Repurposing Blue Jeans to Handbags

Not too long ago we had a visit from the little grands but as luck would have it, we had rain, lots of it for days. While one of the girls helped Grandpa build his race car in the garage, the other wanted to hang with Grandma. Keeping her entertained was challenging so we took a trip to the local thrift shop. I thought shopping for books and toys would help and that's where I spied a pair of blue jeans marked down to a quarter. I immediately thought of things to make from the jeans and bought them. 

We decided to make little handbags for the girls from the legs of the jeans.

We cut the legs off the jeans about 10 inches from the bottom. Using just the legs we turned the legs inside out, cut off the hems, and stitched across the narrow end and squared it off so it would have a flat bottom. We folded down the purse to the size we liked and added a rag rose and buttons for embellishments. 
For the handle we used the hems that we cut off earlier.

Rag rose and buttons on an embroidered bag.

Rag Rose and buttons.

Perfect size bags for little girls. 

Considering we used buttons on hand, scrap fabric for the roses, a whole twenty-five cents for the jeans we kept ourselves entertained for very little money and a little bit of time. The best part is we had 2 little happy girls with their stylish bags. 

Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff Sewing. 

Mid Week Rummage Find: The Suit He Left Behind

Yes, I said Rummage....as in rummaging through my stuff. Stayed home from work today to go to the doctor and don't want to get too involved in anything so rummaging at home is perfect. Nothing on the stove to burn, nothing on the sewing machine to forget what I was doing....Besides, going through my stacks of sewing books is sort of like going through mama's jewelry box....each clipping stashed in the book has a story to tell. 
What I found......
The year was 1943, the middle of WWII for the US and described by many as the darkest.  The guys overseas had it hard but life at home wasn't easy, either. The waiting and worrying was bad enough but add rationing and shortages to that. Fashions changed to conserve precious materials....like the fabric that might have been a skirt before was now a uniform. This clipping from The Courier-Journal, Louisville, KY, showed how to use a man's suit to make a woman's suit.

Our society has since become a throw away society....."don't fix it, buy another" or "don't pass it down." Nowadays the stores are full of fabric and thread and I often forget how hard it must have been in my grandparents' day....and how lucky I am now. 
Anyway, it's a fun read. Hope y'all enjoyed it. 
Post by Eileen Patterson.....who is GoofingOff.

T Shirt Recycle

The other day I took a trip to one of my favorite save-a-buck-or-two shops...the kind where they mark things to 25 cents when the items don't move fast enough. T-shirts....lots of t-shirts...were on the rack....which led me to...Something to Make from T-shirts.  Yarn is always a possibility...that leads to crocheting and knitting...but the yarn could be used for decorating packages or staking tomato plants. 

Here's a few more ideas...

An Infinity Scarf

T-shirt Shag Rug

T-Shirt Bracelets

Stuffed Bunny

Grocery bag

Summer Vest

T-Shirt Dress

Pom Poms

Post by Eileen Patterson....GoofingOff....who is committed to recycling. 

Some Serious Recycling Going On: The Broken Chair

It broke....finally. It's been working on it for a while but I have a hard time letting go. No, not a relationship, a chair I found at an auction about 18 years ago..$2 bucks a piece at the end of the auction. Good deal.
 My home is a mish mash of hand-me-downs and recycled what-nots and my kitchen is no exception (except the appliance...bought them new). Matching? They're all made of wood...brown stain...matches.
A supporting rung of the chair broke a few months ago so I made sure no one sat in it and used it to set groceries on...I guess the grocery bags DO hold a few more pounds of stuff than plastic bags (shopping is my weight training work out. I am all about fitness). I noticed it was leaning somewhat precipitiously, one of those what-the-heck-is-wrong-with-that moments. Falling apart..beyond repair, at least for me.
Now to let go of the scraps of wood. I keep having those "what can I make with this" moments that keep what is left of the chair from the dump.
Trying to think of something.
Letting go is so hard.
Oh, I did save the seat....there's another chair frame around here somewhere that needs one.
Some serious recycling goes on here.

Post by Eileen Patterson

Friday Freebies Plushies from Pantyhose Patterns

How’s your week going? I’m still going through my stash. At this rate it will take me a few years. Anyway, I found this clipping from Family Circle, 6/21/83 for soft sculpture made from pantyhose I thought I would share. I love recycling and these creations are so cute.


        

Hope you find time, and pantyhose, to give these creations a try. Happy crafting!
Post by Miss Eileen aka GoofingOff
MissEileen vintage
Goofingoff Etsy Judaic fabrics, sewing patterns
GoofingOff Artfire Sewing patterns, plus size patterns
Metal Woods N Water unusual stuff and metal work