A Little Bit of Sewing-the Nissan Leaf

If you have a lot of t-shirts that you don’t wear laying around or you have shirts that are stained and no longer wearable, consider recycling them into other projects. Lately I have been more into projects that are designed to reduce waste. On Friday, Nissan was in town for their road tour announcing their new electric car called the Leaf. Since they were in walking distance of our office, some coworkers and I walked over to take a look. We didn’t stay to take a test drive, but we did sign up so we could get a free t-shirt. it was a beautiful t-shirt, but I would never wear it, so I up-cycled it.

I didn’t think to take a before shot of the t-shirt so you could se what it looked like, but this is what it looks like now.

​

I told you it was a nice shirt. That logo was begging to be the centerpiece of a bag. The pattern is the Amy Butler Swing Bag. The dark blue external fabric is the Nissan Leaf t-shirt. The internal is a white t-shirt from Lane Bryant that I had stained but had not thrown away. I would often wear it to bed because the fabric felt so good. Now, it has a new life. The bag is lined with Peltex to give it some stiffness. It is reversible but I would never walk around with a white bag. I attract stains too much to be that brave, but having a white interior gives you that extra brightness that makes finding things a little simpler.

But I couldn’t leave it there. I’m constantly looking for ways to organize all the stuff that makes it’s way into my bag. Mostly I do this with little zippered bags. I made two to match my new Nissan Leaf Swing Bag.

​

These zippered pouches are made from the cap sleeves of the t-shirt. These are improvised and far from perfectly square, but they are very utilitarian and ready to toss in any bag.

So, what do you think? Are you off to make new use of your old t-shirts? Let me know.

Happy crafting.

Just For Me

I think this may be my favorite. It's the Amy Butler Sling Bag. It's big and it's absolutely cushy!! The fusing I used added some softness to it and the pattern also calls for some fusible fleece so the finished bag turns out really soft and luscious. I also made a matching zippered pouch from the Stash Bags Pattern. See my flickr page for more photos.

All of the sewing I've been doing lately has got me thinking about my connection with my mother and grandmother and with the women that I have met since being out on my own. The following statement most likely won't apply to any of the people reading this blog, but I get so disappointed when I meet people (especially women) that don't do anything. They have no product to show their existence (other than the babies they've made of course). But why is it that our ability to 'craft' is being pushed aside? I love the women and men that I have met through knitting and blogging. Some of you are out there doing some fantastic and beautiful things and I love seeing that and being able in some part to be a part of your legacy. But for those that have no hobbies and show no interest in anything in particular....what is their legacy?

The Matching Bag

Here is the bag that my grandmother requested. It's the Amy Butler Chelsea Bag and it's reversible and very cute. I think this is a really nice little set.



I'm off to sew something for myself now. I am knitting by the way. More on the current project later.

And One for Me!

These really are quick projects. Perfect for days you are skipping work.

A Quickie

I put together this little coin purse from the Amy Butler Stash and Dash pattern. This is for my grandmother to match another AB bag that I will be sewing up for this weekend.

Mom's Messenger Bag

It's done. I did go out this morning and was able to find some thread close in color to the one I had. Couldn't find the exact brand and color but I got close. This bag is a little thicker than the one I made for myself. The canvas I chose was stiffer so it took a little more effort but I've got to say that my finishing skills are getting much better. I still need to iron it one last time to really make it crisp.

Unfortunately, my sewing machine didn't quite make it to the end. I'm not sure what happened but it has revolted and refused to sew properly. Lucky for me I had my new toy waiting in the wings. Craftmonkey, you guessed correctly. I got a Bernina!!! I've been lusting after this for a few months now and decided to step out and go for it. To save money (these things are expensive), I bought one of the floor models. I wanted a new one but the floor model comes with all the same warranties and what not so it's just as good as new. It took me a bit to get used to it but I was determined to get this bag finished tonight. I wanted to finish this project with my old machine so as not to be faced with a leaning curve in the middle of the project, but it worked out well.

I think mom will love the bag. I'm quite happy and impressed with it. I'll be doing all kinds of things now that I've got the new machine so you'll be seeing some of those projects soon. I will be taking the free classes that come with purchasing from Lavender Lime. I also get hundreds of free fat quarters from the store with this purchase so I'll be working on developing small projects that I can use them for.

Ran Out of Thread

The store where I got this thread (lime in color) is closed today and I'm trying to decide if I want to change to a different color or hit the shops looking for a match. Most of the exterior is done and I would still need another spool of the lime to finish topstitching on the outside. I had originally bought brown thread to do this bag but when I saw the lime thread I was given for free, I changed my mind. OY. So do I do the interior with brown??? Do I hit the shops??? Do I wait until Monday when the shop I got the thread from opens??? OH!

Recovering

This weekend will be the first time in a while that I get to just concentrate on myself and doing what I want to do. Unfortunately part of that will have to be spent cleaning the house but I have enough joy in store that I can endure the cleaning.

I've gotten most of the pieces cut for my mother's messenger bag. I need to pick up some canvas tomorrow at the fabric store for the lining and then I can get to sewing. She's really looking forward to getting this bag and it makes me want to get it finished quickly.




Other than the bag, I will spending a lot of my weekend with my new friend Mac the iMac. Cheesy, I know, but you would be cheesy too if you had one. Isn't he lovely. I think it should be a he. He will get a more appropriate name at a later date, but for now he is just Mac.













When things don't go as well as I would like in life (not that often but it happens), I like to spoil myself. In addition to Mac I bought myself another very special gift which is still in the box so I will post about it later.


For those of you in the Chattanooga area that include fabric in your fiber love obsessions, check out Lavender Lime. I know I've mentioned them before, but they have rearranged their store and it looks fabulous. You can't help but fall in love and loose your money in that store (hint on the other gift I bought myself).

Take care you all and have fun indulging in your fiber love.

My Productivity is Improving!

I finished the second bag for the sew-a-long.

I love Amy Butler

I've linked to the pictures on my flickr page.

I have done a couple of Amy Butler bags before and I've been really happy with the outcome of them, but this bag was different and very much special because of it.

I took the class for this bag at Lavender Lime and I'm so glad that I did. I never would have had the nerve to try this pattern without the class. I've never done zippers before and I've never tackled such complex construction before.

The bag has multiple pockets, three of which are zippered and two pleated pockets. These are new skills for me but I did a good job on it and the instructor at Lavender Lime did a great job walking us through it. I choose two Amy Butler fabrics and a really stiff canvas lining. I'm especially proud that I made it through this project without breaking any needles although my machine and I had a few fights along the way.

I love it! Let me know what you think.