Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recycle. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

{sweet awning stripe tote}

As I was wandering through the fabric department one day, I fell in { L O V E } with this awning stripe canvas. It had a fantastic texture and slight coating on one side. I am sure it was intended for use on outdoor furniture. I did not have any outdoor furniture to recover, but I loved it.











...it turns out it makes a great and sturdy tote bag...
 ...of course it had to have nice wide handles to support lots of goodies at the market...
 ...and a ruffled peony. I love the twine center...
 ...and a yummy ruffle...
 ...I gave it a nice wide bottom...
 ...it would be a great bag to load up with fabric, books, beach goods...
 ...a wide band at the top gives it a nicely finished look, and some support as well...
 ...I did learn I needed a stronger needle to sew through all the tough layers of canvas...
 ...but a bent needle was worth it...
 ...the thick muslin ruffle and silky layered flower offers a nice variety of textiles...
 ...I like to leave my muslin shabby on the edges...
 ...and the green stripe is perfect for Spring and Summer...
 ...plus it will fold up nicely for easy storage at home or in the car...
 ...and if I need extra support, I can always add a covered chipboard bottom...
 ...see how roomy it is...
 ...suddenly, it seems { GOING GREEN } is beautiful!
...enjoy!

{linking up here this week}

Monday, January 9, 2012

{recycled repurposed & resplendent in shades of white}

There is something soothing about the color white. It is simple. It is pure. It is stark in it's beauty...

...but bringing together the many different shades of white can be resplendent in itself.

I have always recycled, repurposed my {laundry sheets}...dye catching sheets, fabric softener sheets. I have dyed them, cut them, sew them into projects.


 No matter how many times I have tried, I just can not bring myself to throw them away...
...each time a fresh new load of wash is complete I add another dye catching square to my growing stack of {laundry sheets}...
...the same goes for softener sheets. Fresh out of the dryer they are soft, they are wispy and they hold just a hint of that lovely smell they started with...
...so the other day I had an idea. I would use this beautiful pile, in shades of white, to make a new wreathe. I have been wanting a new one, in shades of white, of course...{take a peek at the end result}...
 ...I already had everything I needed, either in the studio, or in the laundry room...
{ a grapevine wreathe}
 {white fabric}
{my laundry sheets}
{these were already in beautiful varying shades of white thanks to the wash loads themselves}




 ...First I cut my banner pennants from white fabric.
Next I cut my letters { L O V E } from a dye catcher sheet...
 ...Then I began to make my flowers. I cut various strips of the sheets according to what type I flower I wanted to create...
 ...each was more beautiful than the next...
 ...I had no patterns, I just cut...
 ...and then twirled them around and fastened them with masking tape...
 ...I made large and small flowers...
 ...the result was this beautiful wreathe in {shades of white}...
 ...if one {laundry sheet} felt gray or dingy, I didn't let it stop me...
 ...because in the end, when it was cut and twirled, it was just as beautiful as the rest...
 ...there were tinges of the palest pinks and yellows...
 ...and lots of yummy off white and gray...
 ...for a pop of true, crisp white I added a few flowers fashioned from a white coffee filter...
 ...together, they were a gorgeous recycled, repurposed bouquet...
 ...each flower, surprising me more than the next...
 ...I created a few leaves out of some scraps of a utility grade white fabric...
 ...and filled in with the wonderfully, wispy {softener sheet} flowers...
 ...it is so dreamy...
 ...a close up shot of the dye catcher sheet letter sewn onto the banner...
 ...I am in { L O V E } with this wreathe...
 ...and I feel good that I could {recycle & repurpose} something old into...
 ...something simply 
{ R E S P L E N D E N T }.

I am sharing this project here:




enjoy!


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