My sister Jene’ had a birthday eleven days ago, and finally this weekend I got to making her gift. I know what you’re thinking. Better late then never though, right? And don’t worry, I don’t think she reads the blog, so our secret is still safe.
Before starting Jene’s project, I first had to come up with an idea. And can I just stop here for a moment and say that I’m really enjoying the “April Stash Bust” this month. Every time I go through my drawers of fabric and supplies, to coordinate a project, stories flood out of those drawers and overwhelm me with wonderful memories. It seems each piece of fabric has a story behind it. What a beautiful thing. Unexpectedly, this has been my favorite part of the “bust” so far.
While collecting supplies for Jene’s gift, I opened one of my drawers where I keep old clothes that I hope to re-purpose one day. Old sweaters, dresses, skirts, shirts of Josh’s –and out of that drawer jumped a small, black, velvet miniskirt with tassels. I picked this hot little number up at a clothing-swap a few months back. A good friend of mine has these clothing swaps tri-annually where she invites a bunch of great woman that she knows from all areas of her life. We all gather at her house and dump out our unwanted clothes in multiple rooms. From there we basically drink wine, eat good food, and go treasure hunting among all the unwanted items. And at the end of the night, we bag up all the leftovers and bring them to a Goodwill. During this stage, I usually salvage once more through the items to see if any might inspire a future sewing project. Can you believe no one wanted this skirt?
Super cute! I really do love it! It is a hot little number for sure! hahaha
Your talent never ceases to amaze me!
-Kristi
PS- the pendant is beautiful, I love it!
It looks amazing! I love the coordinated fabric you chose and the way you incorporated the tassels! I like making things out of old clothes… not always the most practical, but always interesting! I made a baby quilt out of some of my husband's old work shirts (way before we had kids – ha ha!), and I love the connection to the fabric that is generated by sewing with previously-loved clothes! Thanks for the link, and I'll include your project in this weekend's stashbusting roundup at DSC.
I love it! For sure a hot number. I love the contrast of black and a light color. You are goooooood.
Thanks guys. I'm blushing. Your words are so kind. I think you've inspired me to go sew some more.
Heather,
Oh, a quilt, what a wonderful idea. I've considered doing that with old sweaters. Maybe I'll try! The thing is I too have a little one and oh boy is it hard to balance all the things I want to try, lol. By repurposing clothing, I guess in a way, it helps us hold on to the memories that link to those clothing. Does that make sense? A beautiful idea really! Thanks for including my project in this weekend's stash-busting roundup. That's very nice of you.
Hey! I totally bookmarked this bag before you came to visit me on my site! Did you use a specific pattern for this, or did you just bodge it together? I have a dress that I think needs to become a bag. Your bag is awesome.
I'm *very slowly* working on two t-shirt quilts made out of onesies and shirts my two girls wore during their first year. I don't have any expectations of finishing them soon, but I do love every once in a while putting together one or two squares and remembering them when they were so tiny.
I do agree that repurposing lets us hold those memories, in a really practical way. I'm such a pack rat that if I couldn't repurpose things I'd just have boxes and boxes of clothes and fabrics with sentimental value that I couldn't bear to part with!
how funny! That's awesome! We're meant to be friends, lol.
No, I didn't use a pattern, I just kind of made it up. I actually told my sister to look with a loving eye because when I make things up, and only make them once, they are destined to have a few errors. That's the learning curve for ya.
Your quilt idea sounds adorable. I've heard of people doing this. I imagine that when we are done having kids, I'll do the same. Their clothes are just so precious and come with so many happy memories.
I'm currently finishing something up that's so exciting. It has so many scrap fabrics that have meaning to me, all bundled up in one pretty picture. You'll have to check back and see. I'll have it done tomorrow sometime hopefully.
Have a good day!
Yikes – no pattern, huh? I'm not sure if I'm good enough to just bodge a bag together! But your purse is basically the style I want, with the flip-over top instead of a zipper. But the challenge is lining it – I want to line it with some sort of foam/plush/unknown material so I can use it as a camera purse. I may be out of my range!
Good look with your project – I'll subscribe so I can see the end result!
Sorry, no pattern. I could make a custom bag for you through Etsy. You could pick the fabrics and everything. Let me know if you're interested.
[...] Last April, I participated in an event called, April Stash Bust. The idea behind this event was to use what you had, instead of buying new, for the entire month of April, in honor of Earth Day. I gladly participated in this event because I believe in being a wise consumers for the sake of our planet. Here is a fun example of where I re-purposed an old mini-skirt into a reversible bag. [...]