket (in previous post)

Jacket body formed into a tote - items to complete are only laying on body. Handles, magnetic closure, black belting....

Professional tote/iPad cover set - not sure how to set this up to photograph decent. :)

Complete tote from tapestry jacket showing off its true color outdoors.

I lined it with a gray embroidered satin lining and couldn’t resist to put a final little touch to its closure – a silver leaf.  As soon as that went on, it truly had my name on it.  Not sure what will happen with this yet as Bill thinks I should be the one to enjoy this one.  He’s one of my biggest supporters, but if this could sell and make a couple of bucks, then that’s what we have to do.   :)

Thank you for stopping by and giving this a final look over!  One day it may make it into the Etsy store, but until then I’ll enjoy looking at it and thinking of ways to improve on the upcycling and repurposing of the great thrift store finds we have in our possession.  Yep, there is a whole tote full of beautiful sweaters, jackets and suit coats to re-fashion.

Happy Monday and happy crafting everyone!

Just For Fun And I Didn’t Break the Bank!

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With a new year comes new challenges and projects – is there any other way?  Didn’t think so.  :)   Of course there’s always going to be the hand knitted handbags happening around here, but the sewing room needed something a little different going on.  I have had an idea or three rolling around my head for a long time and yesterday, out of the blue, came an opportunity to stock up on items that can be upcycled in to new, useful and fun things to offer.

Those of you who follow me on Facebook probably saw all my excitement over thrift store finds yesterday.  Yes, I purchased 7, yes SEVEN men’s suit coats.  Bill was honestly intrigued by the idea mulling around in my head, but had to try on each suit coat, just to make sure HE couldn’t use them!  Bill and I are both short people, and finding a coat that doesn’t have arms down to our knees is always a challenge.  Hence, none of them fit him, all were too long.  But for TygerLily and Journal Junction, it was a relief!  Suiting fabrics are beautiful and professional.  It is just a perfect fit for the organizational side of our creations.

We challenged ourselves to come up with a professional type combo item, such as a matched set of something.  I found a perfect women’s tapestry jacket to upcycle for this project.  So Bill could wrap his own mind around how it would work with only a small women’s jacket, I showed him how to get more bang for our buck and started cutting it apart – just to show how much fabric is really IN a jacket!  You’d be surprised!!!

So before I go off and start getting some stuff done (like laundry), I wanted to share the photo of all the goodies purchased at two of our local thrift stores yesterday.  For the price of a movie for two and a large popcorn, this is what we ended up with…..

Future Handbags, Totes, iPad covers and Journal covers.......

There are hundreds of key chain rings in that little bag and under that is a box of FIVE vintage broaches that I found, which got polished up last night.  The stores obviously wanted to clear their racks, and I was more than happy to help them out.  I did sneak one summer sweater out of the group and put it aside for myself to actually wear.  tee hee

It’s time to write up an application to a crafting throwdown and enjoy one more cup of joe.  May you all have a wickedly fantastic day, and please keep checking in now that we’re back up and in the swing.

Blessings, my friends.

Nuttin’ Special

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After a few weeks of non-blogging, today you will have the ‘privilege’ of seeing how the weekend is going so far.  After a couple loads of wash, and of course playing a couple of games on Facebook, the organization and projects started to get tackled.

#1 – Shortening two pairs of pants.  One of the being jeans (which I totally HATE to shorten), and my dress slacks because God made me short.  :)   This is the before pic, but believe me the projects are complete and ready to wear.

 

Pants on the ground......

#2 – Got the sweaters I was going to give to Goodwill put together to recycle into purses at some point.  And I was going to give these away?  What was I thinking?

 

Possible Purses from Sweaters Project.... hmmm

#3 – All items from Sam’s finally put into one place for easy grabbing for my sewn planners/portfolios.  Sam’s was the BEST place to find paper products!

Portfolio Supplies just itching to be put into my planners!

#4 – Joann’s gave up all their Husker fabric to ME!!!!!!!!  na na na na naaaaaaa na

 

Husker Fabric is all MINE!

#5 – Gathered all the extra little flowers and blings together all ready to get ironed onto future planners.  Now they are in one spot.  Hmmmmm, one place?  Now that’s creative.  :)

 

Fabric Iron-On Flowers and BLING BLING!

#6 – So the sewing was organized, now that pesky drawer of baby bamboo needed a little help….  ahhh, this one felt GOOD to get done.  Here we go, BABY!

 

Every color of Aunt Lydia's Bamboo #10 (you know it's my fave)

#7 – Time to sew.  Only 3 planners and a few aprons were cut out and ready, so a planner got sewn while watching “Wuthering Heights“.  Now what better way to spend an hour or so, huh?

 

Olive and Peach Flourish Combo - Etsy Bound

As you can see, I forgot my business card yet again.  sheesh

Well, I’m off to finish a hat for a co-worker….. try and do some more on the Winter Special Olympics scarf (I’m not loving this one)…… and get my hubby safely on the road to his next gig in his newly SHORTENED jeans!  And he’d better like it, too.

Happy Creating!

Sweater Re-Style Beginnings

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In a previous post, I’d mentioned I had all the materials set for taking an old sweater of mine and restyling it into a handbag or tote.  If I didn’t LOVE this sweater so much, I’d have never even started.   But as time goes on I get a little wider and the sweater was getting shorter!  :)  So here is today’s updates as it took over two hours just to get this much accomplished.This is the sweater front and back that have been cut to size.  Ever cut a sweater?  It’s scary business.

Here are the corduroy bag bottoms and satin linings and pockets.  They are just cut to size (hopefully correct) and interfaced.  The bag bottom is interfaced with an iron-on batting for a little bit of softness.

I’m trying to figure out a way to get the bag stiffer by using plastic canvas on the sides and bottom.  If I have some in storage somewhere, I think it would be a good idea to keep the bag sitting upright.

I have not cut the bias corduroy top yet, nor the tabs that will connect the handles to the actual bag.

One step at a time…..