Don't Throw Those Old Clothes Away

Boy was I in a purging kind of mood last week!  My closet had become so overstuffed with clothes that I was no longer wearing and I couldn't find anything.  Thankfully, when the purge was complete, I ended up with a bunch of clothes to put back in the closet, a pile for the local women's shelter and a pile that I new I just couldn't even donate.  With that pile, I set to work on a bunch of upcycled projects.  Today, I thought I'd share a really simple way to make some low sew bags that can be used for gift giving, storing jewelry, carrying snacks to school and you can even use them instead of those pesky plastic produce bags.  Here's how my favorite turned out:

This bag was made from the sleeve of a pajama top that I've had for several years and was down to it's last couple of buttons (I saved the animal print buttons for later use too).  It's hard to see in this picture but it has a really pretty sheer ruffle around the top of the bag.

Step one:  Clean your closet, your kids closet, your neighbors closet and donate whatever is still wearable.  What's not - gather up and remove any zippers, buttons or embellishments that you might find use for in other projects.  Then start imagining the cuts you can make.  The bottom of pant legs and the ends of sleeves are a great place to start and will require just a couple straight seams. I don't really like to sew so the fewer stitches, the better!

Lop off the end of your garment.  Yeah, I know it's not straight, I fixed that before I started sewing.

Then you're going to fold over the top seam to make a "pouch" for your drawstring.  Add a few pins and sew around the sleeve.

Just be careful not to also sew through any ruffles. You'll want to leave a small opening in the seam for the drawstring.

Now you can select a coordinating ribbon or yarn and thread it through your seam.  I find attaching a safety pin to one end is the easiest way to get the cord through the seam.  Before we finish off this bag, I want to jump to an alternate (and easier) method of making your top seam. 


This is the bottom of a pajama pant leg that already has a nice seam in it. All you need to do is snip a piece of the seam and thread your drawstring through - so much easier!

Okay, let's head back over to our animal print bag and finish off the bottom.

Be sure the right sides of your fabric are facing each other and add a few pins to keep everything straight.

Add a simple straight stitch across the bottom and viola!  Simply turn your finished bag right side out and it's ready to use.  I was able to get two identical bags, one from each sleeve, from this garment.  With a few extra and still simple stitches I was able to get another pouch from the breast panel using the button holes to thread my ribbon through.  I still have plenty of this fabric (and ideas) left. 

Let's go back and finish off that blue jersey bag that I started above:

I know I know....why would you slice it up?!  How functional would THAT be?!  Trust me, I have a rotary cutter and I know how to use it. 

After you've sewn up the bottom edge as you did in the above bag, use a straight edge and rotary cutter to make inch long cuts in your fabric that are about half an inch to three quarters of an inch apart. 

Now you have yourself a nice looking and reusable produce bag!

See I told you I knew what I was doing!  Post below and tell me what you're doing with your old clothes.

Check Out My Guest Blog

You know those times when life slaps you on the back so hard that you fall on your face and on the way down it kicks ya in the teeth too?  Well, it's been one of those months but thank God I seem to be getting back up on my feet again because I've really missed my blogging adventure.  While I start gathering some fun stuff to share with you over the next couple of days, please take a peek at my guest blog on the Yellow Finch Designs Blog.

Keep your eyes peeled for some great tutorials comin' up!

Wordless Wednesday Featuring Peg and an Upcycled Nest

Okay, so this isn't exactly wordless.  But this definitely needs a caption or something!  My lovebird, Peg, has recently taken to nesting in her food bowl.  And as luck would have it, her rear end hung out over the water bowl so it was constantly being soiled.  So, I took and old parrot sized food bowl, flipped a take-out ramekin upside down inside of it to create a higher floor and stuck a wad of dryer lint on top of it.  Well, it took her day to figure out what it was, but she loves it!

Wordless Wednesday Featuring a Little Extra Upcycled Room for Hauling

What are you Upcycling in Your Compost Bin?

Slowly but surely the little critters who have taken up residence in my compost bin are eating and pooping their way through my table scraps and garden clippings.  Sometimes it's a challenge to come up with compostable trash when you live alone, one certainly doesn't produce the waste that a family of four does.  If you have the same problem or simply want to compost more here are some things that maybe you haven't considered before:

1.  Dryer lint - or that disgusting wad of lint you pulled off your refrigerator coils

2.  Pet hair - Although I live alone, there is certainly an abundance of pet hair in my apartment

3. Wine - though you'd have to leave some in the bottle (or box, if you prefer) to compost
4.  Burlap

5.  Fish bones

6.  Cotton balls/swabs (with cardboard sticks, not plastic)

7.  Egg Shells - or crush up and spread them around your plants to keep snails and other would be predators from chomping on your plants

8.  Coffee Grounds/Tea Leaves - Coffee grounds are also terrific added straight to the soil surrounding acid loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, and roses.

9.  Jello

10. Old Pasta and rice - plain and cooked

11.  Elmer's Glue

12. Cage Droppings from your herbivorous pets (birds, bunnies, guinea pigs) - don't forget the bedding, it's an excellent source of carbon for the pile

13. Crustacean Shells (shrimp, lobster, crab)

14.  Wool Socks or any other natural fiber clothing; cotton, hemp, etc.

15.  and my favorite...Toenail Clippings!  Seriously....Google it!

And for a little bonus, I couldn't quite bring myself to add this to my list but this article is really a funny read.

Happy Composting!

Five Other Uses for a Starbucks Cup

I know it's terrible, but my dirty little secret is (cue the scary music)...I have more disposable Starbucks cups than any one human should ever collect in a lifetime!  Of course, I've rectified the problem by now with reusable beverage containers.  But every now and again when I don't have my cup with me or I just have to have a VENTI when my reusable will only hold a grande, I add to my collection.  So what's a girl supposed to do with all those left over cups?  Here are five ways to upcycle those cold cups:

1.  Make a bird feeder. 
2.  Use them glues or to mix paints in.  They are great for crafting!
3.  Plant an herb or succulent garden.  You could even wrap scrap fabric around them and tie it in place with some raffia or hemp to jazz them up.
4.  Make a wreath for the mantle or the door.
5.  Make a canopy...Okay so you won't make much shade with the clear Starbucks cups but you'll start a conversation or two.

And don't forget:  If your local recycling program doesn't take #5 plastics you can collect them and deliver to your local Whole Foods, Target or other retailer with a collection box.  You can find your closest location on the Preserve website.  And now, you can go enjoy your favorite iced venti whatever with a little less guilt.

Wordless Wednesday Featuring a Coffee Can Mailer