What a Fabulous Sewing Month

September was a fabulous month for sewing some upcycled goodness, wasn't it?  We had eight fabulous entries into two separate contests.  Thankfully, I didn't have to choose the winners because it was a tough one....well, two.  But in the end our two winners were:

Punky Trash Goddess from Annie

Fold 'n Go Tote from Melissa

All I have to say to my readers is that you are SO lucky that I didn't attempt to post my own projects for this month-long celebration of  sewing because, well, I just don't enjoy it.  Don't enjoy it so much that I can't even bring myself to hem a pair of curtains that separate my craft room space from the rest of the basement.  Not even after I tore the curtain rod hardware out of the wall TWICE because I stepped on all the extra fabric that was pooling up on the floor.

So last week, just as I was posting the last project, I got all tangled up in the fabric again.  I must have done a good job reinstalling the hardware last time because here's what happened this time:

So embarrassing!  But a great reminder to be grateful for all those who participated.

Second Chance Sewing Month Challenge #2

Looking to put a little punk in your trash?  Well look no further than this:

Annie from MontanaSolarCreations had me cracking up when I read her blog post about the project she did with the box of trash that I sent her...cracking up in a good way!  Here is what I sent Annie:

Yep, that punk rock idol is constructed of part of an egg crate, plarn (plastic bag yarn) and a little girls top.  Hop over to her blog to see how she created this punk goddess.

Second Chance Sewing Month Competition

Right after I started posting the sewing month challenges at the beginning of the month, there was a very enthusiastic resurgence of interest in participating.  I was oh so happy to have the extra blog posts that were not only incredibly creative but that didn't require me to think.  So, I decided I'd open a second chance opportunity for those who learned of the challenge a little late.  And I'm very happy I did...lots more creativity and a lot less brain activity on my part.  I don't know what I'm going to next week when I have to start to writing on my own again!

Bee from the Wooden Bee submitted a fabulous project utilizing some pretty odd bits of trash.  I sent her several round plastic containers that came from a gumball type machine, old clothing tags and the skinny part of a tie - yep, JUST the skinny part.

Bee made some fabulous decorative fabric balls, check 'em out:

You'll have to hop over to her blog to see how she creatively used the clothing tags.

Fun, right?  Well stay tuned because I'll be posting a couple more trash to treasure projects this week and give you another chance to vote for a winner.  This time, participants are competing for a $50 shopping spree in the Upcycled Stuff shop.

Oh and don't forget, voting for the first round of competition closes tomorrow.  Be sure to get your vote in!

Sewing Month Challenge #5

The final project in the first round of Sewing Month Challenges comes from Genie at the Verdant Violet.  I sent her a thrifted pair of leggings that were a bit pilled, the core from a roll of packing tape and a handful of plastic rings from soda/water bottles. 

And look at what she transformed this pile of whatnots into:

Super cute puppets, right?  I'll let her explain her process:  "I am excited to introduce you to monster puppets Mort and Millie and their 5 monster finger puppets, Max, Mimi, Baby Merv, Manny, and Linda. Poor Linda has two eyes. Mort is multifunctional as he is both a puppet and a drawstring bag that can be used to hide the rest of his family. 

I used the cardboard tape roll as the base for Millie and the plastic rings as bases for the little guys. This allows them to stand on their own if they choose, which is great for their self-esteem. It also makes Millie feel like a bracelet."  

Well, I think I did a pretty a good job selecting just the right pieces of trash to send off to challenge participants!  What do you think?  I know, I know, I really can't take any credit for the awesome projects that have graced the pages of my blog in the last couple of weeks.  So now you have a choice to make.  Which was your favorite project?  Just vote below for your favorite:

Fold 'n Go Tote made from a pillowcase 
Comic Book Garland
Sunflower Puncher
Map Adorned Photoboard
Family of Monster Puppets

Remember, bragging rights and a $100 Upcycled Stuff shopping spree are up for grabs so challengers...call your friends and family and not-so-loved-ones and send them over to vote for you!  Winner will be announced on Tuesday, September 25 at 6:00 EST!

And tune in all next week for a second chance challenge where upcyclers will compete to win a $50 shopping spree.  That'll round out National Sewing Month nicely (or should I say, National Tricia Doesn't Have to Come Up With a Bit of Original Content Month). 

Good luck everyone and thanks for playing along!  

*TO VOTE:  Register your favorite project in the comments below...one vote per person :)
 

Sewing Challenge #4

When faced with a challenge such as this, sometimes it's best to stick with what you know.  And that's exactly what Elaine from ElaineZelkerPhotography did when she created her project from this hod podge of crafting materials that I sent her: 

She received the top half of Goodwill T-shirt, a "junk load" of pop tabs and a couple of pages of maps. And artfully, this trash was turned into treasure when Elaine created this photoboard:

She adorned an an old frame with origami flowers made from the maps, then used and old medicine cup, some of the T-shirt and the pop tabs to create a pin cushion to house pins for future pinning.

The pop tabs were simply hot glued but she did sew some map strips onto the T-shirt which acts as the photo board backing. These strips easily hold pictures in place:

Sweet way to upcycle a bunch of stuff that someone else might just cast aside, right?

Sewing Challenge #3

Envisioning this finished product in use had me in stitches.  Don't get me wrong, Maria from WildChildGardens did a fantastic job but when you envision her punching sunflowers, you're sure to giggle just a bit.  Here's what I sent her:

A bit of fabric left over from the kitchen curtains that I (er, I mean mom made for me) several years ago, a handful of Coke lids and a Starbust package.  Of course my first thought was a sunflower harvesting glove, wasn't it yours?  That's exactly what Maria made.

Maria says that as the seed heads (of the sunflower) dry, they get really tight and sharp. By punching the sunflower seed heads with her bottle cap knuckles, the seeds easily pop out and and she can pick them up with her exposed fingertips. She even included a pocket made out of the Starburst package which had a Ziploc closure.

Also, because the glove is constructed from sturdy fabric and covers the whole and it's good for harvesting squash and okra, which otherwise leave tiny prickles in her arms all day. All of the sewing was done on her vintage Singer, except for the bottle tops. She punched 4 holes in each cap with a nail and then hand sewed them in place. She made a draw string around the top to hold the glove up and used a grommet and piece of lace edging to finish it up.

And because she believes strongly in using all parts of the "animal" (my kinda gal), she used the leftover materials to quilt together a little clutch. She used the two left over bottle caps as toggle closures for the bag.

So what do you think?  Have you picked your favorite project yet?  Well, hold that thought, we're not done yet!  Stay tuned for another fabulous project.

Sewing Month Challenge #2

I have to admit, this packet of trash was a little bit evil.  It didn't have any fabric of any kind...I know, bad blogger and contest hostess! But this WAS supposed to be a challenge right?  Here's all the fun stuff that I sent to Sarah from Sweet Someday.

Yep, that's it...a bunch of plastic Target bags, a comic book that I picked up on a Freecyle and an Arizona Tea can (that I turned into flowers before I sent them).  Here's the fabulous garland that Sarah made.

After punching out 1" colorful circles from the comic book pages she stitched 'em up with brown thread (because that's the color that was on the machine and re-threading it with another color wasn't an option - sheesh she sounds like me).  Just two more challenge materials....

She took the Target bags and cut some small rectangles out of the white portion and tied them onto the thread between every five circles for a little added texture and interest.  Next she took some longer strips from the target bags, braided them and attached them to each end of the garland to easily tie it up.

And finally, those aluminum flowers were used to disguise a couple of cardboard circles that she used at each end to attach the braided plastic bags.  It turned out to be a cute garland that could be used for parties, birthdays, special events, or just every day. She's also the only one who used the packaging in her project!  Everyone received their trash in some sort of food box that I turned inside out for mailing.  Sarah used her oatmeal box as a spool for her garland.  Other than the thread and adhesive - the ENTIRE thing was upcycled!

Here's another look:

Sewing Month Challenge #1

When I put the call out for readers to take a Sewing Month Challenge, I wasn't sure what to expect.  And I know I wasn't the only one who felt that way!  But, alas, I started receiving completed projects this weekend and was pretty impressed with the creativity.  So, without further ado here's the first project.

I sent the following care package to Melissa from Manskers (Upcycled Underwear for Kids!)

Here's her completed tote bag that folds up for easy transport:

Pretty nifty, eh?  Want to see how she did it?   Check out her blog post for step by step instructions.

Now remember, there are several brave souls competing for a $100 shopping spree in my shop.  I'll post their projects on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the next couple of weeks and give you all a chance to vote for your favorite or most inventive.

Sewing Month Challenge

September is National Sewing Month and even though every now and again I pick up a needle and thread or stomp on the sewing machine pedal, sadly, sewing has never held my interest for very long.  So what's an upcycling blogger to do  when she doesn't have the know-how to blog about all things needle and thread?  Throw it out to the readers, that's what she's to do!  So, I hope you're game for a little "Craft Wars"-like challenge.

Here's the deal, the first ten people to post below and tell me that they are up for the challenge will receive a packet of trash in the mail from my craft room...you lucky little devils!  Then it's you're job to incorporate all of the items into a craft of your choice.  You can incorporate any other materials from your own craft closets (wouldn't it be sweet if you had the Micheal's Craft closet to work with?) and it must be sewn in some fashion (by hand or with a machine).  You'll have until September 10, 2012 to send me pictures and a written summary of your project via email.  Here's were it gets good...

I'll post a blog for every project that I receive back with links back to your blog, website or Etsy shop.  All posts will be shared via Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.  Then at the end of the month we'll give readers the chance to vote on their favorite project.  The one with the most votes gets a $100 shopping spree in the Upcycled Stuff shop.

FAIR WARNING #1:  I will take photographs of packages before they go out so no cheating and leaving things out. 

FAIR WARNING #2:  You may not receive a stitch of fabric from me....muahhahahah

So, are you game?  If so, tell me below and then send your mailing address to UpcycledStuff@yahoo.com.  Good luck everyone!