a broken leash + 1 yd of my favorite print = blissful, blistered me

This brown floral from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden is one yard of fabric I bought simply because I had to have it. I knew it would be made into something special when the time was right. Enter broken leather dog leash some 6 months later...




After a good cleaning, the leather from this 16 yr old leash is still in pretty good shape. Hard to believe that the metal clasp gave out before the leather. Never one to let something usable go to waste, a Simple Leather-Handled Shoulder Bag from Amy Butler's In Stitches was born.

Amy's pattern couldn't be simpler and only requires an hour or two. The trickiest part was deciding where to cut the fabric to best show off the floral print. Since it is quilter's cotton, I fused a lightweight interfacing on both panels before sewing.



The handles on my bag are 28". Turns out it's the perfect length for a shoulder AND hand-carry bag. I love that the straps are weathered and repurposed. The blister on my hand came from sewing through the leather manually with my machine. A difficult task, but well worth the results.

Oh, the antique chair? It was made by my great-grandfather for his large farming family sometime in the early 20th century. Cherished, indeed.

Odds and ends

It's official, Fall is here and the closets are prepared for a cold spell. Just 10 days ago when I was making the switch, I thought, "I'll leave out a pair of sandals, because I can still wear them a little while." Last night, I told my husband how ridiculous that sounds to me now. We won't be wearing sandals again for many, many months...if only the weather would stay Fall-like during those months, but Winter is sure to approach...all too fast for me.

I discovered several clothing items that needed some work. A cardigan with an unraveling collar was given fresh life with bias binding and a fabric applique. I shortened a favorite plaid skirt to a more fashionable length and salvaged the fabric from a couple of torn cotton dress shirts. Last winter, I accidentally shrunk (to hysterical proportions) a wool blend sweater, and the scarf above is what it has become. The sleeves are sewn end-to-end with a fabric lining and button. I made a couple extras from the front and back of the sweater as well. I was all too proud of myself, and I'm now intent on upcycling whenever I can. It's that inherited "waste not" spirit coming out again, in all-too-appropriate timing with the country's current financial mess.

I'm also participating for the first time in a couple of blog events (aside from Dear Baby Jane). This weekend I began my project for the Candy Corn Contest. It's not yet ready for show and tell, but I'm pretty thrilled with my all-scraps quilt (and also craving candy corn to which I will resist, resist, resist).

Juliette at Chickpea Sewing Studio is hosting a charm square swap and there are still a few days to sign up if you want to participate. Mine went in the mail this morning...they are the last of my favorite oranges leftover from my candy corn quilt and earlier projects.

Waste Not

My family would call me "thrifty" - they might even call me "cheap". My husband is a saver but doesn't mind to pay when he wants something now. We compliment each other this way - I encourage him to look around for a better deal, he encourages me to buy a little more impulsively. But some things you can't take away from a girl. Like my inherited philosophy of "waste not" from my grandmother and her twelve depression era siblings. They certainly couldn't afford to let one item go to waste on the farm.

In keeping with that notion, I made a few things from items that would otherwise have been tossed out, and thought it might spur ideas on how you can recycle items usefully. I'd love to know (i.e. borrow) your ideas too!

Dust Mitts
Made from old undershirts, double layered and sew into rectangles with one side open for hand. I like using these more than torn up shirts.

Hankies
Sewn into squares, embelished with different colors in decorative topstiching.



Jean Skirt
Made from holey jeans, great tutorial here: Savvy Seams










Coffee cup wrap
Ok, so Starbucks doesn't fit the thrifty theme, but I go to our neighborhood coffee shop every couple of weeks when we walk the dogs on a specific path. This wrap works the recycle theme two ways: it's made entirely from cutting scraps and it's one less item to throw away with that coffee cup. I used a cardboard wrap as the pattern and secured the tabs with Velcro.

Reusable Bags

Last month I made a couple of these reusable bags for gifts. The fabric is a favorite linen piece purchased several years ago and I repurposed the navy lining from a duvet cover. These are handy for many things - groceries, picnics, craft projects, an extra bag in your luggage. The bag folds into it's own pocket, and if I didn't already have heavy duty canvas bags for my groceries, I'd be making some of these for myself.

Here is a link to the step-by-step tutorial on Craftster. I added a handle inside the pocket for carting around folded. A tip: using a one-pronged cording foot on my machine helped to keep the bottom french seam tidy.

But if you're not into sewing, ReusableBags.com has many options for all your grocery needs.