Recycling Old T-Shirts – Part 1

I recently had a big clean out at home and discovered a stack of t-shirts that I love, but don’t fit anymore. I couldn’t bring myself to give them away, so I scoured the internet for ways to recycle them. I found plenty for t-shirts that are too big (blog posts for the future) but hardly any for ones that are too small.



I then came across mmmcrafts messenger bag tutorial that I had pinned onto Pinterest (seriously, who else is addicted to Pinterest?!) and realised that I could incorporate one of my t-shirts into that.

This is the t-shirt that I used (I’d already started cutting into it, when I decided I should take a “before” shot ... ). Can you see why I didn’t want to get rid of it?



The tutorial was so good, and easy to follow. I actually really enjoyed making it and it didn’t take long at all. For the main fabric, I actually used stiff curtain fabric and it was ideal – with just a red cotton lining.

Here is the finished product – the only thing I would have preferred would be having the image a bit further down, but I just had to work with what I had. I’ve had SO many positive comments about this bag, which is great because I love it too.



Stay posted for Part 2 ...

Another one for the guys ...

It was a great day for my husband when I discovered that our local Spotlight store had acquired good quality camouflage material. I bought a couple of metres for him, and I'm sure he's been waiting for his opportunity to get something made out of it.

That day came on Saturday. We were preparing for our overseas trip and I expressed my concern about Ash having to put his expensive tripod through with all of the other checked luggage, in case someone pinched it off the conveyor belt. So, Ash had the idea of making a bag for it - he still had webbing from his Backpack Cover that he made last year - and I agreed to make it for him.

I think he must have been to eager to wait for me to start making it, so the next thing I know he's cut out the material and he's all keen to sew it up, which he did! And he did a great job too! We'll have to see if it stands the test of time - and travel.

Travel Accessories

My husband and I are going overseas in 5 weeks and 6 days (not that I'm counting!), so I thought some personalised travel accessories might be in order.

I made a laundry bag for us each. As always, Ash requested camo material (our local Spotlight now stocks the proper stuff, so he's pretty excited about that).

And toothpaste and toothbrush holders as well. Check out the cool fabric I got from Spotlight. Very fitting for travelling huh!

Lots more projects on the way, stay posted :)

Camo Backback Cover - One for the guys!

This one isn't actually one of my projects, but my Husband's that I'm proudly going to share :)

I came home from work a week ago to the sound of my sewing machine whirring away, which is probably the last thing I would expect. Ash had got a new backpack for his birthday a few days before (a swanky one with a compartment specially for his camera and all it's gear), so he'd decided it needed a waterproof cover. He'd mentioned it to me earlier, to which I said it was a good idea but I didn't have time straightaway to figure it out (up to my eyeballs in sewing projects right now), so he decided to give it a crack.

He went to the camping store and bought a camo poncho (hmmm I don't think I could imagine a boy's camping night with ponchos ... perhaps that's why it was on sale... anyway ...) and then converted that using cord, webbing and a toggle and buckle to secure it. Here's what the end result looked like:



Toggle fastening (buttons are from original poncho)



Buckle fastening to secure around the back of the backpack

We went away the morning after and, given the wet weather here at the moment, it got well and truly tested and passed with flying colours.

I think I better keep an eye on my sewing machine in the future. I may have to start fighting to use it ...

The "Montana Bag"

My little neice Montana is turning 4 on Wednesday, so I thought I'd test my sewing and creative skills to make a present for her. I'd looked at some online tutorials of bags, and they were either beyond my skills (plus I was working to a deadline) or just not what I had in mind. So, I decided to jot down the design I had in mind and let my artistic husband decipher my scibbles and turn it into a pattern, which he did!

It was very easy, and I plan on making more. As with all self-designed projects, I've thought of improvements I can make to it, but I'm sure that Montana will love it anyway. If she doesn't, I already stocked up on some funky Smiggle stationery supplies to go inside the bag that will make her happy :)